Commercial Air Conditioning: How to Beat the Heat While Keeping Energy Costs Down
Several businesses operating in Australia enjoy the service of air conditioning installation. The air conditioners in commercial premises are used to create a cool, comfortable working environment for workers who usually spend long hours within the building. One major issue with commercial air conditioning, however, is that it can result in high energy expenses, which in turn cause the cost of running the business to be high.
The good news is that commercial air conditioning costs can be kept down. Here are some of the things many businesses do to ensure they do not pay too much for air conditioning service.
Turning off the unit when not in use
The longer an air conditioner operates, the greater the amount of energy it uses up. One of the strategies that most businesses are using to reduce energy consumption is to turn off their air conditioning units when they are not needed. Give your air conditioner a well-deserved break at the end of the working hours when workers have left the office, and turn it back on a few hours before the next shift. The ON and OFF timer setting on an air conditioner can be used to achieve this. This will not only reduce your energy bills, but also prevent the air conditioning system from being overworked.
Sealing air leaks in the building
Commercial air conditioners work hard to cool the interiors of larger buildings, but if the building envelope is not airtight, the cool air will leak out. Hence, building owners may have to run their unit at a higher setting so as to achieve the desired indoor temperatures. To prevent this from happening, building owners usually have their roofs, walls, windows and doors, crawlspace, basement and other parts of the building inspected for air leakage from time to time. Any leaks found in the building are immediately sealed, be it by caulking, weatherstripping or both.
Optimising temperature settings
Another way to beat the heat of the summer is to make sure the air conditioning unit is supplying cool air at just the right temperatures — nothing more, nothing less. If the temperature setting is lower than required, cooling will be inefficient, and it will feel uncomfortably hot inside. If the temperature setting is too high, then precious energy will go to waste. Installing a programmable thermostat is a great way to ensure that the right temperature settings are maintained.
Minimising heat gain or loss through the windows
Windows allow natural light to enter a building, but they can also be a source of unwanted heat gain. Solar heat absorption through the windows can be significantly reduced by using window treatments, such as blinds, shutters, shades or awnings. This will help reduce air conditioning expenses.
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