Cold Weather is Coming! What That Means for Your HVAC System

It’s the end of the year but winter isn’t done with us yet. As we batten down the hatches for the worst of the weather, we think it’s important that you, as business owners, know just what you’re up against when the cold hits. During winter your HVAC system simply takes heat from outside and moves it inside, keeping your office warm and toasty. But how can this happen if the outside is already freezing? Your system doesn’t know the difference, and it’ll do its job as best it can—but at the cost of your bottom line.

Michigan winters can be particularly brutal, and that can cause big problems for your business if your HVAC system isn’t operating at maximum efficiency. Snowfall and cold air threaten the operation and longevity of your system—it’s vital that you conduct preventive maintenance to make sure your system is in good working order before it’s too late.

If you can ensure that your HVAC system is in peak condition, you’ll be able to avoid higher power expenditures, higher maintenance costs if things do go wrong, and higher equipment expenses due to having to replace entire systems. It’s not unusual for winter operations to prematurely end the lifespan of an HVAC system. Here’s what you can do:

Check air quality

This is your go-to metric for your HVAC system’s output. If the air coming out of the vents isn’t clean-smelling and pleasant to breathe, then that should signal alarm bells. It should have a consistent, comfortable temperature throughout all the areas of your workplace—hot and cold spots are a sign of a system that is either overpowered or overworked. And nobody wants to have to work in the one area of the office that’s consistently at an uncomfortable temperature.

Check your costs

If you see that your electricity bills leading into winter are starting to rise as the temperatures fall, then that’s a very bad sign. Your system could have trouble keeping up with heating demands and draw more power as a result.

Seal up your office

Any unwanted leaks or holes in your workplace are going to mean your HVAC system is fighting against the outside temperatures twice as hard. Efficiency will plummet, and you’ll end up spending more money on electricity trying to keep up. Drafts or gaps will mean that your money is literally flying out of the cracks.

Call in the pros

This is the easiest, most foolproof way to make sure you’re ready for winter. Certified HVAC techs will be able to spot any weaknesses in your setup as well as anything else that can be fixed—trained eyes can see things that aren’t apparent from a casual inspection.

An alternative — Building Automation

While all these steps are well and good, if your woes are down to user error—leaving HVAC systems on overnight when nobody’s in the office, or setting temperatures too high or too low—then all the maintenance in the world can fix those. What can help is a system that adjusts the HVAC settings to your specifications on the fly and can tell you about critical issues before they’re even noticed by the employees. We call that Building Automation Services (BAS) and we think it’s a great option not just for the winter, but for the entire year.

While we’re bringing 2018 to a close, it’s never too early to get the benefits of Building Automation for 2019. Get in touch with Level One HVAC and we can assist you with design specifications, installation, and maintenance for your Building Automation Services. You can reach us at (248) 486-6500 to schedule an appointment or just to find out what we can do for you. If you’re too busy for that, it’s no problem: just fill out our online contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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