5 Points About New Commercial HVAC Installations

Installing a new HVAC system for your business can have many far-reaching consequences. Therefore, it’s important to make a carefully considered decision. If you’re a business owner based around Hillsborough, NC, think about these points when investing in commercial HVAC installations:

System Type

There are many different types of HVAC systems on the market. Beyond traditional central heaters and air conditioners, there are also heat pumps, ductless mini-splits and geothermal systems, to name only a few options. Which of these is right for your business depends on your specific needs, your surrounding environment and the climate control goals you want to achieve.

For example, if you need different portions of your commercial property to be at different temperatures simultaneously, consider a multi-zone ductless setup, as mini-splits allow you to divide an area into separate climate zones. If it’s important for you to save as much money as possible on your energy bills, give some thought to installing a heat pump. On the other hand, if your business property happens to sit on some firm ground and you don’t mind making a large upfront investment in exchange for significant long-term energy savings, a geothermal system might be for you.

Getting a System of the Right Size

Whatever kind of HVAC system you ultimately choose for your business, it’s absolutely essential that it be of the right size. Before installing any kind of system, HVAC installation professionals should scrutinize your property and perform something called a Manual J Load Calculation.

This is a process whereby the team measures factors like your property’s square footage, the height of its ceilings and the number of doors and windows that it has. The team then plugs these data into a set of mathematical equations to determine the correct HVAC system size for your property.

Failure to do this, or doing it incorrectly, can have substantial negative consequences for your business. If your system is too small, it will fail to heat or cool your business premises properly, making customers uncomfortable and threatening to drive them away. If the system is too large, it will cycle unnecessarily and endure avoidable stresses, which will hasten the date by which you’ll need to replace it again.

What’s Your Ductwork Like?

If you happen to opt for a ductless system, this consideration won’t be relevant to you. Otherwise, you should examine your ducts and see their state.

Old ducts that are dirty, damaged and have many holes will cause you headaches. Not only will this diminish the indoor air quality on your business premises, but it’ll also cause a great deal of treated air to leak out. This will significantly diminish the efficiency of your HVAC system and force you to pay much higher energy bills in exchange for a smaller effect.

Therefore, before you schedule a new HVAC installation, find out if you’ll need new ductwork as well. Even just a duct cleaning may be important.

Indoor Air Quality

You should also mull over your business locations’ indoor air quality from a more general perspective that goes beyond how it may relate to the quality of your ductwork. Poor air quality will harm the health of both customers and employees, and it will encourage customers to complain about and avoid your business.

HVAC systems come with their own filters. Depending on your environment and your IAQ needs, these may or may not be sufficient for you. If not, you can get others that have higher MERV ratings.

Your Budget

Last but not least, you should balance all other HVAC-related considerations with how much money you have on hand to devote to installing a new system. For example, more powerful systems will typically cost more than less powerful ones, and geothermal systems tend to be more expensive than other types.

Installing a new commercial HVAC system is a big decision, but you don’t need to make it on your own. For help and advice in the vicinity of Hillsborough, NC, call Warren-Hay Mechanical and ask about our commercial HVAC installations.

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