Many businesses have experienced it – it’s a hot, summer day and the AC is down. You’re faced with what to do to keep your employees and customers comfortable. If often means shutting down for a few hours or day to have things fixed, and that can be a serious setback for a small business. In fact, when your industrial facility closes because of a broken HVAC system, paying for emergency repairs won’t be the only expense you’ll face. In a production environment, downtime also means lost revenue.
Even if production isn’t entirely shut down, uncontrolled humidity and temperature or faulty security systems and lighting can slow work to a halt. Employees that are uncomfortable can become distracted, irritable and error-prone. It can also be create a huge energy waste, which isn’t helpful when your business is striving to adhere to green business practices. A broken HVAC system can also impact equipment in the office. IT equipment like high-end servers can fail or slow down when the temperature is just a few degrees off, in a domino effect that means lost business opportunities, data and equipment.
The good news is that downtime can be reduced significantly with computer-based controls of an automation system that notifies you before problems grow. With automations in place, if equipment fails, you will no longer have to sit and wait for an emergency HVAC contractor to show up. The two main benefits offered by HVAC control and automation systems are: improved knowledge and cost savings. By simplifying operations, prolonging HVAC system life cycles, lowering downtime, lowering utility bills and improving air quality, you can significantly reduce your cost of operations per square foot.
While you save money, your insight into the present and future requirements of your system will increase. The computerized interfaces of these systems can present you with a comprehensive overview of functions in a series of properties or one building. Practical building controls automate everything from humidity and ventilation to cooling and heating. BACnet, ALon Works or OPC communication protocol brings all equipment and systems together and merges them into a convenient Tridium Niagara AX frontend interface, allowing your business to improve decision-making capabilities and boost efficiency through a single operator interface. This can help to continue the cost savings, while also letting you extend your businesses’ eco-friendly practices into your building heating and cooling by making adjustments to save energy.
By making changes to your HVAC system that include automation controls, your business will be able to compensate for resources that are presently being blown on outdated, inefficient heating and cooling. Plus, combining all equipment and systems under one platform lets you step around the redundancy and complexity of several incompatible systems. In the end, integrating and influencing the individual strengths of separate buildings into one platform, while better controlling security, building, energy and safety equipment.
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Author Bio:
Faith Munsell of Star Service, Inc.
Star Service is a progressive HVAC contractor founded in 1952. The company is committed to providing excellent service, maintenance and design-build of air conditioning systems in commercial and industrial facilities. Their disciplined approach and people make the difference, along with their strong culture of delivering what was promised, for a fair price and in a safe manner.
