5 Ways to Prepare Your Commercial HVAC System for Winter

Winter is almost here, and if your property’s commercial HVAC system hasn’t been properly maintained during the year, it may not be ready for the season. If you don’t want to spend money on unexpected, expensive repairs or replacements, follow these five steps to prepare your HVAC system for winter:

1. Turn On Your Commercial HVAC System and Note Anything Unusual

It sounds simple enough, but turning on your system and making a note of anything unusual is a great first step toward making sure it’s in good shape for the winter season. If you notice any sounds, such as rattling, squealing, screeching, clacking, or banging, it’s possible there’s an underlying issue that could be related to a specific component in your system, such as a bad fan belt, a loose or broken part, or an object that’s obstructing airflow.

Keep in mind that some sounds and smells are normal to hear, especially when you’re first booting up your system for the winter. If anything unusual persists, call Air Stream as soon as possible.

2. Check Your Thermostat Settings to Maximize Efficiency

It’s important to keep your HVAC system at the right temperature for the season so your tenants remain as comfortable as possible around-the-clock! Additionally, if your thermostat is set too high, it can cause your HVAC system to work harder than necessary and cost more money over time.

Smart building controls are an excellent, energy-efficient alternative to traditional systems which allow you to automate aspects of building management such as heating and cooling. With smart building controls, you can easily maintain consistent temperatures throughout your building with the click of a mouse, your tenants will be comfortable, and you can worry less about costly winter energy bills.

3. Change Your Commercial HVAC System’s Air Filters

Your commercial HVAC system’s air filters are a crucial part of keeping your building comfortable, safe, and healthy. While you may not think much about them when they’re clean and new, dirty or clogged air filters can cause serious problems for your business—including reduced efficiency, increased energy costs, and higher maintenance costs. Fortunately, it’s easy to prevent these issues by making sure that your commercial HVAC system is running at peak performance by maintaining a regular maintenance plan from Air Stream. Our team will keep you on a regular maintenance schedule so you don’t have to even think about the last time you changed your filters—we’ll handle it!

4. Schedule a Coil Cleaning

We receive a lot of service calls year-round that are due to dirty evaporator, steam, hot water and condenser coils. When coils become dirty over time from dust and debris, it can cause airflow issues, which in turn, can reduce the lifespan of your commercial HVAC system.

Cleaning the coil is also important for high-efficiency commercial heating and cooling systems because it helps improve the performance of your system by improving evaporation rates, distributing heat evenly throughout the whole system, and ensuring that all of your equipment is operating at peak efficiency levels.

5. Establish a Regular Commercial HVAC Maintenance Plan

The best way to ensure your building is comfortable year-round is by establishing a regular commercial HVAC maintenance plan with Air Stream. We will set up a schedule based on your system’s needs and stick to it, so you don’t even have to worry about it! Your HVAC system will reward you for your diligence with fewer breakdowns and expensive repairs, not to mention energy efficiency that can save you money on utility bills.

To make sure your HVAC system is winter-ready, call (516) 747-4700 to schedule service now.