Soon It Will be Time to Shut Down Your Heating System. Here's What you Need to Know

Are you looking for ways to reduce your commercial heating and cooling expenses? We love helping our customers save money. There are many ways to reduce your monthly energy expenditures, and one of them is by shutting down your commercial heating system over the summer.

Turning Off Your Heating System is Not the Same as Shutting it Down

Of course, you won’t be running your commercial heating system in the middle of the summer. But turning off the system is not the same as shutting it down. A complete shut down involves turning off gas and electrical power at the source, preventing energy from being wasted over the warm weather season.

Why Does My Heating System Use Energy When It’s Off?

It is unnecessary to leave the pilot light, which is used to ignite the burners of your furnace in the winter, lit throughout the summer months. To do so wastes energy. To prevent this scenario, cut the supply of gas to the furnace by shutting the valve so that the pilot light goes out – and stays out. It will save you about $50 per year, which adds up over the life of your furnace. It is also a good safety precaution.

In addition to turning off the gas, you should also cut the electrical. Components such as your system’s sensors needlessly draw power over the course of the summer. Dubbed “vampire power” this is another wasted expense. To ensure your commercial heating system is off, be sure to turn it off at the breaker panel. This will also prevent it from being accidentally turned on if someone is tinkering with the thermostat settings, as so often happens in office temperature wars between coworkers.

What to Do If You Have a Central HVAC with a Furnace and AC

Our commercial HVAC contractors know if you have a central HVAC system with a commercial air conditioner and furnace sharing blower and electrical components, you obviously can’t shut your heater down completely – unless you plan on sweating out the summer with no air. In this case, a partial shut down is in order. To do this, turn off only the gas to the furnace. Then your system will have access to the electrical power needed to run the AC without wasting fuel on running the furnace pilot light.

Maintenance is Essential Before Furnace Shut Down

If your commercial heating system barely made it through the season or has obvious repair issues, don’t let heating system maintenance wait. Contact your local commercial HVAC repair and service company now. You don’t want to get left out in the cold in the event of a surprise spring cold snap or early fall snow. It’s always better to be proactive when your furnace is under the weather.

Ensure your commercial heating system is performing efficiently all season long – even when it’s hibernating. Contact H & H Commercial Services to schedule seasonal furnace maintenance today.

 

This blog was originally posted at https://hhcommercialonline.com/soon-it-will-be-time-to-shut-down-your-heating-system-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

HVAC Tips: Opening Indoor Spaces Safely as COVID Restrictions Ease

COVID cases are falling, but the pandemic is far from over. As vaccination rates rise and COVID cases fall, how can you get your business ready to open its doors safely? Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Epidemic Task Force recommend a layered approach.

Make Sure Idle Systems are In Good Working Order

If your system has been shut down for an extended length of time, follow standard practices for new construction startup to ensure proper system operation and safety. This is especially important for water systems and features such as humidifiers/dehumidifiers, cooling towers, and refrigeration units due to the risk for Legionnaire’s bacteria. This task is easily managed by requesting a maintenance service call from your local commercial HVAC mechanical services provider.

Exchange Indoor Air with Fresh Outdoor Air as Much as Possible

Because the COVID virus spreads more readily indoors than outdoors, where virus concentration is diluted, enhanced ventilation is crucial. This can be accomplished in a number of ways:

• Upgrading your building with added ventilation
  Talk to your commercial HVAC contractors about ways to modify your system to improve ventilation, such as an exhaust, supply, or heat recovery ventilation system.
• Using natural ventilation
  When weather permits, opening doors and windows, except when doing so, poses a health risk due to allergen or environmental contaminant exposure, reduces airborne viral concentration.
• Use fans
  Fans improve circulation when windows/doors are open. Place fans in windows, exhausting air outdoors. Do NOT blow potentially contaminated air towards people.
• Decrease occupancy levels
  If outdoor ventilation cannot be increased.
• Pre and/or post flush with outdoor air
  Run HVAC at maximum outside airflow 2 hours before and after occupancy to enhance air cleaning within the system.

Improve HVAC Air Filtration

Talk to your commercial HVAC service company to determine the highest level of filtration your commercial HVAC unit can manage without affecting system performance and lifespan. ASHRAE recommends a true HEPA filter with a rating of 13 or higher. The higher the number, the more particles a filter can remove from the air.

Consider Adding an Air Purifier with UV Light 

Incorporating an air purifier with an ultraviolet germicidal light into your commercial HVAC system offers another layer of protection, trapping and killing airborne contaminants. These systems are more effective than portable models, cleansing air throughout the building.

Enforce the Use of Masks and Social Distancing

Maintain the CDC’s recommended 6-foot social distancing measures whenever possible and continue wearing masks until most of the population has been vaccinated and herd immunity has been reached. While progress in our fight to control the virus continues, we are not out of the woods yet.

Every building faces unique COVID reduction challenges. Learn ways to effectively decrease the COVID viral load in your building through improved ventilation and filtration with help from H & H Commercial Services. Contact us to schedule a consultation today.

This blog was originally posted at https://hhcommercialonline.com/hvac-tips-opening-indoor-spaces-safely-as-covid-restrictions-ease/