Renovating your commercial space and looking to improve your air conditioning in the process? When the work is done, do you want comfortable, consistent temperatures in your space? How about good air quality? Energy efficiency? If you do, then it pays to plan updates to your HVAC system and its ductwork design early in the renovation process to avoid mistakes.
Commercial HVAC
Do Ceiling Fans Save Energy?
Ceiling fans use much less energy to run than air conditioners, so it would seem like a simple conclusion that ceiling fans save energy. But in most parts of the country, fans don’t provide enough cooling to replace air conditioners. So the question is really: do ceiling fans save energy when used with air conditioning? And that’s more complicated.
Read on to find out if you can use ceiling fans to help improve your energy efficiency and keep you cooler.
Read MoreHVAC Safety Tips: Don’t Let Carbon Monoxide Sneak Up On You
A carbon monoxide leak can mean disaster for your business
You already know that carbon monoxide is deadly—you’ve certainly heard the horror stories that result from people unknowingly breathing in the colorless, odorless gas. So as a responsible business owner or manager, you don’t take those kind of risks lightly. That’s why you have carbon monoxide detectors installed throughout your space, right?
Read MoreHow Long Should an Air Conditioner Last?
With the hottest temperatures of the year staring us down, the last thing we need is a meltdown over an air conditioner breakdown. Home and business owners and facility and property managers across the NYC metropolitan area are keeping their fingers crossed that mature air conditioning systems make it through the summer. This tenuous situation can’t help beg the question, “How long should an air conditioner last?”
HVAC experts say an air conditioner should last about 15 to 20 years under normal conditions. However, many factors can reduce that life, including poor installation, operating conditions, system sizing, and neglected maintenance.
New HVAC refrigerants: Could CO2 Replace R-22?
If you’ve been following our HVAC blog articles, you probably notice that they’re usually very practical. We offer guidance about issues that are on your mind and provide information that’s immediately helpful. Once in a while, though, we like to talk about something just because we think it’s interesting and enlightening. This blog about new HVAC refrigerants is one of those posts. We hope you’ll find it interesting and enlightening, too!
The true story behind HVAC refrigerants
Refrigeration was originally invented because we wanted to make our food last longer and prevent waste from spoilage. We learned that keeping it cool accomplished that goal. Isn’t it ironic that the chemical HVAC refrigerants we developed to chill our food (as well as cool our living and working spaces) are some of the worst contributors to the greenhouse effect and global warming? That’s right: as we chill our food to preserve it, we’re heating up our planet and destroying it.
R22 Phased Out: The Timeline & Facts You Need to Know
If you are a facilities manager who has responsibility for older air conditioning systems, chances are you are alarmed by the news that R22 has been phased out. Does this mean you’ll need to replace a lot of expensive equipment? You’re probably also wondering about the R22 phase out schedule and how quickly you need to act.
In this article we’ll discuss the timeline for the R22 phase out to help you understand the urgency of the situation. Then we’ll discuss the options for facilities with R22 air conditioning equipment and some tips for making the best decision for your company.