Southern Alberta is home to bright, blue prairie skies in the summer alongside bitterly cold snowstorms in the winter. No commercial building here can live with a run-down HVAC system. Temperature control is paramount, but what do you do when your heating and cooling systems are looking a little run down? Before you start shopping around for a newer model, give these three suggestions from the experts a try.
Change Your Air Filter
It seems so basic, but air filters get forgotten about often. Depending on the foot traffic your building experiences, the HVAC filters should be replaced at least twice a year, if not more! Contrary to popular belief, these mesh screens are not made to purify your air. They are designed to stop all the dirt and debris floating around in the air from getting into the system and damaging the inner components. If the screen is too gunked up, your HVAC needs to work that much harder to pull the air through. Changing your air filter regularly is a great way to ensure your heating and cooling system isn’t working harder than it needs to.
Re-Insulate Ductwork
If your air filter has recently been changed but you still feel that the HVAC system needs to work twice as hard to deliver temperature conditioned air, you may need to consider re-insulating your ductwork. As the air works its way through the ducts, it will take the path of least resistance. This means any gaps in the ductwork will result in a leak. Not only that, but if the ducts are heating up and cooling down according to the ambient air temperature and not what you’ve set the thermostat to, your HVAC system is not doing its job properly. That loss of thermal energy means that your building won’t be properly temperature controlled. Insulation can help keep your ducts protected from differing ambient temperatures and even protect them from condensation build-up.
Inspect Building Envelope Insulation
If the sufficiently heated or cooled air is flowing out of the vents but the rooms can’t seem to stay at the programmed temperature, the problem may not be your HVAC system at all. It could be poor building envelope insulation. It’s like filling up a plastic pool with water. If the pool is full of holes, it doesn’t matter how much water you pump into it, it won’t stay full. Gaps in your building’s insulation work the same way. You can crank the AC, but that won’t keep the cool air from escaping and the hot air from taking over. Have an insulation contractor do a thorough inspection of your facility to determine if there are any holes that need to be addressed.
Your HVAC system and its components are the lungs of your facility. Keep the air flowing with the proper care and insulation. Not only will you extend the lifespan of your system, but an HVAC system that doesn’t have to work as hard will draw less energy and ultimately save you money on your utility bills. Reach out to our team of experts today to discover what proper mechanical insulation can save for your facility!
