Image courtesy of HVAC
Many expenses come with owning a business. But one of the things you shouldn’t skimp on is your HVAC maintenance budget. Companies such as Fusion Repair have said that many problems businesses face when they don’t have regular HVAC maintenance. So, how do you budget for it? We’re going to show you how you can budget for commercial HVAC preventative maintenance
Assessing Your Business’s HVAC Needs
Before commercial HVAC budgeting, you have to figure out what your business needs when it comes to an HVAC system. Of course, in New York, there’s a wide range of weather. It’s really cold during the winter and can be really hot during the summer. So, there are several things to consider when choosing a system.
- Size – How many square feet is the building? A smaller building’s needs will be different than a bigger building’s needs. So, buying a size that’s right for the business is essential. Under-sized or oversized systems can cause more problems.
- Operating Hours – When are you open? Are you open during the hottest hours of the day, or are you open mostly during the evening? Your hours will affect the HVAC system’s health. If you’re open 24/7, it will work longer and harder than if you’re only open 8 hours.
- Type of Business – What do you do in your business? Are you a restaurant owner who experiences extreme temperatures in certain areas, such as the kitchen? Are you a clothing store that has a constant temperature throughout?
These are some of the things you have to consider when you’re figuring out what type of HVAC needs your business has.
Creating a Maintenance Budget
Once you have chosen your HVAC system, you have to make your HVAC maintenance budget. Understand that having maintenance regularly will save money long-term since your system will last longer. Here are things to put in the budget.
- Known Costs – These will be things like new air filters. How often they have to be changed depends on your business, its size, your operating hours, and other things. But this is a regular cost that you’ll have for your HVAC system.
- Tuneups Before Major Seasons – It’s a good idea to have your system checked before the weather changes extremely. For instance, before fall ends and the snow and icy weather of winter come, have your system checked to make sure it can make the transition. The same goes for spring and transitioning to summer.
- Regular Maintenance – This is the usual maintenance that your system will need on a regular basis. It will help keep your system running well.
- Money for Emergencies – No matter how careful you are with your system, you may still have unexpected problems. So, put some money in the emergency budget so that you aren’t caught without the funds to pay when emergencies happen.
These are the different types of HVAC maintenance costs that you should prepare for when making a budget.
Strategies to Optimize Your HVAC Maintenance Budget
Now that you know what you should put in your budget for your commercial HVAC system, how do you optimize it? Here are some ways that you can help stretch your budget without damaging your system.
- Change Your System’s Filters – First, make sure that the filters are changed regularly in your system. A clean filter can help your system run well and can help you avoid many problems.
- Listen & Watch for Problems – Next, you want to make sure you’re keeping an eye and ear out for any problems. Don’t ignore things such as weird smells, sounds, and spots in the building that aren’t the right temperature. Recognizing potential problems early can help you avoid more expensive problems later.
- Don’t Skip Maintenance – Finally, make sure that you aren’t skipping your scheduled maintenance.
These are all things that can help your system last longer and have fewer problems.
Long-Term Planning and Cost Management
When you’re planning for the future and trying to manage costs, one of the best things that you can do is keep good records. Keep good records of any problems the system has had and what’s been replaced. Make notes of what type of weather was happening when the problems occurred. If there was an especially cold or hot month, make a note of it. This will affect your HVAC’s performance. Having a good HVAC maintenance plan is a very wize business decision, too.
In Conclusion
Making a plan and a budget for your commercial HVAC maintenance is one of the smartest things that you can do. It actually can save you a lot of money and keep your system running well. Your customers and employees are also going to be much happier.
What do you think o fwhat we wrote? Please leave us a message below. We welcome all comments from our readers and take them to heart.