If you’re the owner or manager of a commercial building, particularly one where employees work each day, maintaining comfortable air quality and temperature is an important task. Not only are uncomfortable employees less productive, lacking HVAC services may lead to health and liability risks in some cases.
At Roberts Mechanical, we’ve been providing HVAC services like air conditioning repair and many others for over 30 years. One of the top factors in maintaining commercial HVAC systems is understanding when certain components might be nearing the end of their lifespan and require replacement – here are some telltale signs this is the case within your building.
Increased Complaints
Whether you manage the facilities or employ a facilities management team, you may begin to notice more complaints rolling in from your employees. These will generally be regarding the indoor temperature and its swings, but it could also be due to air quality or questions about the allergen content in the air.
Rising Energy Bills
Have you begun to notice that your energy bills are rising each month compared to the previous year despite no major changes in components or temperature needs? This is often a red flag that components within the HVAC system are wearing down, forcing the system to work harder just to provide the same level of comfort as before.
Employee Sickness
If you’ve noticed a higher-than-usual number of employees getting sick recently, you should first check for other causes. Maybe a contagious employee came into work for several days straight and infected several others, for instance.
But if you can’t locate any other cause, and if the issue persists long enough to clearly not just be randomness, the HVAC system could be to blame. Certain worn-down equipment will negatively impact air quality, such as filters that aren’t changed often enough and may lead to respiratory concerns for some people.
Temperature or Moisture Concerns
Are many of the complaints making their way to you regarding different temperatures in varying areas of the building, often with wild levels of variance? What about moisture being found in areas it shouldn’t? These are generally ventilation issues, which can also have a significant impact on air quality and health. If you are receiving these complaints, check all your ducts, vents, registers and other areas related to ventilation.
Odors or Noises
Finally, you or employees may begin to notice foul odors, particularly when near HVAC vents or other airflow areas. These odors may be similar to spoiled eggs, or could be slightly different.
In other situations, you may actually hear strange noises coming from the HVAC system. In either of these cases, these are clear signs that something is wrong and you should consider an HVAC inspection.
For more on the signs of worn-down HVAC components in commercial buildings, or to learn about any of our heating and air services, speak to the staff at Roberts Mechanical today.