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Summertime is in full swing, and while everyone enjoys the laidback feel, BBQs, and lounging by the pool, it can be stifling hot during Kansas City summers. High temperatures in July/August hover around the mid-upper 90s with occasional days topping out at 100 degrees. It’ll be hot and humid over the next two months before Autumn arrives.
In Kansas City summer, nothing beats escaping the heat and going into an air-conditioned room or nearby building to cool down. If you own or rent a commercial building, your tenants or employees probably don’t mind spending time inside at work during the daytime highs. However, you want to ensure your commercial building has a quality HVAC system that provides adequate cooling so your tenants and employees can be comfortable.
Commercial HVAC can either be economical or the opposite, costing you thousands of extra dollars to cool your entire building during the summer. Old units, units that haven’t had frequent inspections, and damaged ones can skyrocket your utility bills. If you’re looking for ways to be more economical, continue reading to learn about the future of commercial HVAC, including some trends and innovations for economical buildings.
Emerging Commercial HVAC Technologies & Trends
Many commercial HVAC technologies exist, yet many historic commercial buildings or older buildings still have their original HVAC equipment. Though it’s cool to see the history behind original HVAC units, they could cost you a fortune during summer. Below are some emerging office HVAC technologies and trends that are designed to be more energy efficient:
Ice-Powered AC
Imagine an air conditioning system that used ice, a natural resource, to cool down a massive office building. Now, let’s stop imagining – this technology exists and is still being tested before launching indefinitely. How does it work? Compared to a traditional office HVAC system that relies on refrigerant to cool a building, ice-powered AC units have large tanks that hold gallons of water, freezing it overnight. The cool air from the ice gets distributed inside an office building using the ice and a fan to disperse the cold air.
Though the future of ice-powered AC seems bright, there have been setbacks to this emerging commercial HVAC trend. For one, they can’t cool a building for an entire workday, meaning ice-powered AC units rely on traditional HVAC systems to keep the air cool once the ice has melted. While this trend hasn’t fully emerged, the idea behind it could drastically improve office sustainability efforts in the future.
Air-to-air/Geothermal Heat Pumps
Another office building energy-efficient HVAC trend, air-to-air and ground-source heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular. Unlike commercial boilers in older buildings that rely on gas or oil to cool a building, heat pumps solely rely on electricity to cool an office building. How does this emerging technology work? Air-source heat pumps use outside air with mechanical-compression refrigeration to cool the outside air drawn inside a building to cool it during the summer months.
Because heat pumps rely on electricity and thermal energy to cool a building, they cut out oil or gas that can harm our ozone. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, geothermal heat pumps can save you up to 50% on your utility bills, a massive savings when you own an office building!
Motion Sensing HVAC Technology
Have you ever thought to yourself if only there were a way to cool the rooms or offices my employees or tenants were actively using so I could save on utility bills? Luckily, this HVAC technology exists! Maximizing energy efficiency in large office spaces is attainable when using the right lighting, investing in shades/blinds, and smart HVAC systems with adaptive technology.
Motion sensing HVAC technologies learn temperature settings and patterns and adjust them accordingly, which is ideal for energy savings in office buildings. They can tell when you enter or leave a room or office in your commercial building, ensuring it only cools to a certain temperature when your employees/tenants are in their individual offices, conference rooms, or another part of the office.
Smart Vents
Unlike zoning systems, smart vents can open and close the vent to stop or start airflow in a certain office or room in an office building. Like motion-sending HVAC technology, smart vents rely on sensors that detect occupied or empty rooms to close the vent when a room is empty.
This emerging technology sounds great in theory, yet there are kinks to iron out before it becomes an energy-efficient and sustainable office HVAC trend. Airflow throughout an HVAC system is crucial to its longevity, and closed vents, especially in less occupied areas of your office building, could potentially cause the whole unit to shut down.
How Cates Heating and Cooling Can Keep Your Office HVAC Energy Efficient & Sustainable
At Cates Heating and Cooling, we understand how important it is to be energy-efficient and sustainable, especially if you own or rent a commercial property. We offer many energy-efficient and sustainable HVAC technologies for commercial properties around Kansas City like hospitals, restaurants, theaters, factories, and more:
- Boilers
- Heat Pumps
- Electric/Geothermal Heating
- Smart HVAC Systems
- Zoned HVAC Systems
We’re family-owned and operated with expertly trained technicians who have provided exceptional service to all our customers for over 50 years. We service Kansas City and surrounding cities, including the following:
& more!
Our office services include heating, cooling, air quality, and energy-efficient solutions. Contact Cates with any questions or concerns about your HVAC system and how we can help!
