When looking for ways to lower operating expenses, business owners may find that maintenance and upgrades to their commercial HVAC systems are an easy solution. Exact savings varies by the type of system you have, as well as the type of business you’re in.
These six tips will help your business save money through maintaining and making upgrades to your commercial HVAC system.
- Take a look at your company’s procedures. Conducting an evaluation like this can help you identify if there are procedures which could be adjusted to reduce the strain on your HVAC system. Slight adjustments can be simple to implement and greatly increase your savings. Look to see if it may be beneficial to adjust working hours around the hottest hours of the day during the summer, such as moving lunch hour to this time to reduce air conditioning usage. Install programmable thermostats to automatically adjust the temperature when the building is unoccupied. You’ll be reducing your energy bills as well as giving your system a break, increasing its lifespan.
- Install an energy management system. These systems provide options for adjusting temperatures in different zones of the building, and you can control temperature changes around your company’s working hours. Being more mindful of your company’s energy use can pay off; energy management systems can help business owners decrease their energy use by up to 40 percent each year. Energy management systems are a great solution for business owners who want to cut their energy use but aren’t ready to replace their old commercial HVAC systems.
- Perform routine maintenance on all heating and cooling equipment. Maintaining the components of your commercial HVAC system can have a great effect on the efficiency of your system, in turn saving money on your energy bills. Your condenser coils benefit from regular cleaning, and your system’s belts need to be changed to prevent malfunctions. Also, change all of your system’s filters regularly as well as patch any duct leaks to improve efficiency and airflow throughout your building.
- Switch to adjustable speed drives to reduce fan operation costs. By adjusting the motor speed, they reduce energy usage by causing the fan to move only the amount of air needed. By using your building’s fans to augment your commercial HVAC system in this way, your business can save 30 to 40 percent on yearly heating and cooling costs.
- Replace ageing equipment with more energy-efficient models. If your commercial HVAC system is over 10 years old, it may barely meet minimum efficiency standards, or might not meet them at all if much older. Replacing your outdated, inefficient system with one of the new high-efficiency commercial HVAC systems available can reduce your energy usage by as much as 40 percent each year.
- Don’t repair, replace. When individual components like pumps and fans begin to wear out, replacing them with more energy efficient models may be a more cost-effective solution than repairs. Increased efficiency can lower operating costs while eliminating the likelihood of future repair costs for older equipment.
There are many steps you can take with your commercial HVAC systems to cut your business’s operating costs. Even implementing one or two of the solutions mentioned above can lead to a significant difference which you’ll see on your lower energy bills.
While some of these solutions require a significant investment, others are affordable for many business owners. If you’re not ready financially to overhaul your commercial HVAC systems, or your systems aren’t that old yet, keep these solutions in mind as your HVAC equipment ages in order to make smart choices which will benefit your company as well as increase your overall energy savings each year.