Invisidoor™ for Open Refrigerated Display Cases
Barrier-free efficient supermarket refrigeration with no maintenance
Open refrigerated display cases are the preferred format for food retail.
They make shopping fast, intuitive and visually appealing.
But open cases often pose a long-standing engineering challenge: cold-air spill. Up to 70% of the energy consumed by an open refrigeration cabinet goes into generating and maintaining the downward cold-air curtain. When that curtain weakens, cold air escapes into the aisle and warm air enters the case, driving up energy use, causing temperature drift, and reducing comfort for shoppers.
For many retailers, the default response has been to add glass doors. While intended to reduce energy use, doors bring high upfront cost, ongoing maintenance, slower shopping journeys, and added labour during restocking. Real-store data increasingly shows that performance often falls short of lab ratings, while negatively affecting operations and customer experience.
That’s why supermarket retailers are looking for a way to retain the trading benefits of open cases while reducing energy consumption and meeting ambitious CO₂ reduction targets.
Invisidoor™ delivers exactly that.
What is Invisidoor™?
Invisidoor™ is a passive airflow system for open refrigerated display cases that does not add a physical barrier between customers and chilled food.
Rather than sealing the cabinet, Invisidoor uses precision aerodynamic components developed using advanced CFD modelling and engineering to stabilise the cold-air curtain and enhance cold-air retrieval and recirculation.
The Invisidoor™ system includes:
Shelf-edge aerofoils that shape and guide the airflow along each shelf.
Dual front-riser air guides that increase suction pressure at the return grille.
Additional optimisation and control technologies tailored to the specific cabinet type
Optional specialist components, such as Aeromirror for meat displays or aerofoils for sloped shelves, ensure performance across all cabinet formats.
Completely passive, mechanical-free and maintenance-free, Invisidoor installs quickly and lasts the life of the fridge.
How Invisidoor™ works
Open refrigerated display cases rely on a continuous “curtain” of cold air descending from the canopy to the return grille at the base. In reality, this curtain weakens as it falls. Air turbulence from shopper movement, ambient draughts or store conditions disrupts its path, allowing warm air to enter the case and cold air to spill out into the aisle.
Invisidoor™ addresses this by reshaping the airflow at the points where it is most vulnerable:
1. Shelf-edge aerofoils
Each aerofoil attaches to the shelf-edge and controls the way the cold air interacts with products. By managing the flow at multiple levels of the cabinet it prevents premature mixing of warm and cold air.
2. Dual front-riser air guides
At the base of the cabinet, Invisidoor increases the velocity and suction at the air return, restoring the integrity of the air curtain precisely where it is most likely to break down.
3. Cabinet-specific aerodynamic optimisation
Invisidoor also incorporates additional airflow refinements tailored to each cabinet.
This may include adjustments such as air-curtain alignment or configuration changes to suit cabinet geometry and operating conditions.
The result: more of the cold air stays inside the cabinet, less energy is required to maintain the temperature and the aisle remains warm and comfortable for shoppers.
Field trials and deployments consistently show:
25–38% energy savings on open cases
Improved and stabilised product temperature bands
Reduced CO₂ emissions
A more comfortable, barrier-free shopping environment
What our Clients are Saying
Commercial Benefits & ROI
Retail leaders are looking for solutions that deliver measurable benefits without operational compromise. Invisidoor meets these demands by improving the three core pillars of refrigeration performance: energy, temperature and trading.
Energy Savings
Invisidoor reduces the refrigeration load by making the air curtain significantly more efficient. Real-store deployments typically deliver:
25–38% reduction in cabinet energy consumption
Additional reductions in central plant load
Lower maintenance and fewer engineering callouts
An average aisle temperature increase of 6°C
Payback
Because Invisidoor is passive and economical to retrofit, payback is often under 18 months, even in low-energy-cost markets.
Food quality & waste reduction
Improved airflow control:
Reduces hotspots
Supports consistent temperature bands
Extends shelf life and reduces shrinkage in sensitive categories such as meat, dairy and produce
Sales & trading performance
Invisidoor protects what retailers value most about open cases:
Barrier-free access
Faster, more enjoyable browsing
Better product visibility
No customer drop-off associated with door-opening friction
Ready to cut energy use without adding doors?
Invisidoor™ is already helping major retailers improve energy performance, stabilise temperatures and protect sales, all while keeping refrigeration open-fronted.
See what Invisidoor could save across your estate.
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Open cases use a continuous downward “air curtain” of chilled air to separate the cold interior from the ambient store environment. When this curtain weakens, due to turbulence, shopper movement or draughts, warm air enters the cabinet and cold air spills into the aisle, increasing energy use.
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Invisidoor stabilises and strengthens the air curtain so that cold air stays inside the case. This reduces energy consumption, improves product temperatures and eliminates cold-aisle discomfort, without adding a physical barrier.
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Real-store results typically show 25–38% energy savings on open-fronted cabinets, with additional reductions in central plant load.
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Yes. Invisidoor is designed for fast, low-disruption retrofit across most major open-case models. Installation can usually be completed during trading hours.
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In many real-store environments, Invisidoor delivers comparable or stronger energy and temperature stability, without the behavioural sensitivities associated with doors (door-opening frequency, seal wear, maintenance) or the trading barriers they introduce.
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No. Invisidoor preserves the full open-front format of the cabinet, maintaining visibility, ease of access and merchandising flexibility.
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By preventing warm-air ingress and reducing hotspots, Invisidoor helps maintain consistent temperature bands across the cabinet, supporting longer shelf life and improved food quality.
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Yes. Aerofoil Energy provides specialist aerofoil profiles and components such as Aeromirror for meat displays and sloped-shelf formats to ensure consistent airflow control across all cabinet types.
Frequently Asked Questions
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