Running a business comes with plenty of expenses. Add in the Texas summer heat, and your energy bills can take a significant portion of your budget. Luckily, Cover HVAC in College Station, TX, has some tips that you can use to improve the efficiency of your commercial HVAC system and reduce the costs of its operation.
1. Schedule Routine Maintenance
The importance of maintenance cannot be stated enough. By scheduling a professional to come and maintain your system at the intervals recommended by the equipment manufacturer, you can reduce the system’s energy consumption from anywhere between 10% to 20%. However, on the flip side, neglecting your commercial HVAC system and never having it maintained can actually cause it to consume 30% to 60% more energy.
Part of commercial HVAC maintenance includes cleaning the condenser and evaporator coils and changing the system’s air filter. When the condenser and evaporator coils are covered in dirt, they are not able to transfer heat as well, which causes your system to work harder and use more energy. Dirty coils can also cause your system to overheat and even lead to condenser failure, which is a very expensive repair job.
Keeping the air filters clean can help in preventing debris buildup on the condenser and evaporate coils, but this isn’t the only role they play in the efficiency of your system. Air filters that are clogged do not let air pass through them very well. This can lead to back pressure, which can ultimately lead to the system overheating. Even if the system doesn’t overheat, dirty air filters make it so that conditioned air doesn’t reach all areas of the building in an efficient manner. The system will run for longer periods of time, increasing energy usage.
2. Install an Economizer
An economizer is simply a vent damper equipped with sensors that monitor the conditions of the outdoor air. When the conditions closely match that which is desired in your building, the economizer will signal the HVAC system to stop heating or cooling the air and instead pull air into the building from outside. Not only does this save significantly on energy usage, but it also brings fresh air into the building.
3. Install and Learn to Use Programmable Thermostats
Programmable thermostats give you the ability to set the temperature depending on the time of day and the day of the week. If you are closed on the weekends, there’s no point in wasting energy keeping the building at 68 degrees. With your programmable thermostat, you can set it to near 80 degrees on days the business or office is closed and save a significant amount of money. This practice can also be done for times of the day when the business is closed. Just program the thermostat 7-10 degrees higher when no one is around. Aside from saving energy, it also prolongs the life of your system.
At Cover HVAC, we know what it takes to maintain your commercial HVAC system and ensure it’s running at peak efficiency. Give us a call today!
