Commercial HVAC Mistakes That Cost Businesses Thousands Every Year

Commercial HVAC Mistakes That Cost Businesses Thousands Every Year

Approximately 40% of a commercial building’s energy use is tied to the HVAC system. With so much riding on your system, there’s no room for error. Rising energy costs and carbon emissions caps will impact your profit margin if you’re not careful.

Most businesses spend more than necessary because of these commercial HVAC mistakes. You may not even realize they’re affecting your business, but you can take steps to stop these errors and lower your energy bills.

Mistake #1 – Overlooking the Value of Regular Maintenance

Too many companies don’t bother calling a commercial HVAC specialist until something goes wrong. It’s one of the biggest mistakes we see.

Regular maintenance is essential for many reasons. One of the most important is the safety inspections a heating and cooling technician performs. Inspections go beyond cleaning burners or coils. Tests are run to check for deadly carbon monoxide, coolant leaks, and improper gas/air mixtures that could affect ignition.

Technicians inspect wiring to ensure nothing is loose or frayed, which can be a fire hazard. They verify that the HVAC system is functioning properly, operating efficiently, and heating or cooling the space as it should. 

If anything looks like it’s going to wear out in a few months, technicians spot it. Fixing issues or replacing worn parts before they fail is often much cheaper than replacing those parts and any others damaged when they fail.

Your maintenance team also needs to keep the HVAC system in good working order between professional HVAC cleanings. In a commercial space, they should change air filters regularly, usually every 1 to 3 months.

Inspections of the outdoor area around the condenser are necessary. Proper airflow is essential, and that means keeping the unit’s grates clear of items such as weeds, broken branches, or leaves.

Finally, they should check the condensate line every month. Algae and other contaminants can block the line, leading to costly condensate pan overflows and damage to interior components.

Mistake #2 – Neglecting the Ducts

Throughout the year, your condenser and compressor work hard to keep your building warm or cold for employees and visitors. If you’re focused on your HVAC system, it’s easy to overlook the importance of the ducts that travel around your building.

Think of ducts like blood vessels. They’re responsible for carrying hot or cold air around your building. They also filter that air to keep hair, dust, mold, and other particles from returning to the workspace. If there’s a leak, allergens, contaminants, and treated air are lost in the walls and ceiling spaces.

Your system is working hard to bring the rooms throughout your building to the correct temperature, but that warm or cold air escapes through the leaks. It never reaches its destination, so your system keeps running, prematurely wearing out the motor and other HVAC parts.

Regular inspections of ducts are essential. Your maintenance team needs to look for holes, cracks, or loose joints and address them. If signs of mold appear at registers, it might be time to have your ducts cleaned.

Mistake #3 – Being Unaware of Thermostat Adjustments

You don’t realize that the thermostat in the breakroom changed from 68, where you want it set, to 72, which your workers prefer, but they forgot to turn it back down before leaving on Friday. Those four degrees can increase your heating bills by a substantial amount, even if it’s just for a weekend.

Using programmable thermostats is one way to ensure temperature settings are automatically lowered on weekends or overnight. Smart thermostats are even better as they learn the worker’s patterns and make adjustments accordingly. Plus, you can set up alerts and change the thermostat settings from your phone or tablet. 

Mistake #4 – Believing That Oversized or Undersized Systems Help Lower Costs

When it comes to pricing new HVAC systems, there are often two mistaken mindsets. The first is that an oversized system will quickly cool or heat the building because it’s designed for a much larger building. The other is that a system that’s slightly too small will work adequately, but it will cost much less to install.

Both are incorrect. If you have a system that’s too big for the space, it cycles on and off quickly, which wears out any components involved in cycling. It also puts a strain on pumps. A system that’s too small for the space runs constantly and never cycles off, so energy costs increase and wear and tear on the entire system is severe.

A system must be perfectly sized for your space. It takes more than square footage into consideration. Ceiling heights, windows, and the number of people in the building all matter.

Mistake #5 – Ignoring the Building’s Indoor Air Quality 

You rely on your employees, but they won’t perform at their best if the indoor air quality is poor. If they’re breathing in fumes all day, not only are you at risk of violating your state’s safety regulations, but you’re also risking their health to chronic conditions.

If you have employees developing health issues like asthma or cancer, they’re going to take time off, leaving you with a staff shortage. Plus, you face higher costs with workers’ compensation, possible lawsuits, and short-term disability. 

Mistake #6 – Choosing the Lowest Bid on a New Installation or Upgrades

You know it’s time to upgrade or replace your commercial HVAC system. You get some quotes and automatically choose the cheapest one. Cheapest is not always best. 

A low-cost HVAC company might not devote the same time and care to HVAC design as it should. That can lead to an undersized unit. The installation quality may not be as good as that of a company offering a higher quote. Cheaper materials may be used.

Always check a company’s licenses, insurance, and reputation. See if your state has any complaints on file for that company. Find out who the bidder has worked for and ask those companies whether they were satisfied with the quality of the workmanship and the efficiency of their HVAC systems.

Mistake #7 – Failing to Plan for End-of-Life

Even a well-maintained HVAC system will eventually stop functioning. Commercial HVAC systems have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years. You need to plan for its end of life as early as possible.

Failing to consider your system’s lifespan can lead to rushed emergency replacements that impact your productivity for a few days. If it’s the middle of summer and your system fails, you can’t force your staff to work in a hot, humid building until you can find a commercial HVAC installer with availability for a full replacement.

Well-Maintained Commercial HVAC Systems Are Your Biggest Asset

A well-maintained HVAC system is your company’s biggest asset. The EPA released a chart showing how much you can save by making energy-efficient upgrades throughout your building. 

• Choosing high-efficiency packaged and split-system cooling systems reduces energy costs by up to 25%.
• Improving indoor air quality increases productivity by 1%.
• Switching from a constant-volume HVAC system to a variable air volume system can cut costs by up to 21%.

Whether your building has an older HVAC system that needs maintenance or it’s time to replace your old system, Air Blue’s team of commercial HVAC experts is ready to help. Call or text us for a free quote.