The Importance of HVAC Heating in Winter

With winter here, many businesses will need to assess their current heating setup to ensure it is providing comfortable working conditions for their employees.

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) units are handy tools for maintaining the environment within a commercial or industrial area. Well-maintained units will allow companies to create a pleasantly comfortable climate during summer and a cosy workplace during winter.

Maintaining Working Conditions

No law states a specific working temperature for business, but the workplace HSE (health and safety welfare) regulations 1992 state that every company should maintain a ‘reasonable’ working temperature for their employees.

However, the HSE offers an approved code of practice that recommends the workplace temperature be above 16°C in a workplace with low activity. This minimum temperature can be lowered to 13°C if your workplace requires rigorous physical exertion. The business manager makes these decisions based on the company’s unique requirements and conditions during daily operations.

Managing the cold temperature is half of the guidelines regarding a reasonable workplace. The air quality is a crucial consideration also and should be maintained along with the temperature.

Education premises have additional concerns about providing a pleasant environment for the students and staff. Classroom heating systems should be capable of maintaining an 18°C atmosphere. High-activity areas such as gyms are exempt and can be lower at 15°C.

An appropriately designed HVAC industrial heating system will give industrial or commercial managers complete control over their business’s temperature, giving you the confidence to rely on your heating system.

Common HVAC Issues During Winter

Properly maintained HVAC systems will work efficiently to provide the appropriate atmosphere for your workplace needs, but winter weather can provide additional challenges for your system.

The exterior elements of your HVAC will be exposed to the winter season’s high winds, rain, snow, and hail. Increased ice build-up will build on your HVAC coils and limit effectiveness, most systems will be equipped with a defrost feature to de-ice itself, but if the ice extends from the coil to the rest of the unit, it needs to be fixed to prevent a shutdown.

Preparing Commerical HVAC for Winter

HVAC systems are an excellent investment that will account for a significant portion of a facility’s energy usage. Therefore, your HVAC system should be checked and maintained to reset after using it all summer to get an appropriate return on your investment during winter.

Air filters will need changing as irritants and contaminants accumulate over the year. Clogged filters will only make your HVAC work harder and increase energy costs. Additional stress on the system will increase wear and tear damage and the need for immediate maintenance.

Checking your building’s air envelope will assist in saving energy costs. Air leaks will reduce your HVACs effectiveness and compromise your working environment. Cold drafts are always undesirable during winter. Checking your building for drafts will make it easier for your HVAC to maintain a pleasant working environment.

Complete Environment Control

HVAC is not simply an industrial heating system. Effective installation should provide your facility with increased air purity and complete environmental control, perfect for industries that work with perishable goods.

Food manufacturers must maintain consistent temperatures to ensure the quality of their goods. The combination of perishable ingredients and hot and cold temperatures create an unstable working environment that needs to be controlled for the quality of the food and the health of the staff involved.

For example, a commercial bakery will struggle to maintain its product and air quality without an HVAC system. The excess heat generated from production will dry out the dough quicker than intended or take too long to cool without adequate air circulation. Therefore, HVAC systems must be installed to create sufficient hot air ventilation to prevent bread products from going stale.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers demand absolute environmental control within their facilities. Without adequate HVAC systems in place, these companies would be unable to maintain consistent conditions and risk the integrity of their products.

HVAC controls the ambient environment surrounding these delicate processes, but it can also work to control the spread of exposed aerosols that may contaminate other products. Airflow patterns are established during an HVAC installation in a pharmaceutical facility to ensure this product quality.

Industrial HVAC Winter Maintenance

Every area of production related to perishable goods must be cleaned and maintained to operate at peak efficiency. The conveyor belts and production equipment are the prominent areas that need to be sanitised, but the installed HVAC system will need to be cleaned also.

For example, HVAC in food production will be subjected to unique air contaminants leading to increasing levels of grime and grease affecting your system. This organic build-up will increase the chance of contamination as any bacteria will be placed to be spread throughout your facility.

Ignoring your HVACs condition for extended periods will affect any exhaust and ventilation setups and increase the fire risk. Regular HVAC maintenance will eliminate all these issues and leave you with an effective environmental control system. Failing HVAC setups will inevitably fail, leaving you with a costly shutdown that will require you to stop operations until your ventilation is fixed.

Our engineers at Inergy will perform an HVAC maintenance service for a broad range of industrial or commercial workplace environments. Regular servicing is vital to maintain the effectiveness of your HVAC; when unmaintained, your system will degrade and be far less effective at filtering irritants and contaminants.

Scheduling a regular, repeated maintenance cycle for your company’s HVAC solutions will give you confidence in your facility’s air quality and temperature control and even limit the spread of illness when staff contract winter colds.