Automatic vs Manual Doors: Pros & Cons

How many times a day do you walk through doorways? As business owners, workers and customers we all need to access buildings. But which door system best fits your needs?

In this blog post, we weigh the pros and cons of both automatic and manual doors.

Automatic doors

Automatic doors are convenient and efficient and can improve the traffic flow in your building, here are the advantages and disadvantages to consider:

Pros

-      Entry to your residence or business with the use of automatic doors can make your property safer overall.

-      Offering touchless entry for customers/guests within your buildings helps streamline entry.

-      Only allow restricted access to only your authorised workers.

-      Give people with disabilities, the elderly and people with pushchairs easier and more welcoming access to your premises.

-      It’s more convenient for you, your staff, your customers and delivery workers to enter which improves traffic flow in a building.

-      It is more energy efficient by preventing temperature fluctuations in your building by only having doors open when in use - lessening the costs of air conditioning and heating systems.

-      A vast array of choices in door styles and materials are available.

Cons

-      Automatic doors are at a higher price point in comparison to manual doors.

-      Automatic doors require servicing and repairs and may need specialists which can be costly.

-      Power failures can cause automatic doors to be completely unusable; for this reason, manual doors and other access points need to be added beforehand in case this occurs.

-      Cybersecurity measures need to be implemented in case of security access concerns.

-      Malfunctions in automatic doors can be dangerous, particularly with children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Manual Doors

Manual doors are becoming less popular, particularly in high traffic buildings, but there are still many reasons why they may work for you.

Pros

-      Manual doors are typically less expensive to install, as well as maintain, compared to automatic doors.

-      Simplicity; manual doors do not rely on complex electrics.

-      In the event of a power outage manual doors are still accessible during business hours.

-      Individualised security is available with the choice of key or electronic systems.

-      Larger amount of style choice customization.

Cons

-      Harder for people to access your buildings such as the elderly and people with disabilities due to having to physically open them.

-      Airflow temperature is less managed inside your building which can increase your aircon and heating bills.

-      Less convenient for supply workers to bring in large deliveries for you.

-      Human traffic flow during peak business hours can get congested.

At Shuretech Ltd we pride ourselves as being a door supplier you can count on, with over 25 years of experience you can count on us to help you find the right doors for your business. Get in touch with a member of our team today!