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At Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical in Charlotte, NC, we understand that business owners always look for ways to save costs wherever possible. We are your local commercial HVAC services company that provides air conditioning repair and maintenance, zoned HVAC systems, and maintenance and repair of commercial heating units, such as heat pumps and furnaces. We can also help you with your indoor air quality issues.
Air conditioning electricity costs in North Carolina in the summer are considerable. Over half of the typical energy costs for a commercial building come from HVAC usage. You can do everything possible to optimize your current heating and cooling systems. Squeezing more productivity out of your HVAC systems and saving money simultaneously is a winning formula. Optimizing your commercial HVAC systems also prolongs their longevity. Saving twice over is the best plan of all.
The following are some key steps in commercial HVAC optimization to help your business save on energy costs.
Regular Maintenance
An HVAC system with dirty fan, coils, and condenser drain clogs will not run efficiently. In fact, the system will strain during peak demand. The more your unit has to strain to produce temperate air, the more energy you will spend. Regular maintenance issues left unattended can lead to premature HVAC system failure.
Regular commercial HVAC system maintenance includes several tasks. The most frequent task is filter replacement, which should be done every one to three months. The frequency depends on factors such as the building’s usage and the dust present.
There are many annual HVAC maintenance tasks our comfort consultants perform:
- Cleaning coils
- Checking belts and bearings for wear and need of replacement
- Clearing clogs from AC condensate lines
- Checking the refrigerant level and for refrigerant leaks
An annual inspection is also the time to check the electrical connections and recalibrate the thermostat. Fraying connections can be unsafe and cause a house fire. Thermostats that are not working properly also tend to waste energy or fail to regulate the building climate adequately. Other system-specific checks for your furnace include annual checks of the combustion unit, heat exchanger, and blower components.
A typical duct-cleaning schedule is every three to five years. A buildup of dust or signs of mold requires immediate cleaning, as dust harms the system’s throughput.
Building Envelope Insulation and Sealing
Of course, air infiltration can defeat your purpose even when your HVAC system is optimized to produce climate-controlled air cost-effectively. The outside building envelope needs to be evaluated. You must ensure that your walls and roof have adequate insulation and are correctly installed. Windows that are not energy efficient can be replaced. The window, wall, and door seals must be evaluated and repaired.
Inspections of the building envelope and sealing can be done visually. An even more rigorous building envelope integrity assessment is through infrared thermography or blower door tests. These tests can determine whether the climate-controlled air stays within the target area and whether outside air is infiltrating the building envelope. Evaluating and addressing building insulation and sealing problems also promotes energy efficiency.
Smart and Programmable Thermostats
When building occupants are not in a room, you can remove some or all of the climate control unless sensitive equipment requires a certain measure of climate control. Programmable thermostats restrict climate control in unused zones at certain times. Smart thermostat systems allow for outside adjustments to climate control. Smart thermostats also track energy usage patterns.
HVAC Zone Systems
Zone systems divide buildings into discrete areas for differential climate control. Occupancy sensors can adjust the heating or cooling in a zone immediately when occupants enter or leave a room. Zone systems negate the need to set a programmable thermostat for a specific time interval. Occupancy sensors work well in fluid working environments with frequent employee movement.
Upgrading HVAC Units
The federal government’s required minimum energy efficiency levels for HVAC units have steadily increased. Older commercial HVAC units are less energy efficient than their current counterparts and must be upgraded to stay within the government’s required minimum energy efficiency levels. In 2023, the new minimum EPA requirements for energy efficiency in commercial heat pumps and air conditioning units were rolled out.
They represent an approximate 15 percent increase in energy efficiency. This process began in 2018 when the minimum energy efficiency standard for commercial air conditioners and heat pumps was increased by 13 percent. That represents a 28 percent jump in minimum energy efficiency for new commercial AC and heat pump units in six years. Thus, a new air conditioning or heat pump unit could represent a 28 percent savings in energy costs for your enterprise.
In terms of furnaces, the new standard for commercial gas furnaces is at least 81 percent energy efficiency as of 2023. Commercial oil furnaces must be at least 82 percent energy efficient.
There are important factors to weigh before deciding to replace an HVAC unit. One is the cost of replacement. Another factor to weigh is the efficiency and condition of your current HVAC unit. What is clear is that the drastic increase in minimum HVAC efficiency standards is remarkable. The higher efficiency standards provide a clear incentive for business owners to upgrade systems.
Variable Frequency Drives
An exciting new technology that can be added to an existing HVAC unit is a variable frequency drive (VFD). Older HVAC units are either cycled on at full speed or off. VFDs can control pumps and fans by changing the fan motor’s speed based on demand. The motors cycle at full speed when the system is experiencing high demand.
As demand decreases, the VFD changes the motor speed to a lower setting to save energy. HVAC systems that are not always running at full speed experience greater longevity.
Heat Recovery Systems
If any processes in your enterprise generate quite a bit of heat, that heat can be utilized in winter to provide some of the building’s warmth at a cost savings. Heat recovery systems direct unused waste heat to either preheat the air entering the furnace or towards direct space heating.
Geothermal Cooling and Heating
Geothermal heating and cooling are the most energy-efficient means of heating and cooling your commercial space. They rely upon the constant temperature of the earth. Geothermal heating and cooling is the most sustainable form of heating and cooling available with modern technology. It is an option for enterprises with a larger land holding.
Comprehensive Energy Audit
Start with an energy audit by our comfort consultants on your commercial building’s energy efficiency and save valuable capital each month. The audit will evaluate factors such as energy consumption patterns, building usage by zones, and building envelope and sealing information. The results will provide recommendations for maintenance, updates, and upgrades to improve building energy efficiency.
The Commercial HVAC Company in Charlotte
Here at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical in Charlotte, we are also your local electrical provider. We have proudly served the area since 1972. Our comfort consultants specialize in electrical repairs and installations, including panel upgrades, rewiring, lighting, ceiling fans, and generator work. We guarantee our HVAC commercial work will meet your satisfaction.
When you have questions about commercial HVAC energy optimization, call us at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical in Charlotte. We are here to serve our local business owners and help them save money on heating and cooling.
