KEEPING YOUR BUILDING COOL THIS SUMMER

With more extreme weather patterns expected, can your business afford the potential impact to your building due to a broken HVAC system? Here are 8 steps you can take to ensure your building stays cool this summer.

The job of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit is to maintain a comfortable temperature for a building. While that might sound simple, there are many potential complications that could affect your buildings comfort and your expenses. And just to make life more interesting, we’re also dealing with significant utility price increases, more extreme weather patterns and a shortage of experienced HVAC techs, thus driving up the cost of service calls or even leading to delays in service of units. All these factors drive the need for a more pre-emptive, targeted approach to summer and winter PM’s.

Just like a roof suddenly leaks when it rains, if your HVAC units are in poor health or about to fail, they will inevitably fail when the summer heat load is at its worst. And like those leaky roofs, if you leave it too late to address the issue, then most likely you will be competing for repair services with everyone else who failed to be proactive. Can your business afford the potential impact to your building due to a broken HVAC system?

Not to fret. We’ve created an eight-step guide to keeping your building cool this summer, without busting your bottom line.

1.???? REGULAR MAINTENCE OF YOUR HVAC UNITS

Regular maintenance is key to keeping your HVAC system running smoothly and efficiently year-round. Rather than waiting for an issue to arise, plan ahead and schedule in regular maintenance at least twice a year (Ideally during spring and fall in preparation for summer and heating season). Hiring a professional is a must, as they are trained to carry out work according to the building codes and standards.

The HVAC maintenance team will have a list of items they need to check, including:

·????? Clean or replace filters

·????? Check drain lines and their flow to ensure they’re free from blockages

·????? Replace worn parts such as belts

·????? Ensure there is no mold

·????? Check thermostat controls, humidity levels, schedule and setpoints

·????? Inspect moving parts, including fan motors, pulleys and bearing belts

·????? Check all electrical connections

·????? Check cabinet for possible leaks and ensure door is closing securely

·????? Check outdoor unit and make sure all condenser coils are clean and unobstructed

2.???? CLEAN COILS

HVAC units have two sets of coils. The condenser coil is on outside of the HVAC unit and the evaporator coil is on the inside of the unit. While the evaporator coil cools air going into the zone, the condenser coil works to release heat from the refrigerant loop. Both are critical to ensuring zone temperatures are met. If the fins on the coil are dirty, filled with pollen, leaves, dust or the occasional bird’s nest (yes, we have seen this) then not enough air will circulate to pull heat out of the refrigerant.? A dirty condenser coil can increase energy consumption by up to 30%[1], so keeping the coils clean is imperative. Most commercial HVAC cleaning servicers recommend cleaning coils two or more times a year.

3.???? CHECK CONDENSATE LINES FOR CLOGS

This is another item for your maintenance team and it is a very important one!

The condensate drain line runs through a building’s HVAC system and leads to the outside. These lines act as a funnel and help remove any condensation that’s created when warm air hits very cold evaporator coils. They are in fact, one of the most important parts of your HVAC system. Should those lines ever clog, due to mold, dust or other issues, then your building is in for some trouble.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way for a building owner to know if there is an obstruction in any of your lines, so this is why regular maintenance checks are so vital. To check and drain a condensate line the first place to start is with the drip pan. The drip pan typically sits under the HVAC’s air handling unit and shouldn’t contain any standing water. Should the condensate drain line clog, then you might find that drip pan overflowing and your ceilings, walls and light fixtures will become an undesired water feature. Not only would you be looking to have a team come out to clear your line and pan, but you’re also looking at replacing internal fixtures. Not ideal!

4.???? ENSURE YOU HAVE THE BEST SYSTEM

We’re sure the thought of replacing your whole HVAC system could have you cowering in a corner, however you might in fact be overspending on HVAC maintenance services, or paying ridiculous bills because your current units are old or ineffective. Typically air conditioning units have a life expectancy of 10-12 years. If it has been over a decade since you last replaced your units, then upgrading your HVAC equipment will be an investment, but a positive one, as the technology in today’s units work far more efficiently than their older counterparts.

5.???? SPRING CLEAN YOUR DUCTS

Your HVAC system’s ductwork is crucial to the building’s ventilation system. The ducts carry the hot or cool air from the HVAC system and through to all the rooms in the building.

If not cleaned regularly, dust, mold and debris can build up in the ducts and affect the air quality, causing possible distress for those in your building with allergies or asthma.

A call to your local Commercial Air Duct cleaning team will ensure your ducts are clean and your occupants are comfortable.

6.???? CHECK ALL WINDOW AND DOOR SEALS

You’ve established that your HVAC systems are working well. Now it’s time to check other elements in the building. We need to be wary of leaks in the window and door seals. One leak can have your system working that much harder, leading to higher bills and failing your sustainability goals. For a thorough assessment of your building, you can hire a professional technician to conduct an energy audit.

7.???? ESTABLISH THE “RIGHT” TEMPERATURE FOR THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE BUILDING

Many commercial buildings will have different temperature requirements for different areas of the building, e.g. a retail chain may have a Café with heat-producing equipment and condensed occupancy in a dining area, or require effective humidity control in another area to protect merchandise. The correct temperature range should be established for all areas of the building, to ensure maximum comfort and HVAC efficiency.

8.???? DEPLOY AN HVAC OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE, LIKE ENCYCLE

Deploying patented, autonomous intelligence and analytics, Encycle improves commercial HVAC management, energy efficiency and building comfort to reduce operating costs and carbon footprint.?Encycle’s optimization software, Swarm Logic , integrates with building automation systems (BAS), smart thermostats, or IoT platforms to dynamically synchronize power-hungry RTU control decisions in real-time.

The Machine-Learning system allows Facility Managers to have access to the buildings operational health, address proactive maintenance workflow management, reduce energy usage and carbon footprint, and positively impact the bottom line. All while ensuring your building maintains occupancy comfort. Additional benefits are that it can be deployed within minutes and can be scaled to meet escalating facility demands.

Encycle is proud to be the most deployed HVAC optimization software across the commercial retail space and has saved customers over $20 million in energy cost savings , while reducing carbon emissions by more than 100,000 metric tons.

Our business is intelligent buildings made easy and we’re here to help!

To learn more about how Encycle can help your business, check us out at https://www.encycle.com/ or speak to a member of our team at [email protected]

?

[1] https://www.afgo.com/how-commercial-coil-cleanings-save-energy/