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Whether you own, lease, or work inside a commercial building, you know how important it is to keep your employees and tenants comfortable. If an employee is full-time, they spend at least 40 hours a week inside your commercial building, more or less depending on their workload. 40 hours a week at work is more than 2,000 hours per year spent at the office!
Knowing how long employees or tenants spend at the workplace, wouldn’t you do everything you could to keep them comfortable and perform routine maintenance on your commercial building to ensure it’s in excellent shape to keep everyone inside comfortable and safe? You can do many preventive things to maintain an ideal environment and keep your building and its components in great shape.
A component of your commercial building that works even more than the employees? The HVAC system. It’s a crucial component that keeps employees comfortable and healthy and the building in better shape. Because an office HVAC system is so crucial, depending on the office space, it can work in overdrive to maintain a comfortable temperature, especially if there are windows that get frequent sunlight, the age of the system, and whether or not it’s been well maintained.
Providing a more comfortable work environment means keeping your office HVAC system in great shape. Keep reading to learn some preventive strategies for commercial buildings to keep your employees/tenants happy and comfortable throughout all the seasons in a year during more than 2,000 hours spent at work.
Replace the Filters
Like your home’s HVAC system, office HVAC systems need filters replaced frequently. Air filters are a major component of an office HVAC system because they trap dirt and debris so they don’t fly through the air, keeping your employees/tenants healthier, especially those with chronic illnesses or allergies. Replacing your office HVAC system’s filters offers several benefits including keeping the air cleaner, better airflow, and extending the life of your office HVAC system.
What happens if you don’t change your air filters? Failing to replace the filters often can drastically increase energy bills. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, dirty air filters can increase energy bills by 15%. That equals a massive increase, especially if you own a large commercial building. This number fluctuates, especially during the frigid winter and the scorching hot summer months when the air conditioning or heat is on more often than not. Along with an increase in energy bills, employees won’t be as comfortable, leading to less productivity. Maximizing energy efficiency in large office spaces saves you money.
Replace the filters every quarter to ensure your HVAC system isn’t working in overdrive to move air through a dirty filter, keep employees comfortable and healthier, and reduce heating and cooling costs. You can replace the air filters yourself or contact an HVAC company in Kansas City to help.
Clean the Coils
Another preventive strategy for your commercial building’s HVAC system is to clean the coils. HVAC coils are a major part of an office HVAC system, responsible for heat exchange. Your office HVAC system has two sets of coils that help regulate a comfortable temperature: the condenser and the evaporator coil. If you’re unfamiliar with HVAC coils, don’t worry – we’re here to help!
The evaporator coil is inside your office building with the ductwork. This coil will add heat inside your building or cool the air by pulling heat. Condenser coils are outside, and they regulate the refrigerant’s temperature. Clean coils result in cleaner air that is circulated through your home. Likewise, dirty coils circulate dirty air through your HVAC system, forcing them to run in overdrive, consuming more energy.
Calibrate Thermostats
Do you remember in the early 2000s when touchscreen phones became more mainstream? The touch screen needed to be calibrated to your fingers, ensuring it could read your touch accurately. The same goes for calibrating thermostats; they need recalibrating to maintain a comfortable temperature.
A professional HVAC company in Kansas City like Cates Heating and Cooling can help calibrate your thermostats. Some office buildings have one thermostat while others have smart HVAC systems, so calibrating them is crucial to ensure your HVAC system doesn’t work in overdrive to maintain a certain temperature.
Pay Attention to Early Warning Signs
Like your home HVAC system, don’t ignore early warning signs of an issue. Ignoring early signs results in higher energy bills and can exacerbate problems if left alone. Ignoring early warning signs will increase your energy bills, make the system work in overdrive when it doesn’t need to, and can make for an uncomfortable work environment.
What are some early warning signs to look out for? If you notice any of the following, it’s time to contact a professional HVAC company like Cates Heating and Cooling to assess and repair:
- Odd sounds (rattling or banging sounds are not normal and need to be assessed)
- Poor airflow
- The HVAC system is constantly running
- Increased energy bills
- Uneven heating that results in cooler or warmer rooms
- Strange smells
Again, pay attention to these early warning signs to avoid worsening an issue.
Schedule HVAC Maintenance
Like your residential HVAC system, your office HVAC system needs regular maintenance to ensure it’s working properly. Scheduling HVAC maintenance with a professional HVAC company in Kansas City will ensure your system runs optimally. HVAC maintenance includes replacing the air filters, calibrating thermostats, cleaning coils, and ensuring your system is running as it should.
Scheduling HVAC maintenance with Cates Heating and Cooling ensures your office HVAC system runs optimally, reduces heating and cooling bills, and keeps your employees/tenants comfortable. Our office services include maintenance/replacement of all heating and cooling systems in large and small office spaces. Our commercial clients include restaurants, healthcare centers, IT centers, retail centers, theaters, industrial facilities, and many more.
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 residential 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 with your office HVAC system!
