A Brief History of HVAC Systems

HVAC doesn’t always mean air conditioning. In fact, the acronym stands for “heating, ventilation, and air conditioning”, which covers everything related to controlling thermal comfort. HVAC systems have come a long way since their inception, and this blog post will delve into several main points of HVAC history.

1000s-1400s – During this period, the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians all churned up pioneering heating and cooling solutions. One notable invention was the Roman hypocaust, which is a central heating system consisted of a furnace in a basement that distributed heat throughout homes. By the 1400s, chimneys were pretty common. It is also known that Leonardo Da Vinci once built a water-driven fan to ventilate several rooms during that time.

1500s-1800s – During the 1500s, ventilating machines were extensively used in French mines to direct fresh air into the shaft. The U.S. House of Parliament also had a crude ventilation system to cool the building during sessions. By the 1800s, Benjamin Franklin introduced the world’s first stove, which also happened to be the first steam heating system.

1900s – Furnace systems with centrifugal fans, as well as high-pressure steam heating, were extensively used during this time. On the cooling side, it was mainly about Willis Carrier, the inventor of the modern air conditioner. Carrier’s invention resulted into numerous other innovations, much of which are still in use today.

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The Value of an HVAC Professional

If you’re like many property owners, you probably have a commercial contractor that your rely on for any and all servicing that your property needs. For basic construction repairs to plumbing issues, this arrangement will do just fine. However, when it comes to your HVAC system, only the expertise of a true HVAC specialist will do. There are a few reasons why this is so:

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Installing HVAC for Warehouses

Every company’s complex or industrial estate will have at least one warehouse within the premises. The place can be used to store predetermined products or simply to add some office space. However, the demands of activities inside the building will warrant extensive solutions for installing HVAC systems. When the warehouse is, say, several years old and fans are the only air circulation systems you see inside, you may want to invest in something newer.

Your team must define the objective for setting up the HVAC system– and most of the time, they will revolve around the facility’s intended use. At this stage, a commercial HVAC contractor can be brought in to better map out the gridwork, especially in ensuring that the final design is compliant with local civil engineering codes.

Sound tolerance will be a major issue when your employees are working inside the warehouse. The HVAC system must be thoroughly muffled when its moving components are close to occupied spaces. Consider investing in carbon dioxide sensors to help in air quality monitoring.

A warehouse equipped with a well-designed HVAC system will be worth its weight in gold to your company. The machinery will be able to take care of your workers’ health in controlled conditions. 

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Tips When Buying HVAC for Your Business

One of the vital factors that determine the success of a business like restaurants and malls is the level of comfort they provide their customers and employees. When you talk about indoor comfort, a huge responsibility lies on how efficient your commercial HVAC systems are. If you are upgrading your old cooling and heating systems, keep these simple tips in mind in order to make the right purchase:

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Rising Natural Gas Prices Demands Efficient Commercial HVAC Systems

Heating up a home or a place of business often depends on natural gas. The above price surge means that the cold snap made it more costly for households to keep warm on cold nights and even days. Commercial heating and cooling systems are even more susceptible to this price increase because of the often large facilities that they have to handle.

The key to saving money in the face of future harsh weather is to have efficient commercial HVAC systems. Well-maintained heating systems make sure that gas is well-spent and not wasted. Regular maintenance by dependable HVAC companies like Altus Mechanical make sure that your building’s heating and cooling systems are ready for extreme changes in temperature.

http://altusmechanical.com/rising-natural-gas-prices-demands-efficient-commercial-hvac-systems/

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DOE Wants to Help You Improve Your Commercial HVAC Systems Efficiency

Our AEE chapter meeting in January was the kick off meeting for the George Washington University’s new student chapter. The speaker was Ms. Karen Butler, EPA’s National Manager Commercial Building Design Initiative – Energy Star.

As you might imagine, EPA’s interest in efficient building design and operation is to promote the reduction of energy consumption and the avoidance of the pollution that results from producing the unnecessary energy. The ‘Target Finder Tool’ is part of the EPA’s ‘Energy Star Portfolio’ a collection of no cost, on line tools that can help you design more energy efficient buildings, track their performance and compare them to similar, energy efficient commercial air conditioners, facilities.

http://altusmechanical.com/doe-want-to-help-you-improve-your-commercial-hvac-systems-efficiency/

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Air Conditioners for Human Comfort & Efficiency

Air conditioners are a must-have among many office spaces and commercial buildings. This is especially true of areas whose temperatures are too high for comfort.

An article on Bright Hub Engineering lists common sources of rising temperatures. The sun is the major cause of heat generation inside the room of an office or a building. Sun rays enter the room through the roof, walls, and windows of the building which results in the generation of heat within the room.

Other sources of generated heat are electrical and electronic appliances as well as the people themselves. If all these factors ‘work’ together in the same room, they can lead to highly uncomfortable levels of heat. As a result, air conditioning becomes a necessity to counteract these conditions.

The article also lists some of the advantages of an air-conditioned environment. According to research, people tends to tire faster in hot temperatures. Additionally, air that is free of dust can circulate inside the room and create a healthy atmosphere. Lastly, outside noise has virtually no way to enter an air-conditioned room because there is no need to open the windows.

All in all, air conditioners and other commercial HVAC systems can provide several benefits that contribute to human efficiency and inhibit the creation of an uncomfortable atmosphere.

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Design Guides for Commercial HVAC Systems Discussed at AEE/NCC Meeting

Recently, the Association of Energy Engineers National Capital Chapter (AEE/NCC) invited Dr. Paul Torcellini, the noted Group Manager for Commercial Building Research of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to speak at the Association’s monthly meeting. In his talk, Dr. Torcellini presented an introduction to the design guides the laboratory has published for various commercial buildings. Many of these are relevant to the business of designing energy-efficient commercial HVAC systems for Altus Corporation’s clients.

The guides Dr. Torcellini laid out detail design specifications for a wide variety of commercial buildings and cover requirements for 50% and 30% energy savings. The comprehensive list of buildings includes small and large hospitals and healthcare facilities, medium to big box retail establishments, small and medium office buildings, K-12 school buildings, small warehouses and self-storage facilities, and highway lodging, among others.

http://altusmechanical.com/design-guides-for-commercial-hvac-systems-discussed-at-aeencc-meeting/

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Improving the Energy Efficiency of HVAC Systems

Dr. Paul Torcellini, the Group Manager for Commercial Building Research of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), spoke at a meeting of the Association of Energy Engineers National Capital Chapter (AEE/NCC) earlier this month. Among other things, Dr. Torcellini discussed the design guides published by the laboratory pertaining to commercial buildings. Many of these guides are relevant to the business of designing energy-efficient commercial HVAC systems for various users.

The guides Dr. Torcellini laid out detail design specifications for a wide array of commercial buildings and cover requirements for 50% and 30% energy savings. The comprehensive list of buildings includes small and large hospitals and healthcare facilities, medium to big box retail establishments, small and medium office buildings, K-12 school buildings, small warehouses and self-storage facilities, and highway lodgings, among others.

The design guides also lay out a step-by-step process for increasing net energy conservation toward the creation of commercial buildings that achieve net zero energy consumption—which basically means that the buildings are able to produce as much or more energy than they consume. This breakthrough is achieved by providing buildings with on-site energy generation capabilities using renewable energy sources. Such improvements, it is expected, will greatly enhance the efficiency of power-hungry HVAC systems.

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Commercial HVAC Maintenance

Commercial HVAC is, in itself, its own league. Unlike residential HVAC, commercial heating and cooling units operate for longer periods in addition to enhancing indoor air quality for a much bigger area.

As the rule of thumb goes, the more frequent HVAC is used, the more frequent the maintenance it needs to keep it in tiptop shape. Studies show that cooling consumption alone in a business establishment can reach up to 3,000 kWh a week while the average home only uses around 940 kWh a month.

Commercial HVAC systems may undergo routine maintenance once every four months to a year. Given the size of a commercial HVAC system including the ducts and cooling towers, no amount of do-it-yourself work will come close to a thorough inspection, repair, and maintenance.

Property owners can keep their heating and cooling units in excellent running condition by contracting professional maintenance services. HVAC specialists can conduct a thorough inspection to determine what measures need to be taken to optimize heating and cooling for your business. They can ensure that your systems are calibrated according to manufacturer specifications and that there are no problems with your units that may turn into costly expenses in the long run.

Putting your commercial HVAC system in the hands of professionals is a must to maximize energy-efficiency and prolong service life. Ask your local contractor about commercial HVAC maintenance.

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Saving on Energy Costs

To maintain the comfort of customers and employees alike; the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of commercial establishments are typically used day in and day out. Some business owners may be anxious about running the HVAC system all day long because of rising utility bills, but what really affects energy consumption is the condition of the equipment.

There are measures that allows the system to provide comfort without the excessive use of energy. The system can be set at least 1 point down, as long as the temperature is still comfortable for people to continue with their daily tasks. A 1°C difference can give an 8% reduction on the annual heating bill. Ventilation fans should not be running unless they are needed as this accounts for 30% of heat loss and wastes energy.

Proper maintenance is also another way to conserve energy. The simple act of cleaning heating and cooling systems can help save on energy consumption and can even ensure that utilities are in good working condition for a long time. Investing on routine maintenance of commercial HVAC systems can also help owners avoid further damages and costlier repairs. Like all machinery, a well-maintained HVAC system performs better and consumes less energy—definitely a good investment for commercial establishments.

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