Sometimes, even in the commercial HVAC industry, you hear things, and you don’t quite know if they’re true or just common myths circling about. But the proper commercial HVAC system is crucial for the safety, health, and comfort of building occupants. That means that we can’t just let these rumors go without figuring out if they’re a fact or a myth. To help you out a little, we did a little digging, and here’s what we found.
Are these 5 commercial HVAC rumors fact or myth?
1. Routine maintenance isn’t necessary.
We hope not!
This is a MYTH.
Routine maintenance is extremely important to keeping your HVAC system running efficiently. It helps you save time and money in the future because regular maintenance checks can detect large or expensive issues before they even happen. Make sure you plan out your maintenance checks this year, so your commercial HVAC system is performing at optimal efficiency!
2. Commercial HVAC can make building occupants more productive.
This can’t be real, right? How could a damper, simple filter or an HVLS fan make someone work better, faster, or more productively? Commercial HVAC systems are always working around the clock, but they are also always in the background, so we never really give them much credit for anything. For example:our productivity. Do you believe the rumors?
You should!
This is a FACT.
Many studies have found that ventilation systems reduce sickness and infectious disease transmission and can improve the cognitive performance of building occupants. “In fact, the Harvard University study estimates that a business will see a $6,500 per employee, per year increase in employee productivity. And with the energy savings, these systems pay for themselves quickly and many times back over the lifetime of the equipment.”
3. Demand for air conditioning is expected to triple in the next 30 years.
As of 2018, there were approximately 1.6 billion buildings around the world with air conditioning. This means that if this were to triple, this number would grow to 5.6 billion buildings by 2050.
Fact or myth?
This is a FACT.
According to the IEA Report in May 2018, demand for air conditioning will triple by 2050. This means that about 10 new ACs would be sold every single second until 2050.
4. In commercial HVAC, the bigger the system, the better.
This is a very common assumption that circulates around the HVAC community. Everyone always assumes that the biggest system will do the most work for their building. Bigger is always better, right?
Not always!
This is a MYTH.
Every commercial HVAC solution should be tailored to the specific application. Bigger isn’t always better for certain spaces. If you have an oversized system, your commercial space may not be as efficient as it could be, and you could end up paying higher energy and maintenance bills for it. Speak with your local Hoffman & Hoffman office to ensure you have the right-sized HVAC system for your space.
5. The only way to improve HVAC efficiency is to repair or upgrade it.
Making sure that your commercial HVAC system is running at optimal efficiency is crucial, which makes this rumor especially important to figure out. To improve your HVAC efficiency, do you have to repair or upgrade it?
No, you actually don’t!
This is a MYTH.
While repairing and upgrading your commercial HVAC system is always a fantastic way to improve efficiency, there are also other viable solutions that may work for your space. These can include things like adding insulation to walls windows, and even pipes and outlets. You can also improve efficiency by adding fans around your space to quickly and efficiently circulate the air needed to cool your space down a little extra when needed.
We hope these few facts and myths have settled some of those rumors that you may have heard through the grapevine. If you want to read about more facts and myths involving the commercial HVAC industry, follow Hoffman & Hoffman, Inc. on LinkedIn where we share a new fact or myth every Friday. And if you have any myth or fact rumors you’ve heard around the industry, send them to marketing@hoffman-hoffman.com, and we’ll debunk them for you!