We get it. You’re involved with the overall form and function of your building. Whether it’s a high-rise office building downtown, a hospital on the edge of the suburbs or a county elementary school, you have a lot of irons in the fire and not a lot of time to focus on details. And you have already hired experts to be concerned about the inner workings of your building.
So why should you care about your building’s HVAC system design? Here are five significant reasons commercial building owners may want to take some time to explore HVAC options.
- Life cycle costs vs. first costs. Many times, the people you’ve hired to work on your building are most concerned with first costs. They want you to get the most bang for your buck right out of the starting gate. And that’s not a bad thing. However, that building is going to be around for a very, very long time. And guess who’s footing the bill for the long-term energy costs, maintenance costs and replacement costs? That’s you. Yes, you can choose the least expensive HVAC system but that same system may significantly impact your bottom line as the building matures.
- Space saving considerations. Your design engineers may have an incredible HVAC system in mind that checks off all the boxes. However, you may want to capitalize a little more on the building space. Are there options out there that may reduce the footprint of your behind-the-scenes HVAC system and increase the usable space for your building occupants?
- Energy savings. Energy usage is a hot topic these days. And commercial buildings can soak up a lot of energy. Greg Cunniff, a Professional Engineer with Taco Comfort Solutions, wrote an editorial for Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine that goes over, in detail, the comparisons between a hydronic (water-based) HVAC system and a traditional refrigerant-based system. The Atlanta building discussed in the article uses both systems and, after three years of data collection, the refrigerant-based system consumed 60% to 85% more energy than the hydronic system.
- “Green” options. If commercial building design has a buzzword these days, it is “green.” Consumers are looking for environmentally friendly options in every aspect of life and so are building occupants, governments and building owners. But how can picking an HVAC system have an impact on the environment? Well, for example, hydronic systems use water. And only water. There are no chemicals. There is no effect on air quality. They are even quieter, which cuts down on…you guessed it…noise pollution.
Now please don’t go out and fire your expert construction team and do all the work yourself! However, do educate yourself on all the options you have for your building’s HVAC system and select the equipment that best aligns with the goals you have for your building and its occupants. And if you need any help, contact your local manufacturer’s rep for an overview of how HVAC equipment and system design can impact your building now and in the future.
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