Business Ideas For Saving On HVAC

No Cost

• Adjust workplace schedules to reduce energy use during the hours when there is most demand for electricity. If employees start work earlier or have lunch during the hottest hour of the day, a company can save on air conditioning, lighting and other electricity use during the hours of peak electricity demand.
• Prevent solar entry and air-conditioning loss during the summer. Use shades and blinds to keep the sun out. Close doors to the outside to keep in cooler air.

Low Cost

• Add controls to the exhaust fan. These fans remove air you have already paid to cool. Ask your air conditioning contractor to install timers and switches to shut them off when they are not needed, such as when the building is unoccupied.
• Install an energy-efficient attic fan or evaporative cooler. Attic fans or evaporative coolers help reduce or replace air conditioner use.
• Perform regular maintenance on cooling equipment. Regularly clean condenser coils, change belts and filters and fix duct leaks. Also check for proper economizer operation and adequate refrigerant levels. Maintenance activities can save up to 30% of fan energy and up to 10% of space conditioning energy use.
• Perform regular maintenance on heating equipment. Inspect and patch leaky heating ducts. Fix steam leaks. Clean blower coils and heat exchanger surfaces. Adjust belt drives, dampers, valves and linkages.
• Perform regular maintenance to keep heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems running more efficiently. Maintenance activities can save up to 30% of fan energy and up to 10% of space conditioning energy use.
• Reduce air conditioning and heating hours by installing a time clock to turn off the system when the building is unoccupied.

Good Investment

• Consider installing adjustable speed drives (ASDs), and save 30 to 40% on your investment annually. Your air conditioning system has fans that move air throughout your building. You can reduce the cost of operating these fans by installing ASDs,w hich can change the speed of the fan motors to match the amount of air that is needed.
• Consider installing an evaporative cooler, and save 25 to 35% on your investment annually. Evaporative coolers, which make use of the cooling effect of evaporating water, cost less to run than air conditioners and are most effective in low-humidity areas.
• Install a high efficiency packaged heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. These can use up to 40% less energy than systems that just meet minimum standards. Look for a high SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) or, on larger units, EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio). You can purchase units with SEER above 12 or EER above 11. Specify high-efficiency air conditioning equipment when your system needs to be replaced, and save 25% to 35% on your investment annually.
• Install an energy management system (EMS), and save 30 to 40% on your investment annually. An EMS is especially useful when your air conditioning system is too complex to control with time clocks or programmable thermostats. An EMS lets you choose different cooling temperatures for different zones, optimum equipment start and stop times and control strategies that keep building occupants comfortable while minimizing energy use.
• Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat to automate your HVAC system. An “old-fashioned” thermostat turns the HVAC on and off based on temperature, not whether the building is occupied, or whether you benefit from the cooling/heating.
• A programmable thermostat can optimize HVAC operation “24/7” based on your needs. For example, instead of heating or cooling all night, so you can enter a comfortable building in the morning, this “smart thermostat” can turn on the HVAC one hour before you arrive, based on your daily/hourly needs. The cost can be $25 to $150, and it could cut your HVAC costs about 30%. Add a locking cover to prevent tampering with thermostat settings.
• When fan and pump motors need repair, consider replacing them with premium efficiency models, and save 35 to 45% on your investment annually.
• When fan and pump motors need repair, consider replacing them with premium efficiency models, and save 35% to 45% on your investment annually.