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5 Air Conditioning Tips For Commercial Buildings
When it comes to comfort for your employees and customers, you want them to feel welcome. That’s why it’s important to take care of your cool indoor climate with the right AC installation and maintenance practices. Luckily, maintaining a cool environment doesn’t have to be a challenge. All you need is a few well-placed tips. Using the right AC system in your commercial building can attract customers and help keep staff comfortable. If you have employees working indoors all day, then you need an air conditioning system that works effectively and efficiently as well as one that won’t exhaust the power supply or waste money by running unnecessarily. With that in mind, read on for some handy advice about how to maintain an effective AC system in your commercial building.
Have your system sized by a journeyman HVAC technician
A journeyman HVAC technician will be able to size the AC system to fit your building. They’ll know the amount of time it takes for the system to cool or heat a space and what size filters you should get. This knowledge can help you save money on an ineffective cooling or heating system. This is important because you don’t want to have oversized AC systems that can waste energy and cause damage if they break down. It’s also crucial that the system fits snugly into the designated area. Otherwise, there could be a risk of water leakage through seams and into your building’s electrical circuits. Be wary of zero-air-conditioning options Some buildings rely on ‘zero-air-conditioning rooms‘ in order to keep their costs down. These are spaces with no air conditioning at all; instead, they rely on natural lighting, cold storage units, or fans for ventilation instead of an AC unit. Zero-air-conditioning rooms sound like a good idea in theory but may not always be effective in practice. The lack of air conditioning means staff members may feel uncomfortable and employees may need to take breaks more often than usual in order to avoid feeling too hot or too cold while they work.
Consider how climate change and extreme weather can impact system operation
Massive problems today, such as extreme weather and climate change, can impact your building’s AC system. This is because the factors that make up a building’s HVAC system aren’t just limited to the cooling and heating components. Other important factors like humidity and temperature also play a role in how your HVAC system operates. The first step is to consider how climate change and extreme weather can impact your AC system. The next step is to think about how these changing conditions might affect your HVAC system’s cool indoor climate. If you need help figuring out how these changes could lead to an uncomfortable work environment, contact the experts at JDC Mechanical Ltd. for more information at (403) 860-8437.
Look at all options for your cooling equipment and explore the benefits
There are quite a few different AC systems you can choose from. You can also explore whether you need a single or a multi zoned system in your building. If so, single or multi-split units? And if your commercial building is large enough to warrant it, adding an evaporative cooling tower will help keep your employees comfortable. Another consideration is to choose the right type of cooling equipment for your specific needs. For example, if you want to go with a heat pump, then you’ll have to make sure it is appropriate for the climate in your area and that it has enough power to function properly. To learn of signs your commercial cooling equipment needs replacement, read our linked article.
Think about long term reliability, occupant comfort and efficiency
Ensuring that your system is reliable and efficient means having quick access to information on performance and for monitoring. You should never forget to check this out at regular intervals or review data gathered from a BMS, so you can make informed decisions. As a commercial building owner, it’s also important that you consider comfort for your occupants. Keep in mind that not all people require the same level of AC, which makes it easier for staff and customers to identify a comfortable zone for themselves. If you want your cool indoor climate to last a long time, then you want to ensure that everyone knows how to maintain the system effectively. This will help extend the life of your system and save money in the long run as well.
Make certain the system will comply with current or future LEED goals
The Canadian Green Building Council (CAGBC) is one of the most respected organizations in the world. They have many LEED-certified building projects throughout Canada. If you plan on pursuing a green building project, then it’s important that your system be up-to-date with current standards for green building. When it comes to air conditioning systems, these same standards apply. That means you need to make sure your system complies with LEED requirements before you purchase it or install it in your commercial building. To check if your system meets LEED requirements, visit https://www.usgbc.org/credits?MinimumProgramRequirements=[%22Minimum+program+requirements%22] . If it does, then you would want to use your existing system rather than investing in retrofit that might not meet or exceed current standards for green buildings because of a variety of factors.