Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
HVAC systems can account for about one fourth of a building's electricity consumption. With proper operation and selection of equipment, a building's energy demand can be reduced by as much as 30 to 40 %.
- Set thermostats to 78 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling and 68 degrees Fahrenheit for heating. For every degree you raise your cooling temperature, you can save up to 3% of your cooling costs.
- Clean/replace filters and perform regular maintenance on belts, coils, and bearings.
- Replace your old air conditioning unit with an energy-efficient system. The newer models can save up to 10% of your air conditioning costs.
- Install setback programmable thermostats and adjust for shutdown during non-business hours.
- Clean condenser coils regularly.
- Install the most energy-efficient equipment for your new purchases.
- Cool only rooms that are occupied.
- Install variable-frequency drives (VFDs) for fans, cooling tower pumps, and domestic hot water recirculation pumps to allow the associated equipment to run at lower speeds under part-load conditions, thereby reducing overall energy use.
- Install carbon monoxide-controllers on garage ventilation to modulate ventilation levels to respond to varying occupancy patterns.
- Install high-efficiency packaged units.
- Install premium-efficiency motors driving pumps, fans, and compressors.
A good resource for additional information is the Guidelines for Energy-Efficient Commercial Unitary HVAC Systems Final Report (by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency).
