We know that various facets of a commercial building have differences compared to homes. Electrical, plumbing, central air, among other things are charged differently to scale for a bigger volume of users. However, its not only the cost that carries variance, as functionality, unit size, and usage patterns can differ greatly. Looking further into HVAC units for commercial buildings, a lot of the aforementioned details are completely difference. Commercial HVAC units are bigger, consume more power, and need more attention over the course of time. Since electricity in most businesses is constantly running, or for the most part running most of the day, electricity rates cost less for businesses. We are going to take a look at some of the differences between the two, to get a better understanding of how the needs, parts, and usage can differ.
Commercial HVAC Units
Our offices need electricity and heating/cooling every day. They’re also running more frequently, considering that most buildings are constantly running for longer periods than the homeowner is at their home. Within commercial buildings, HVAC units actually end up using 44% of the energy. This is the biggest usage of the building’s electricity, with lighting coming in second at 28%. Office equipment then comes third at 14%, and nothing else on the list is above 5%. You can see how important it is to have an efficient HVAC unit over time.
Tune ups and maintenance are very common in the commercial world, since machines are always running and much bigger units with more components. The costs and process of repairing a unit can be cumbersome, therefore having a preventative maintenance plan is more common. The cost of maintenance plans are typically much cheaper than one repair or replacement. Some key factors in commercial HVAC Units:
- Larger in size – commercial units are typically much larger because they need to provide more heating & cooling to a larger area. Components such as thermostats, condenser fan, evaporator, blower, and dampers also differ in commercial units.
- Accessibility – Most HVAC units on commercial buildings are on the roof. It saves space, is easier for technicians to access without disrupting , and reduces noise pollution in the building.
- Cost of upkeep – With a more complex set of components, commercial HVAC units obviously are more difficult to maintain. The need for higher end, experienced technicians raises the overall cost of work.
Residential HVAC Units
Residential units are typically simpler, as their jobs are to provide cooling and heating to fewer people or smaller spaces. Most residential units can be handled with a few technicians, so it makes the overhead simpler for contractors. Since the complexity goes down on residential units, repairs are not as troublesome and don’t have as long of lead times (contingent on parts availability). With all in one units (heat pumps) that handle both heating and cooling, it becomes even easier for HVAC companies to service these units. Some of the unique or beneficial parts of a residential unit include:
- Equipment – Additional equipment needed for residential HVAC units is much less than commercial. This makes the work on average faster, and cost less.
- Drainage – In residential units, the entire system drains to a single drain pan. For commercial, there are multiple pipes and pans for draining to prevent overflowing.
- Easier to replace – Not only is the downtime much shorter in residential HVAC, but the parts are more easily accessible. For this reason it is recommended to have preventative maintenance on commercial units.
A Different Process & Experience
We’ve gone over the technical aspects of commercial vs residential, and explained how each has its own benefits. Now we can go over the human element of HVAC among the two options. For instance, the communication process for commercial HVAC is more structured, routine, and has to go through more pipelines. Companies book the contractor, explain to them the work needed, then a team goes to the job site, completes the task, and leaves. Residential HVAC is more of a personalized experience. Since you are just working on one (maybe two or three) units for one family’s set of needs, it is easier to craft a solution for residential that tailors to what they’re looking for. Over time that becomes a much more personal relationship at the residential level, and often leading to repeat jobs from past clients.
Often overlooked are the working conditions for those that fix HVAC units. Since most commercial units are on the roof, working in the intense sun during summer is much more taxing for the labor needed. Naturally, the length of job and the amount of people on a job is much more structured and demanding in the commercial world. Although they are centered around the same kind of work, each has their own requirements and approach.
Conclusion
You can see from the various demands that each kind of job has, that they are quite different even within the same space. Commercial will see more regularly scheduled work, and be more intensive on labor, parts, and time. Both greatly benefit from preventative maintenance plans because of the turnaround time, demand, and unit longevity. These plans help extend the lifetime of the unit, which many commercial clients prioritize. Although still pretty common within the residential space, the adoption rate is noticeably less. The long term savings alone in addition to the turnaround time make maintenance plans worth it regardless of the situation. Get in touch with us at Omni Air HVAC for all your commercial or residential needs at (714) 813-0584.