Running a business in New York City is expensive. You’re faced with some of the highest rents and operating expenses in the country. To save money, you may decide to cancel air conditioning maintenance. If you have fairly new equipment, AC maintenance may seem unimportant.
The simple truth is, air conditioning maintenance is not a cost. That’s because it saves money. Depending on your equipment, the usage of your space and the nature of your business, regular maintenance can save you a startling amount of money.
Here are 6 surprising ways that AC preventative maintenance saves money.
1. Cut energy bills
Did you know that your HVAC system is responsible for nearly half of your energy usage? What’s more, studies show that air conditioning maintenance helps your unit to maintain up to 95% of its original efficiency. That’s because a clean and optimized system runs less frequently and with shorter duration to cool your space, which means it consumes less power.
On the other hand, a neglected system loses up to 5% efficiency each year that it goes without maintenance. Clogged air filters, dirty vents, condensers with accumulated grime and worn parts force your system to work harder to produce the same cooling results and use more energy in the process. Think about it… if you buy a brand new super-efficient air conditioner but fail to do maintenance, before long its energy usage will be comparable to the old low-efficiency models.
Related Article: 10 Ways to Tweak Your HVAC System and Save on Your Energy Bills.
2. Fewer and less costly repairs
Regular inspections are part of air conditioning maintenance. They give your technician the chance to catch potential problems and fix them before they cause a major headache. Small issues left undetected can and do cause failure of expensive parts. Broken parts cause air conditioners to stop working.
Here’s just one example. When you neglect regular maintenance, the condenser coil gets coated with grime and debris (which happens fast from NYC pollution). The dirty coil can’t release enough of the heat the system has removed from the air in your space. At first, this makes the system run longer to do its job. After a while, the increased strain on the system can cause overheating and compressor failure. When that happens, you may find yourself shelling out thousands for a new air conditioner, and kicking yourself for skimping on air conditioning maintenance.
What’s more, when your system fails you might pay emergency after-hours rates to get it fixed so you can keep your business open. Those repairs can take a major bite out of your profits. That’s why preventative maintenance can save you a bundle.
Related Article: 8 Ways AC Preventive Maintenance Keeps the Repairman Away.
3. Equipment that lasts longer
Regular maintenance keeps the parts in good condition, so you may get an extra year or two, or even 5, from your air conditioning unit before you’ll need to replace it. Wouldn’t you rather save that capital for some other purpose than buying a new air conditioner years before you have to?
4. Employees get more done
It’s a proven fact that workers are more productive when workplace temperatures are comfortable. Keep your air conditioner working reliably with air conditioning maintenance and you can also keep your employees doing the same thing.
According to IFMA (International Facility Management Association), office temperature is the number one complaint from office workers about their work space. And those complaints have a direct impact on productivity.
A 2013 article in Men’s Health magazine, citing the results of a Northumbria University study, reported that warmer temperatures resulted in higher levels of employee efficiency, especially in the afternoon when post-lunch drowsiness sets in. At the same time, too low office temperatures also cause more employee errors, such as inaccuracies in data entry and word processing.
Regular air conditioning maintenance keeps the temperature consistent and comfortable.
5. Repeat customers spend more money
If you own a restaurant, retail store or other business where your reputation and customer loyalty can make or break your profits, pay close attention.
Your patrons want and expect a comfortable experience when they visit your establishment. If you disappoint them, they’re quite likely to share their displeasure with hundreds of their closest friends on social media. After all, who wants to work out in a gym that’s sticky with humidity, or try on clothing in a store that’s colder than a meat locker?
Air conditioning maintenance helps ensure consistently comfortable conditions to keep your customers coming back.
Related Article: Summer in the City and Air Conditioning Problems.
6. An ounce of prevention costs much less than a pound of cure
This is especially true when it comes to the safety of your workplace. Neglecting air conditioning maintenance and the care of your HVAC equipment can lead to serious health and safety concerns that can cost you big time:
- Air quality issues including the buildup and spread of airborne mold and contaminants. In the worst case, you can end up plagued with reports of sick building syndrome.
- Carbon monoxide danger which doesn’t go away when you install carbon monoxide detectors. You can still be faced with a situation that will scare off your customers when the detectors go off and the fire department shows up at your door.
If you were thinking that air conditioning maintenance is too expensive, think again. The payback you gain with regular air conditioning maintenance outstrips the minimal cost many, many times over.
Another little known fact is that a good air conditioning maintenance contract is not one-size-fits-all. To get the right coverage to meet your needs and your budget, you need to work with a company that’s willing to create a customized air conditioning maintenance contract just for you.
To learn more, grab a copy of our helpful guide to HVAC Preventive Maintenance Contracts: How to Find The Right One For Your HVAC Infrastructure.
