When dining out or shopping, people take comfort for granted, but business owners don’t. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to choose a commercial HVAC system that provides seamless, effortless comfort for employees, clients, and customers.
Finding an HVAC provider for your business isn’t fun. If you’re like most building owners or office managers, you’ve probably put it off for longer than you should. But what if we told you that we could make finding the right commercial HVAC company easy? Or, at least, a whole lot easier. After reading this, you’ll be equipped with the tools to help you ask the right questions, find the best deals, locate the best service providers, and ultimately choose the right commercial HVAC company for your business.
When you’re considering installing a commercial HVAC system in Raleigh, NC, there are a few important considerations to make. In this guide, owners will learn how to choose a system that provides years of hassle-free service. Read on for five tips on choosing a commercial heating and cooling system. Looking for HVAC Maintenance Melbourne? Look no further, Outline Air Melbourne has you covered.
There are many differences between residential and commercial HVAC systems. As a result, choosing the proper system for your new commercial space can be overwhelming.
Every HVAC system comes with a limited lifespan. Older equipment not only exerts a lot of energy but also requires much more maintenance. You could opt to keep your HVAC system on life support, but that can be an exhausting way to prolong some of the mechanical issues you might already be facing. If you’re tired of dealing with the mess, you may need to partner with an experienced HVAC provider to find the next best solution.
You don’t have to be an HVAC expert to run a successful business. However, your business will be better served if you have at least some idea of what to look for in an HVAC system. After all, the commercial HVAC system you choose will have a huge impact on not only your budget but also the comfort of your customers and employees.
Tips To Consider Before Buying
Assess the Benefits of Different HVAC System Types
There are numerous types of cooling and heating systems, which makes the decision-making process daunting for some business owners. Before making a selection, do some research to learn what each type of system offers. Get started by focusing on the following two most popular system types:
- Packaged systems. These HVAC systems consist of separate units in one cabinet, which makes them space- and energy-efficient. Allen Kelly & Co. carries a full range of packaged systems from the commercial HVAC industry’s most well-known vendors. Consider installing one of our packaged systems when you’re looking for less humidity in the summer and quiet efficiency all year round.
- Heat pumps. These units work by circulating heat to reduce energy usage and maintain comfort. Heat pumps can, however, serve as cooling systems by cooling the air and forcing heat outside. Our heat pumps and geothermal heat systems provide superior cooling and heating efficiency and year-round interior comfort.
Understand the Differences
Before you begin exploring your commercial HVAC options, it’s important first to understand what makes them different from your residential unit. For starters, commercial units are often much larger than what you’ll find in a residential setting. That’s because they must heat and cool a much larger area. In addition to the larger size of a commercial unit, its features and components are also more complex.
A commercial HVAC unit is going to cost you more to install, maintain and repair. In addition, they often require more customization to meet your individual office needs. For this reason, you must choose the right unit for your commercial space.
Several factors go into choosing the correct HVAC system for a commercial property. However, if you’ve ever chosen a system for your home, you’ll find that a number of the same principles apply here. What’s different is the usage patterns, which are influenced by the building’s architecture and the type of business, its hours, occupancy rates, and several other factors.
Duct vs. Ductless
Above all the different choices, as a business owner, the ultimate decision lies between choosing two very different things: a duct-based or ductless A/C system. The difference between the two is vast. A ductless system is exactly as its name implies: the system comes with no ducts. Instead, it only uses air handlers to blow air separately into each room. Ducted A/C systems are exactly what they sound like; they use sheet metal ducts to allow warm or cool air to travel throughout the building.
When choosing between the two, you should choose a ducted system if your building already has ducts; you need that improved airflow and control over humidity levels. On the other hand, only go with ductless systems if you add a new room to your commercial property and space, want multiple, separate cooling zones, or have no room left for ducts in the building.
Reliability
Of course, reliability is important in any HVAC unit, whether it’s residential or commercial. However, some might say that it’s even more important in a commercial unit. Depending on your type of business, you may have thousands of dollars of inventory that could get damaged due to improper heating or cooling.
Additionally, it may take you longer to notice a poorly functioning commercial unit. Commercial units often sit in unfrequented rooms or on roofs. The office is also likely to be empty during the evening and on weekends. As a result, it’s possible that you won’t even notice a problem until it requires extensive repairs. That’s why, in addition to choosing a reliable unit, it’s necessary to keep up with routine maintenance to avoid costly repairs.
Select the Right Size
Sizing is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to choosing a commercial HVAC system. Unfortunately, when it comes to heating and cooling systems, it’s common to assume that bigger is better. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
This is perhaps the most important factor of all, and it’s also the easiest to get wrong. Why? Because inexperienced contractors size systems the same way the average homeowner would: spitball the square footage and then get something rated larger than the square footage because bigger must be better, right? Check out our range of HVAC Design and Installation Services to help with your problem.
Wrong. The wrong-sized system won’t do its job nearly as well, and the size is easy to get wrong because if you’re doing it right, you’re not just calculating square footage. As mentioned earlier, we’re considering other factors, including usage patterns, the volume of your space, its insolation (the amount of incoming sunlight) and a host of other things. It’s not a job for a layperson.
If a system is too large for your business, you may end up wasting energy. If a system is too small, it’ll strain itself to heat and cool your business. An HVAC professional can help you choose a commercial HVAC system that’s correctly sized for your business, and that’ll run efficiently.
What are the specific temperature and humidity requirements of the building?
Whether you’re outfitting your building with a custom retrofit or standard commercial HVAC system, you must understand the specific load requirements for each space and how to meet them. A warehouse will require different temperature and humidity settings than an office building, for example.
When you’re calculating your building’s HVAC system load requirement, never use rules of thumb. Over or underestimating the load can cause significant problems in the long run; oversizing relative to facility needs leads to tenant discomfort, temperature swings, and short cycling; under-sizing the HVAC equipment means the systems won’t keep up with building demand.
Design and Specs
As you begin to explore the commercial HVAC equipment available from Carrier, you should consider any practical constraints that would limit your options. Ask yourself these questions:
- How many square feet of space do you need to heat or cool?
- Does your building already have centralized ductwork?
- Where will indoor and outdoor components be located?
- How much room do you have for these units?
- Do you want zoned controls or a centralized thermostat?
If your building lacks centralized ductwork, you’ll need to either invest in ducts or opt for a ductless system. The layout of your space may determine what kind of system you can install or where you’ll place the components. First, of course, you’ll have to get a system that can handle the square footage of your building.
Determine Your Needs
As a business, you must understand what your company needs in terms of commercial HVAC services. Do you need someone who offers 24/7 repairs and emergency services? Are you looking for a company that offers perks like on-time guarantees and easy scheduling? Are you extremely price-sensitive, or is it worth paying a little more to get better service? Understanding your needs allows you to narrow it down to a select few HVAC providers who can check off all the must-have items on your list.
Depending on what type of business you run, there will be a lot of needs for air conditioning that go beyond simply cooling off your staff.
- Do you run a restaurant or a store? Commercial refrigerators count as HVAC too. So do ice machines. The air conditioning you select should ensure these important units stay cool as well.
- How many rooms and story levels in your building need to be cooled down? It matters if there needs to be one specific room alone or multiple rooms—more on that below.
- Do you work at or help run a school or educational building? If so, you may already be aware of other elements that involve these types of buildings and HVAC, which you can read about here in our article.
- Does your business consist of valuable equipment such as computers? If so, air conditioning and ventilation is a must.
Energy Efficiency
The cost of new HVAC equipment goes beyond the sticker price. After all, you’ll only buy the system once, but you’ll be paying your energy bill every month. So use your HVAC purchase as an opportunity to:
- Lower your energy consumption
- Reduce your carbon footprint
- Free up some space in your monthly budget
To judge the energy efficiency of a model, check the SEER and HSPF figures. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of a unit tells you how efficiently it can cool your space. The Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) rates its heating efficiency. These ratings are calculated by dividing the BTUs of heating or cooling energy produced by the kilowatt-hours consumed. The higher the rating, the more efficient the system.
Compare the efficiency of each potential system not only to keep your heating and cooling costs reasonable but also to reduce your environmental impact. Many consumers and affiliates prefer to work with “green” businesses that care about lowering their carbon footprint.
Cost
Consider your commercial furnace and air conditioning system an investment, which can mean paying more upfront due to perks such as energy-efficient parts and accessories. Unfortunately, lower-quality systems typically do not offer the energy efficiency you need to keep your heating and cooling costs down and may malfunction frequently or wear out quickly.
Focus on Reliability, Air Quality, and Efficiency
No matter its size, reliability is a crucial component in any commercial air conditioning system. Poor-quality heating and cooling may put thousands of dollars in inventory at risk depending on the type of business you’re running. Our exclusive range of services for HVAC Breakdown and Repair Melbourne will help you in many services, including Installation, or Maintenance, or Service & Repair.
In some cases, it takes business owners a while to notice a decrease in function. Commercial HVAC units typically sit on roofs or in rarely used rooms, and offices are usually empty on weekends and during evenings. Sometimes, owners don’t even notice there’s a problem until the issue requires costly repairs. That’s why it’s essential to keep up with scheduled maintenance along with selecting a reliable HVAC unit.
Many commercial building owners forget about air quality when selecting a new HVAC system. Poor air quality may make customers and employees feel uncomfortable or even sick. Furthermore, it may worsen asthma and other respiratory illnesses. When customers are uncomfortable, they may spend less time and money with your business. With good indoor air quality, though, they’ll want to stick around.
A unit’s efficiency doesn’t just affect monthly utility bills; it also determines the building’s overall comfort level. Customers and employees alike may be affected by spaces that are too hot or too cold. Employees might feel too uncomfortable to be productive, and some may miss work frequently. Customers may be reluctant to return simply because of a lack of comfort. Thankfully, many of today’s units have very high SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) ratings. Our technician can recommend additional components that help improve the system’s overall efficiency.