HVAC Energy Saving Tips

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Your HVAC system can account for a huge part of your energy use. Whether you’re trying to reduce your energy usage to save money or to just make your business a little greener, saving on your HVAC usage is a good place to start. Save energy and money with these simple tips. 

 

  1. Get an energy audit. It’s well worth the time and money to have an energy audit done on your business to see exactly where your energy is being wasted. The audit can also show you how to better increase the overall efficiency of your whole HVAC system. 
  2. Have routine maintenance done. If your system is working hard due to dirty filters, dust buildup, or clogged drains, it’s going to use more energy. This ends up costing you more money. Routine maintenance makes sure your system is running at optimum efficiency levels. If your system does need repairs, make sure you use quality HVAC replacement parts
  3. Program your thermostat. Run your system at stable temperatures to be the most efficient. Program the schedule of the system to match the schedule of your business so the usage is timely and effective. 
  4. Seal against drafts. Your business needs to properly insulated against drafts in order to drop the costs of running your HVAC system. Find where hot air is escaping and cold air is getting inside, and seal these gaps. Seal any cracks, use window insulation, and lay draught excluders or hang curtains or blinds to keep draughts out. 
  5. Block out the heat. In the summer, when the building gets hot, find ways to block out the heat before you start turning up the air conditioning. You can use blinds and shades on the windows to block direct sunlight, which helps your home to stay cooler. By keeping out excess heat, your air conditioning doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the building cool. 
  6. Turn off your ceiling fans. Ceiling fans don’t actually do much to cool the air inside your building. What they actually do is circulate the air so you feel cooler. Use the fans when people are in the building to keep things comfortable, but turn them off when there’s nobody around, as they won’t keep the rooms cool. 
  7. Run your appliances at night. If you have large machinery or appliances like a dishwasher in the office kitchen, try to run them at night when possible. At night, the outside temperature is lower, so your air-conditioning isn’t working as hard to keep things cool and combatting the heat put out by machinery and appliances. 
  8. Change your air filters. Your air filters should be checked every month, and ideally replaced every 30 to 90 days to stop dirt from building up. Old filters overwork your system and push up your energy use. 
  9. Upgrade your systems. If your current HVAC system isn’t energy-efficient or is over ten years old it may be worth replacing it. This will be a large cost initially, but over time, it will pay for itself by reducing your energy costs.