Automatic doors versus manually operated doors

If you’re struggling to choose between automatic doors for your business, or manually controlled doors, this article is designed to help you make an educated choice and to give the general reader a little more information on the subject.

If you find the article helpful, please pass it on to friends and colleagues, and if you’re looking to install power-assisted doors for your business, don’t hesitate in getting in touch with Reactive Doors, via the website, by email, or by phone.

The benefits of automatic doors and manually operated doors

As already mentioned, your choice of automatic door or manual door for your business comes down to a variety of factors, so we’ve put together a short list of the benefits of each, in a quick-to-read format.

Automatic doors – the benefits

• Automatic doors look amazing: Think of the front of your office or retail premises. Now imagine it with a stunning set of automatic glass doors – maybe a simple sliding door setup, or a grand set of glass telescopic doors, allowing easy access to multiple customers or clients at a time. The fact is, because automatic doors are available in a range of modern and traditional styles, they suit and enhance almost any building, even those with completely uninspiring architecture.

• Automatic doors provide more access control solutions: Controlling who enters your property is vital, either from a security standpoint or as a monitoring tool. With an automatic door installed, you have the option of a number of state-of-the-art access control systems, some of which can automatically control the amount of visitors you have in your premises at any one time.

• Automatic doors conserve energy: : Keeping the door to your shop or office closed, to keep the heat in or save on air conditioning costs, is ultra-important, especially in these economically tough times. With an automatic door system installed, you always know that unless you override the system, the door will only be open when someone needs to enter or exit, therefore keeping the temperature constant, whether it’s warm or cool.

• Automatic doors make a premises more accessible: Installing an automatic entrance to your building is one of the most effective ways to make your business accessible to more people. One in twenty people has some form of disability that makes traditional mobility more challenging for them. And it's not just people in wheelchairs that benefit: mothers with prams, shoppers with trolleys, delivery drivers and elderly people will all thank you for installing a powered door system.

Manually operated doors – the benefits

• Manually operated doors require less maintenance: It stands to reason, that if you don’t have a mechanism to automatically open and shut your door, it will require less maintenance. That said, a modern set of commercial sliding doors installed by a reputable automatic door provider, won’t require an excessive amount of maintenance, and the better companies out there will provide a comprehensive maintenance plan, to ensure your automatic doors provide you with a lifetime of virtually uninterrupted service.

• Manually operated doors are traditional: Whilst not a standout benefit, some businesses like to keep a traditional look and feel to their premises, so a well-installed, traditional style manually operated swing door is the perfect solution. Again, automatic doors are also available in more traditional styles, including traditional swing and sliding styles.

• Manually operated doors are cheaper: If you're just looking for a cheap entrance option it doesn't get more simple than a piece of wood and a couple of hinges. However, whilst it's true that a regular entrance is cheaper than an automatic solution, there are a variety of automatic doors at different price points. If you're looking for a cost-effective automatic door system a powered swing door system is the answer and can be used to convert nearly any type of existing door.

Conclusion

The age-old argument; are automatic doors better than manually operated doors, does tend to be won by team automatic, but don’t let that dissuade you from buying a high-quality, manually operated door, if it suits your premises and your budget.

Book your free site survey

If you’re looking to install automatic doors in your commercial premises, contact Reactive Doors today either via the website, by email, or by phone, to book your free, no-obligation site survey.