Inside VES’ game-changing AirDoor, which cuts energy costs and carbon footprints
VES is a leading manufacturer of air handling, heat recovery, supply, and extract units for public, commercial, and industrial buildings across the UK. Beyond delivering those high-quality products, VES offers specialist services designed to improve the performance and extend the lifespan of existing HVAC equipment. By combining excellent build quality, outstanding performance, and prompt nationwide customer support, VES creates tangible value and makes a difference to occupants and buildings by enhancing air quality, improving building efficiency, and reducing environmental impact. Kevin Portsmouth, Operations Director, discusses the company’s history.
“Specializing in the commercial ventilation sector, we are a family-run British manufacturer headquartered in the South of England. Our business is structured into three core divisions: the products division, which delivers standard and bespoke products from our factories; the services division, dedicated to installations, refurbishments and after-care support; and most recently we have expanded our portfolio to include the innovative new product AirDoor. Founded in 1968 by David Peters, who started the company from his garage in Winterslow near Salisbury, the business now spans three active generations, with David still taking a personal interest. Today, we have grown to around £25 million in turnover, employ over 200 people across the UK, and operate from two factories totaling 75,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Our products primarily serve the commercial and industrial sectors, with a strong focus on education, where we work closely with contractors on new-build schools commissioned by the Department of Education. In addition, we supply solutions for healthcare, leisure, retail, and commercial environments,” he states.
Kevin goes on to highlight the wide spectrum of products and services VES offers within those sectors. “Approximately 60 percent of our product portfolio consists of products from our bespoke Max range with each unit being designed specifically for end users needs. These include supply ventilation, extract ventilation, and heat recovery systems. We also offer a standard range of heat recovery products which enables us to deliver to short turnaround times. All our products are manufactured and tested in-house and most can be offered in a flat-pack format. Flat-pack units are broken down in the factory, delivered to site, and then rebuilt on location. This approach is particularly effective for tight plant rooms in city center or historic buildings, where space is limited.
“Our newest innovation, the AirDoor, is an intelligent, greener solution designed for open doorways that creates an invisible air barrier around any commercial building entrance – keeping indoor air in and the elements out. It helps commercial businesses, such as supermarkets and retail outlets, reduce energy consumption by minimizing heat loss, making it more energy efficient than traditional solutions,” he reveals.
AirDoor incorporates advanced aerodynamic design features developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) that control and direct airflow, minimizing the infiltration of wind, rain and dust. An intelligent control system utilizes sensors to detect airflow and adjusts internal variable speed fans to counteract incoming airflow, creating a barrier against outside air. As a direct replacement for traditional overdoor heaters, AirDoor delivers up to 95 percent energy savings while optimizing space usage, often eliminating the need for a draught lobby altogether. Looking at the whole space, AirDoor can reduce energy consumption by up to 54 percent when conditioning the building, achieved by minimizing weather-related air infiltration, allowing the existing HVAC system to maintain indoor temperatures more efficiently.
The introduction of all VES products to the market is preceded by a rigorous research and development (R&D) process. Kevin shares insights into the company’s approach to creating innovative products. “Our approach is twofold: we foster partnerships with end users and contractors to develop specific solutions, particularly within the education sector, and we are driven by new technologies and evolving industry regulations. Our objective is always to exceed any minimum directives and regulatory standards. There are many other ways we look at R&D, such as by exploring new materials, as our goal is to enable process efficiencies and reduce the overall carbon footprint associated with the products we manufacture.
“All of our products are designed with energy efficiency at their core. Notably, we consider how our products impact end users’ energy consumption by optimizing their operational performance and recovering heat from the rooms in which they operate. At the moment, we are developing some new heat recovery products, though they are still in the early concept stage with the aim of improving performance beyond current benchmarks, ensuring these solutions are future-proofed for years to come.”
For its focus on innovation, VES was recently awarded the Solent SME Growth 100’s Entrepreneurial Business of the Year award, of which Kevin is extremely proud. “Winning the award was linked to our reinvention of traditional solutions through the technology of our AirDoor. It has caught significant attention from major retailers as it allows them to explore new initiatives to reduce energy consumption and reduce costs in their large stores. Marking a shift away from their traditional energy-saving methods, our technology has given retailers a new perspective on how to save energy, particularly in heating and temperature control. We plan to continue investing in AirDoor to expand its reach in the wider market and are discovering new opportunities for trade outside of the UK. The product has attracted worldwide interest, prompting inquiries for trials in countries like Australia, and the US, which bodes well for our future,” he enthuses.
Kevin goes on to share details of the sustainability initiatives that VES has implemented within its manufacturing processes. “Currently, our quality team is working towards achieving the ISO 14001 accreditation which will establish a benchmark for us and guide our operations moving forward. To promote sustainability, we embrace a risk-based philosophy which consists of continuous improvement and waste minimization, both physically and within our processes, through lean techniques. We are focusing on identifying and eliminating waste from the manufacturing process, particularly aiming to reduce production of scrap materials. In collaboration with our waste management partner, we are committed to a zero waste-to-landfill initiative, diverting our manufacturing and office waste away from landfill. Instead, we recycle and recover as much of it as possible,” he outlines.
Equally as important are VES’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, designed to make a positive impact on local communities. “As a local employer with a large workforce, it is essential that we engage with our community. In addition to sponsoring our local football club, in September, we will participate in Make UK’s National Manufacturing Day. We will be opening our doors to local college students so they can visit our facility and learn about manufacturing. This initiative is part of our effort to connect with educational institutions and help encourage the next generation of designers and manufacturers,” Kevin concludes.