Why Many Commercial Buildings Are Upgrading to Rooftop Package Units in 2025
Commercial buildings consume a lot of energy when they have older HVAC systems. Increasing demand for rooftop package units for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning is hard to ignore. As business and building owners look for ways to improve efficiency and lower energy costs, rooftop HVAC units are in high demand.
What is a rooftop package unit? Why are they gaining traction when it comes to updating, replacing, or installing new HVAC systems? Take a closer look at what they are and why they’re an excellent choice for your building.
The Advancement of Commercial HVAC Systems
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, HVAC for short, is the system in your building that controls the air quality, humidity, and temperature.
Because of the square footage and equipment used in many commercial buildings, the systems need to be adept at handling temperature fluctuations. When machines are running and workers are in the building, heating needs change. It also needs to ensure fumes from equipment aren’t creating an unhealthy work climate.
Many older commercial buildings have split systems installed. This means the heating and cooling equipment is split between the inside and outside. You have a unit outside on a concrete base somewhere outside the building, and the interior unit connects to the ducts that travel through walls and under floors to provide the heated or cooled air to each area.
While traditional systems serve their purpose of cooling, heating, or improving air quality, they also have problems.
- Indoor components take up a lot of floor space that you could put to better use.
- HVAC experts must ensure the system is installed, pressurized, and maintained properly.
- Installation takes time.
- Older HVAC systems are not energy efficient and increase energy consumption.
- Technicians must access the inside of your building for annual maintenance.
- Outdoor units are exposed to damage from trucks and other vehicles near your business and weather extremes.
Rooftop Package Units Provide Answers to Common Problems
Now, meet the rooftop package unit, or RTU for short. It’s a self-contained HVAC system that is installed on the roof of your commercial building. Other than ducts, the equipment is outside for easy maintenance, which doesn’t disturb your workers while cleanings and repairs are made.
An RTU contains air filters, blowers, compressors, condensers, and evaporator coils in one case. The all-in-one design takes up little space and is more energy efficient, so you save money on heating and cooling bills.
Business and commercial property owners are choosing rooftop package units for several reasons.
1. Enhanced Durability and Security
Their rooftop location makes RTUs more secure than ground-level units. With weather patterns changing and flooding reaching unprecedented heights in some areas, there’s a risk, even if it’s small, of a ground-level HVAC unit flooding. Rooftop HVAC units are safe from situations like that. They’re also less likely to be:
- Damaged by landscaping equipment, customers, debris like falling trees, or delivery trucks
- Stolen
- Vandalized
2. Flexible Designs and Scalability
Because a commercial building’s rooftops are not one-size-fits-all, RTUs are built to be scalable. They fit your space using modular, flexible designs. This makes it easy to:
- Add more units as your building space increases.
- Have multiple zones for custom climate control in different areas.
- Customize your heating system as you reach capacity on different floors.
3. Heightened Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Lower Operating Costs
Today’s energy-efficient RTUs are designed to lower your energy consumption. Here’s how.
- Economizers that use the cold air from outside rather than refrigerants to cool the indoor space when outdoor weather is cooler than inside.
- High SEER, EER, and IEER ratings that focus on RTUs that efficiently convert energy into the cooling or heating of indoor air.
- Low-GWP refrigerants that have a low Global Warming Potential (GWP), reducing your carbon footprint.
- Smart controls and automation for real-time monitoring to optimize performance and alert you when maintenance is needed.
- Variable speed compressors and motors that adjust when full power is unnecessary.
These improvements work to lower your carbon footprint and reduce your energy bills. It helps keep your business sustainable in lean times.
4. Improve Indoor Air Quality
Newer HVAC equipment is going to clean your air better than ever before. RTUs have advanced features and technologies that ensure improved air quality.
- Advanced Filtration – More airborne particles, allergens are captured in high-grade filters. This is helpful if you have businesses in your building with equipment that produces smoke or other fumes.
- Humidity control – Humidity is a leading cause of mold. Having a newer HVAC system for your rooftop helps lower humidity, which helps you avoid mold allergies.
- Improved Air Circulation – Fresh outdoor air can be introduced as desired to bring fresh air into your building.
- UV Light Systems – UV lighting is used within the system to kill bacteria, mold, and viruses.
5. Prioritize Space
One of the best reasons to update your system with a rooftop package unit is the floor space you free up. You’ve been saying for years that you wish you had extra room for a supply closet. Move your HVAC equipment to the roof, and you have the room you need. You can free up room for:
- Extra retail space
- Another office
- More storage
- Additional square footage for new machinery
6. Simplify Installation and Maintenance
An RTU is all-in-one, which simplifies the installation process. There’s no need to prep the ground to ensure a concrete pad is level and away from shrubs and taller plants. All that’s needed is to get the RTU to the roof and connect the electricals and ducts. That increases the benefits you get with an RTU.
- Cheaper labor costs
- Easier maintenance and repairs
- Faster installation
- Heightened safety
- No interruptions to the work day since HVAC technicians go on the roof instead of the floor
- Quicker repairs and diagnostics
When Should Commercial Building Owners Consider Rooftop HVAC Units in 2025
There are five questions to ask yourself if you’re considering a rooftop unit.
- Are you looking to lower your bills and carbon footprint?
- Is your current commercial HVAC system compliant with the new 2025 rules on low-GWP refrigerants? If not, are grandfathered coolants used by your system available and affordable?
- Do you need more space inside your building?
- Are HVAC maintenance and repair visits impacting your business during normal working hours?
- Do the benefits outweigh the cost of a new installation?
If you’re spending more on energy bills than you expect, those monthly energy bills may end up costing more over time than the purchase and installation of a new rooftop HVAC system. It’s worth running the numbers and seeing if there are incentives to help you save money.
Whether you’re building new and need an economical, efficient HVAC system or plan to replace your older system, rooftop package units offer numerous advantages. Call or message Air Blue Heating and Cooling to discuss how a rooftop HVAC system is the smart solution in 2025.
