Generally, factors outside of your control determine your business’s heating and cooling needs. As a result, you reasonably will want to get a system that can provide the full power that you need to maintain comfortable temperatures during warmer weather properly. However, it’s easy to go overboard on commercial air conditioners accidentally. Often, businesses can save money and improve guest comfort by finding the right balance between your system’s strength and how it is placed throughout your building.
How Much Is Too Much?
When it comes to HVAC services of any kind, there’s such a thing as too much. There are several ways that you can err on the side of an overpowered system:
- Install a system that is much more powerful than the space you need to cool, such as purchasing a commercial cooling system suited to a building with two or three times as much building load as you need to cool.
- Selecting a multi-part system, such as a series of mini-splits, and getting one for each room when there is enough convection to make do with fewer units.
- Opting for a more theoretically-efficient system in conditions where it is actually less effective. As a result, you’ll need to overuse the system or install a more powerful one, which completely negates any benefit from the efficiency you were seeking.
These problems can happen to anyone if they don’t have the right guidance when it comes to commercial air conditioning installations. Finding the right balance can be difficult, but it is nevertheless important. If your system is improperly suited to your space, you may see any of the following results:
- Expensive Electrical Bills – Even during more temperate seasons, an overpowered system will draw a great deal of energy. This logic adds up, as HVAC systems tend to be on most of the time. Although you can create a schedule of when the system turns on and off, the “on” times will consume too much energy.
- Customer and Staff Complaints – As much as everyone enjoys the comfort of a nicely-air-conditioned space in the heat of summer, it can go too far. In a restaurant or office setting, your guests and employees remain largely stationary for extended periods. If the ambient temperature is below comfort, they will regularly feel too cold. Some systems, such as forced air, will worsen the problem further by creating specific areas where the chilled exhaust air focuses.
- Extra System Wear – If the system is not well-suited to your space, it will struggle to find the right balance in terms of how it operates. Thus, it may overwork itself or alternate between on and off too much, ultimately adding unnecessary wear to the system itself. This problem can be worsened if employees open doors or windows when it gets too cold, prompting the system to continue working beyond what is necessary.
Ways to Reduce the Number of Commercial Air Conditioners You Need
Fortunately, you can avoid each of these issues by taking a few steps before installing your system. Even if you already use commercial air conditioners that are much stronger than your needs call for, good HVAC contractors can assist you by modifying your system and making it better suited to your space. Consider some ways that you can improve your overall efficiency by balancing your air conditioning units’ function and position:
- Augment your system with tools such as commercial ceiling fans. Often, you don’t need additional power or exhaust. In such situations, adding extra circulation can make all the difference and achieve a more measured cooling impact without dramatically increasing your power bill, system strength, or creating uncomfortable chill spots in your building.
- Installing a system that’s well-suited to your environment. You can take advantage of natural features such as lakes to create effective, balanced cooling systems. Alternatives, in situations where you don’t need to create a lot of cool air but have some hot spots, heat pump systems are ideal for moving the air where it needs to go.
- Limiting the number of redundant units. Sometimes, a building’s natural airflow will work well to carry the cooled air where it should go without extra effort. Not every unit needs its own box split or exhaust, so work with someone who can discern where you can reduce the number of units you need by optimizing their placement.
- Ensuring that you conduct proper maintenance on your system. If it becomes disordered in any way, you may see that it overclocks itself. Such overpowered systems can also be the result of poor calibration or installation, so working with trustworthy contractors can prevent many issues and restore your system to its ideal state.
Ensure Your Business Has the Right Spread of Commercial Air Conditioners
Your HVAC system will serve your business for many years if designed properly. Quality HVAC contractors will take the time to analyze your building’s needs and environment to create a system of commercial air conditioners that is uniquely and efficiently suited to your needs. If you maintain that system properly, it will continue to create a comfortable atmosphere for both your clients and your employees.