Does your commercial facility have an HVAC system that’s controlled through a single thermostat? That sounds convenient, but it also means that no matter what, you’ll have a single temperature throughout the facility.
Actually, you’ll have a single temperature setting for the facility, but the temperature will fluctuate throughout it because of things like heat gain through windows, heat from equipment and light, loss of heat through less insulated areas, and constant changes depending on how many people are in the room.
This “one temperature to rule them all” approach doesn’t just mean lack of comfort for people in your facility. It also means energy waste and potential damage to equipment and processes in areas that have the wrong temperatures.
Instead of constantly adjusting the single thermostat to get around these problems, you can opt for the installation of commercial zoning.
Benefits of Commercial Zoning
HVAC zoning works through a series of dampers that commercial installers fit into the ductwork. These dampers can close off different areas of the facility so conditioned air won’t flow to them.
Each of the zones contains a satellite thermostat to control the local temperature without altering the temperature elsewhere. The HVAC system modulates its power use based on how the zones request heating and cooling.
Zoning is highly customizable: you can have as few or as many zones as necessary for your requirements.
Benefits of HVAC System Zoning
There are several obvious and less obvious benefits of upgrading your commercial HVAC system with zoning:
- Energy efficiency: You only have to heat or cool the parts of your facility that require it, thus reducing unnecessary energy consumption. This will lower your energy costs, particularly if you have a facility with rooms that often go unused.
- Increased equipment lifespan: Thanks to lowering the extraneous work the HVAC system would otherwise have to put in, zoning means the heating and cooling systems won’t run unnecessarily, lowering general wear and tear and giving the equipment a longer service life.
- Fewer temperature fluctuations: Zone controls give you the power to set the temperatures in each zone to match the need of that zone and its specific climate challenges. This removes the temperature fluctuations that occur when the HVAC system is attempting to heat/cool a large area to the same temperature at once.
- Targeted temperatures: You can adjust the temperature in each zone to match its specific needs. Rooms with more heat-generating equipment or radiant heat exposure can have greater cooling without needing to make other parts of the building cold as well.
Building Automation & Zoning
If this sounds like it might be difficult to manage the temperatures across your facility in order to get the most benefit from zoning, you don’t have to worry with the addition of building automation systems (BAS).
You can have the HVAC zones controlled centrally through automation that monitors conditions in the zones and changes them as needed. BAS is not only more convenient, it will maximize the benefits of zoning.
We offer complete commercial heating and commercial air conditioning in Ajax, ON, and through the Greater Toronto Area. We can install zoning for your commercial facility along with a building automation system that’s customized to your needs.
Advantage Airtech Commercial Ltd. is the Double “A” Name with the Triple “A” Rating. Arrange for all your commercial and industrial HVAC needs with our team today.
