How Commercial Building Owners Can Save this Winter
Here are Tozour’s six tips for keeping buildings more comfortable and more efficient this winter:
1. Inspect the HVAC system: Clean and perform regular maintenance to keep systems running more efficiently. Scheduled maintenance will keep equipment running smoothly and also keep utility bills low.
2. Seal air leaks: Make sure that windows and ducts are properly sealed to prevent heat loss. Keep heat in by caulking, insulating, and applying weather strips to doors and windows.
3. Standardize indoor temperature: Put an end to the thermostat wars by determining the most effective standard indoor temperature and assigning one person to control it. Or consider adding a remote monitoring service and letting someone else control it.
4. Change air filters: Since heating equipment is used consistently throughout winter, change the air filters to improve efficiency and indoor air quality. Also check drive belts on the furnace or air-handling unit for wear and proper tension to prevent frozen coils or a reduction in airflow.
5. Prevent equipment freezing: Identify equipment that is vulnerable to freezing and prepare it for cold weather with proper drainage and/or freeze protection.
6. Review building automation systems data: Utilize data from the building automation system to measure all mechanical systems’ performance, and make repairs when equipment performance drifts out of an acceptable range.
“The winter season presents a unique set of challenges, with everything from warm spells to freezing temperatures,” said Kevin Duffy, president of Tozour Energy Systems. “Consistent maintenance and ongoing modifications help owners and facility managers identify problems quickly and save costs in the long term.”
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Tozour Energy Systems is based in King of Prussia, Pa., and is a franchise of Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand. The company provides building automation, equipment services, energy conservation services, green building design, controls, parts, supplies and technical support throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is a member of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council.
For more information, visit www.tozourenergy.com.
Publication date: 1/7/2013
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