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Salt Market Syracuse Posts

Best Ways To Make Your Heating And HVAC Systems Energy Efficient

Today, most households make extensive use of their HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units all year round. The unit does not only help regulate the indoor temperature and helps improve the air quality indoors, thereby making way for a healthy and comfortable living for the occupants of a building, commercial or private. However, to make the best of your HVAC unit, you must invest in a good quality energy-efficient system. The latter will give you a healthy indoor environment (important for the health, productivity and overall wellbeing of the residents) at the same time as it will help reduce your energy consumption and utility costs. 

Now, there are several factors in play when it comes to the energy efficiency of an HVAC system. For instance, the type of system you own and the maintenance done on it help determine the device’s performance and longevity. As for performance, there are things that you can do to improve your HVAC’s overall performance. Follow the best practices to ensure that your HVAC unit keeps running smoothly and efficiently for a long time and so that you can avoid frequent breakdowns and costly repairs.

Steps to Follow to Ensure Longevity and Best Performance from your HVAC Unit

Reduce Heat Losses of Your House

An HVAC unit maintains the indoor temperature at which it is set. Depending on the outdoor temperature, users will set the temperature indoors at a level that all residents are comfortable with. And your HVAC system will keep adding or removing heat based on this setting.

What You Can Do to Control Heat Losses

Effective insulation all-around your home is the best way to reduce heat loss. This means:

  • Your home should have a well-insulated roof and walls
  • Cold bridges (door and window frames, beams, pillars, etc.) should receive proper insulation treatment
  • Windows and doors themselves should be made of materials with good heat insulation properties

Further, it would be best to consider installing sunscreen systems as they are highly effective in providing energy-efficient cooling, thanks mainly to their ability to control solar radiation. 

All homeowners should also install energy-efficient technologies and systems when building the house. It is far more expensive to install heat insulation systems to an already existing structure. 

Also, make sure not to use heating and air conditioning simultaneously. Make good use of the control settings available for your HVAC system. For example, a properly set unit will shut the distribution circuit all by itself when it knows that heating is not required. Similarly, timer switches are highly useful when reducing the operating time of the device. With a timer switch, a business establishment can program the machine to stop operating during public holidays, non-working hours and such. The same goes for homeowners as well. And the good news is that smart timer switches for HVAC units have become highly affordable of late. So, make sure you use them to see that your HVAC unit does not keep running when required. 

Tips to Avoid Improper Use of Your Heating System 

In industrial, commercial or administrative settings, the temperature in the HVAC unit must never exceed 20-22ºC. Higher temperatures are often required at healthcare centers and hospitals, and accordingly, these places most often use advanced HVAC units fitted with state-of-the-art technologies. Make sure to keep your windows closed as much as possible, even in extremely hot weather conditions. You will receive overall better performance from your HVAC unit when you keep your windows closed. 

Optimize Your Heating System to Reduce Running Costs

Two types of heating systems are commonly used in homes and commercial buildings — standalone systems and centralized systems.

Standalone Systems

This kind of system uses electric radiators in conjunction with convector, radiant or blower technology and is used for space heating, meaning they heat each room or section of a building separately. Although there is no energy waste with them, standalone devices are still far too expensive to operate, especially if you use too many of them in a single building. One way to bring down the operating costs would be to use a control system that can switch off the unit whenever required. 

Centralized Heating Systems

On the other hand, centralized systems are made of two parts– a heat generator system (typically a boiler or a furnace) and a heat distribution unit. The heat generated by the former is supplied at all the different parts of a building through hot water pipes. This whole design is built around the concept of thermal metering. In yet another kind of system, a boiler generates thermal energy inside the building. With both these designs, one can achieve higher efficiency by using the latest furnace or boiler models fitted with green technologies and adjustable by professional boiler technicians. As for whether or not the device is running at an optimum efficiency level, the users can check this for themselves by measuring the CO2 level and the temperature of the exhaust fume. No matter what type of fuel you are using, you can check your centralized HVAC system’s efficiency in this manner. 

Heat Pumps

A heat pump can either be used with a boiler or as a standalone unit, and it all depends on the heat source of the pump. When the heat source happens to be the surrounding air, one cannot use the pump once the weather gets too cold, mainly due to the ice formation issue. The “Air-Water” and the “Air-Air” systems are by far the most commonly used devices in this range and are used during hotter months through to the mid-season. However, once the temperature runs low, a furnace boiler becomes the preferred choice. There are, however, also heat pumps that work using a “Water-Water” technology. These pumps, using underground water as their heat source, are fast growing in popularity because their operation doesn’t depend on the outdoor temperature. 

Solar Heating

Despite being a great environment-friendly option, solar heating commonly poses two problems for users. One, the orientation of the solar panels must be done accurately enough to ensure optimum exposure to sunlight. Secondly, the availability of sunlight as the heat source depends entirely on the prevailing weather conditions. As such, soar heating, when deployed, is still only used as a supplement to the primary heating system.  

Heating Circuits Optimization

As mentioned earlier, water pipes or air ducts act as the distributor of thermal energy in a centralized heating system. One way to increase the energy efficiency of a centralized system is to reduce the heat loss within the pipes through proper insulation of the pipes and air flues. Further, zoned heating, controlled via several thermostats, is deployed to use only as much energy as is required. 

Optimizing Heating Control 

The control systems in HVAC units are meant to minimize energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort of the occupants. For example, with the help of heating control, users can set temperatures at a lower level for spaces that are not being used at a given time. 

Programming Your Device for Higher Efficiency

Advanced control systems that come with the latest HVAC units (in many cases, they can also be installed separately) allow programming that makes for greater control over your HVAC system. For example, the system can be made to begin operating a few minutes or an hour earlier before the occupants’ arrival. It can similarly be programmed to switch off sometime before they vacate the space. 

These fine-tuning and time adjustments from an HVAC company can go a long way in saving substantial amounts of energy. One must also avoid heating vacant and non-occupied rooms throughout the building. Advanced control systems also allow today’s users to set indoor temperatures at different levels for separate rooms. For even greater efficiency, see whether your control system lets you monitor the outdoor climate (sunlight, wind, temperature) since these readings can be extremely helpful in making a pretty accurate estimate of the heat loss from any given premises.

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Increase Profits For Your HVAC Business

Every HVAC or (Heating, Ventilation, and AC) company has “profitability” or the ability to generate a profit from their business. However, the companies that make real profits are the ones that have strong practices and strategies for profit, as well as consistent attention to their pricing performance for competitiveness.

Charge the Correct Price

  • Develop a profit plan.
  • Know your HVAC costs.
  • Include value in what you offer (sales process).
  • Know your bottom-line, break-even price.

Many HVAC businesses fail to maximize the money they bring in by simply not having the proper management or control of their pricing. You can dramatically improve your bottom line by investing some time in managing your service pricing. When you have set prices, you’ll be able to maximize your “profitability” and revenue productivity; it can even help in deflecting objections to your pricing.

Set Benchmarks for Important Performance Indicators

  • What you measure gets accomplished.
  • For-profit success, provide the necessary tools and training.
  • Identify Key Benchmarks that increase top and bottom-line business revenues.
  • Add a stretch plan, expect everyone to give 50% more.
  • Reward Excellence.
  • Display performances and benchmarks.

A key part of your business “profitability” is managing using benchmarks. Know your numbers, especially target profits; this will provide a clear path to follow and will help ensure you stay on course even when you find your profit vision getting a bit blurry.

Maximize Customer Relations with Current Customers

  • After a sale, follow-up.
  • Send special offerings every month.
  • Send your top 20 percent of customers a personalized note.
  • Send thank-you notes.
  • Provide your customers referrals for non-competing services; this adds value to what your company has to offer.
  • Remember special events or dates, such as holidays, birthdays, promotions, etc.

Many of your profits will typically be used to attract and retain a customer, so keeping those customers can be a big step towards protecting your “profitability” margin. You can more quickly return your initial investment in acquiring a new customer by having a set plan that keeps your customers attracted to your business. Studies show that it can cost upwards of six times to acquire a new customer as it would keep that customer; investing in retaining customers is something your bottom line will like.

Leverage Customer Base

  • Customize your offerings, make them something that sets your business apart from the competition.
  • Harvest all possible opportunities from your current customer base.
  • Build a database of opportunities using that information and utilize it for marketing.
  • Get testimonials and use them.
  • Extend the HVAC product and service lines you offer to cross-sell and up-sell customers.
  • Always get customer feedback for everything.

The “profitability” of your business can skyrocket when you can generate repeat sales with your existing customer base. Several studies show that your overall profits will increase the longer you’re able to extend the lifecycle of selling to your customers. Have a plan that creates enticing offers for your customers, allowing you to continue selling to them again and again.

Use Your Entire HVAC Business as a Salesforce.

  • Provide your entire staff with sales incentives.
  • Make it fun for them to sell for your business.
  • Give rewards for referrals.
  • Make supplies a resource for your business by referring their services and products to others.

Your customers with amazing service and value will get them talking about your business to everyone, essentially making them part of your current salesforce.

Imagine the “profitability” your company could see if everyone in the business was involved in harvesting opportunities, then turning those opportunities into leads and eventually sales. When you turn your non-revenue producers into individuals who produce revenue, you won’t have to have a huge sales team; just create a selling environment throughout your business. If you do this, it can have a big impact on overall profits for your company.

Create a Plan Designed to Attract the Best

  • Customers (Best fit).
  • Employees (Ranked from the best to the worst).
  • Vendors (products).
  • Ideas.
  • Marketing.
  • Opportunities (networking).
  • Partners (lawyer, banker, accountant, etc…).

It will cost you profits if you’re willing to accept second best. Always be on the lookout to improve the ideas and people around you until you find the best fit for your “profitability” and yourself. The people you surround yourself with will be the conduit to your overall success in business; they should provide the energy and power that enables your business success and profits.

Keep Your HVAC Company Agile

  • Outsource the things you can.
  • Automate when possible.
  • Cross-train employees.
  • As for yourself, this question; “will it enable me to generate profits and revenue?” if the answer isn’t YES, don’t get it.
  • Keep overhead low without sacrificing customer experience or quality.

It’s easier to acquire more costs than it will be to shed those costs. Always strive to position your company to run lean but strong. Don’t allow unnecessary overhead to overburden your business’s “profitability.” For instance, take a wagon train; you’ll want more horses than wagons in your wagon train.

Keep Growing and Changing

  • Keep in touch with what’s new in the HVAC market and adapt as needed to changes.
  • Never stop learning.
  • Don’t stop asking questions.
  • Learn and grow from mistakes.
  • Be an industry leader by challenging assumptions.
  • Experiment with new products, processes, and ideas.

When it comes to profit-making, never assume. When you get lazy in learning, content with the status quo, stubborn about changes, or you take “profitability” for granted, profits can easily begin to slip. If you stop growing and lose focus, profits can be fleeting moments that quickly slip away.

Share Your Success

  • Make sure your life has balance.
  • Say “thank you” often and mean it.
  • Offer profit sharing for your employees.
  • Give back to your community.

Don’t be greedy; watch your “profitability” skyrocket when you give to those around you.

Always give more than Promised

  • Handle problems quickly.
  • Always follow-up.
  • Keep your promises.

Your actions and words can either increase or decrease your business’s “Profit Ability”!

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