5 Ways to Lower your Commercial Heating and Cooling Costs
The cost of heating and cooling commercial buildings is a major expense. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial buildings represent just under one-fifth of U.S. energy consumption, with office space, retail space, and educational facilities representing about half of commercial sector energy consumption. In an average commercial building, as much as 30% of the energy and cost that goes into powering heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are wasted.
To lower the operating costs associated with heating and cooling your commercial building, reducing energy waste should be at the top of your list. Reducing waste can be as simple as routine maintenance. It could also mean investing in new energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions for your commercial building.Here are 5 ways to lower your heating and cooling costs:• Change your HVAC filters on a regular basis. Dirty filters make it harder for air to flow through the system, which requires more energy. Dirty filters also reduce indoor air quality and increase commercial HVAC maintenance issues and costs. This simple step can reduce waste by between 5-10%.
• Use programmable thermostats. Businesses can set thermostats to coincide with business/non-business hours to reduce energy waste. By automating these changes, people will remain comfortable during work hours. During non-business hours, thermostats can be set at higher temperatures in warmer months and lower temperatures in colder months when spaces are not in use, reducing energy consumption and lowering costs.
• Schedule routine HVAC maintenance. Routinely check HVAC systems for leaks, cracks and other signs of wear and tear that reduce heating and cooling capabilities. Damaged coils, improper seals and dirty filters are just a few of the things to look for. While it’s tempting to come up with low-cost temporary solutions, like patching leaking HVAC coils, performance goes down and the temporary fix might lead to problems with other heating and cooling components. If you have a leaking chilled water coil, hot water coil, steam coil or refrigerant coil contact us for a quote.
• Upgrade or replace HVAC equipment. HVAC systems wear out over time. Rather than putting more money into outdated, inefficient systems, upgrade elements or replace HVAC systems with energy efficient models. Consider buying ENERGY STAR-certified products, including furnaces, boilers, air conditioners and heat pumps. The increase in efficiency will offset the investment in new equipment.
• Look into tax incentives for upgrading equipment. Tax incentives may help offset the costs for energy efficiency upgrades in commercial buildings. To learn more about the tax incentives available under The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) and The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 extended provisions in EPACT, visit Energy.gov. https://energy.gov/eere/buildings/tax-incentives-energy-efficiency-upgrades-commercial-buildings
Improving energy efficiency lowers overall commercial heating and cooling costs and saves valuable resources. To learn more about lowering your heating and cooling costs with commercial coil solutions, contact us at 1-855-Coil-Now or sales@emergentcoils.com today.