The Role of HVAC in Commercial Buildings: Best Practices and Maintenance

That’s because commercial HVAC (an acronym for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) keeps both employees and customers comfortable, makes them happier, and even makes them safer. And if you can ensure those factors, you’ve taken a large step toward success.

However, commercial HVAC systems can be intricate, and — depending on the structure and layout of commercial buildings in your business — they may require more than just typical maintenance. So, it is important to understand some of the basics involved in commercial HVAC maintenance, as well as know who you can trust to help ensure that your employees and customers stay comfortable and safe.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the basics involved commercial HVAC systems, what goes into a healthy working environment, and services that need to be accounted for when considering HVAC for your company.

How Commercial HVAC Systems Improve Working Conditions

HVAC systems, whether commercial or residential, do an amazing amount of work to make indoor air comfortable and even healthier to breathe. And when your employees feel better and breathe easier in their office space, it stands to reason that they’ll produce better results than those employees that struggle to find comfort with heating and cooling and worry about the air quality that they breathe.

Fully functional and energy efficient HVAC systems will also save your company money on its bottom line. As preventive maintenance and scheduled services are almost always cheaper than repairs. And productivity can also be hurt during those down times when your HVAC system fails. Therefore, maintenance practices for HVAC systems and continued energy efficiency is just as important as the type of system you select and install in commercial buildings.

Let’s take a closer look at all the ways in which the role of HVAC systems affect your company, its employees, and your bottom line.

Increases Productivity

Have you ever tried to work in buildings that are either constantly too hot or too cold? Or maybe you’ve worked in a facility that causes your eyes to itch and your nose to run? Or perhaps you’ve been distracted by the hum, clunking, or grinding of a struggling HVAC system? At the very least these scenarios are annoying. At their worst, they can absolutely stop you from doing your job. When employees stop working — even for minutes at a time — your company is losing money. And all it takes to prevent these issues is routine maintenance from experienced and thorough commercial HVAC services.

For instance, regular maintenance can identify an HVAC system in need of repairs before they start to sap the energy efficiency of your air conditioning or heating. Maintenance for HVAC can also identify air quality concerns and replace filters on time so that employees are breathing clean air free from pollutants and allergens. Predictive maintenance can also keep HVAC systems parts from failing and causing obnoxious noises.

So, while it may seem like a low priority, a fully functional HVAC system and preventative maintenance should actually be a high on the list for any company.

Boosts Employee Morale

An employee that knows he or she will be completely comfortable every day on the job is far likelier to be happier in their work and produce at the highest rates. They are also likelier to treat their fellow employees and bosses with respect, lending to a better workplace environment — beyond the literal air inside the building. Therefore, it most definitely behooves any company to ensure a comfortable and better breathing workplace inside any and all types of building.

Improves Indoor Air Quality

We’ve already touched on it, but quality indoor air is about far more than heating and cooling. Air quality and proper ventilation have just as much effect on how people feel inside a building — and all of those factors are controlled by HVAC systems. That’s because all of the air inside a building passes through its HVAC system at some point, and if that HVAC system does not feature clean, energy efficient parts, it could actually do more harm than good to the air you and your employees breathe. So, don’t underestimate the importance of HVAC in keeping the air inside not just enjoyable but healthy.

The Importance of Indoor Air Quality

When a sick person coughs or sneezes, they (unfortunately) release countless germs into the air. When someone opens a door or window to the outside during spring, they allow countless allergens into the room. All of these irritants and pathogens are passed into the air that your employees breathe. The good news is that properly working and maintained HVAC systems can help cleanse the air that building occupants encounter. Through the use of next generation air filters and air purification technology, you can go a long way toward eliminating the microbes that can make your employees sick — and miss valuable time at work. This type of HVAC equipment and modern HVAC systems can literally help you decrease the amount of time that your employees spend feeling bad — and dealing with something non work-related.

Common Pollutants in Commercial Buildings

There are common pollutants inside nearly every building that you’ve ever set foot in. Carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are products of combustion, are present in many spaces. Depending on what your business does, your commercial building will also have other pollutants that affect indoor air quality and can irritate and sicken your employees. And if your HVAC systems are not performing at their peak — something that is easily achieved through predictive maintenance and/or repairs — your employees will be exposed to air that will end up decreasing their health.

Extends HVAC Units Lifespan

Commercial HVAC maintenance not only increases employee productivity, it also maximizes energy efficiency of the system and increases the working life of HVAC systems. The bottom line is that the energy savings your business recoups from professional HVAC maintenance services will pay for themselves over the span of any HVAC system. The modern commercial HVAC system can last anywhere from 10-20 years on average, but routine maintenance practices will ensure that your systems achieve the longest and most energy efficient life possible. It also decreases your overall energy usage — as an efficient system uses the minimum amount of energy in heating or cooling a building space.

What Kind of Maintenance Does a Commercial HVAC System Require?

Even as detailed and intricate as some commercial HVAC systems are, they do not require daily or even monthly maintenance. In fact, most modern systems even do much to police themselves, utilizing smart technology and application interfaces to report their energy efficiency to you. That is why most commercial air conditioning services perform regular maintenance every few months.

The Benefits of Optimized HVAC Systems

When you utilize a professional commercial HVAC company to keep track of and maintain your HVAC systems, you can rest easy that it’s money well spent. That’s because they’ll keep close tabs on the energy efficiency of your systems, identify potential problems, and even respond immediately in the event of a breakdown (even after hours or on weekends/holidays). It saves you both time and energy that is better spent elsewhere.

Ways to Maintain Your Commercial HVAC System

There are several easy ways to insure that you’re getting the most out of your commercial HVAC systems.

Educate Employees

Your work force affects the air it inhabits every day, but many of your employee might not understand how. That’s why it’s important to talk to them about keeping outside doors and windows closed, why not to fiddle with thermostats, and signs of a malfunctioning or waning HVAC system. That way they can report what they experience to you, and you can best determine if your HVAC is in need of maintenance or repair.

Upgrade Systems

If your commercial HVAC systems are over a decade old, keep your eye out for energy efficiency issues or repair needs. If they are over 20 years old, you may want to talk with a professional HVAC service about upgrading your systems. Doing so will ensure you’re getting the most efficient comfort and air quality possible.

Schedule Regular HVAC Maintenance

If you do not have a regular maintenance relationship or service contract with a professional HVAC contractor, you’re not getting the most out of your HVAC system. That’s because professionals know exactly what to look for, when to look for it, and what to do when they encounter a system that is starting to flag — or is about to fail. And because of the nature of many commercial service contracts, you can be certain you’re getting the most out of your company’s bottom line.

If you do not have a professional technician or HVAC contractor looking after your commercial requirements at least twice a year, then please consider contacting the pros at Conditioned Air Systems. Our NATE certified technicians know what it takes to keep every type of commercial HVAC unit up and running at peak efficiency.

Call Conditioned Air Systems today and let us take any of your HVAC concerns off your hands and get your focus back where it belongs: 770-536-7509.