The winter and summer days come with their own bit of discomfort — extremely cold days leave you almost yearning for fire, and unforgiving hot days make a cold bath feel like the best thing in the world. At least, this was the reality for everyone before the invention of HVAC systems.
HVAC systems are common and highly essential pieces of equipment found in almost every commercial establishment. One downside to HVACs, however, is that they contribute an estimated 40% of your building’s overall energy use. Fortunately, this is a drawback you can avoid by choosing the right type of HVAC system for your property.
Here is a complete breakdown of what is an HVAC, how HVAC systems work, and the different types available today.
What Is an HVAC System?
HVAC is an abbreviation for “heating, ventilation, and air conditioning”. An HVAC system includes any equipment used to regulate the temperature, humidity, and air quality in a building. The HVAC system helps you to maintain ideal temperatures between 72°F to 75°F, humidity between 40% to 60%, and safe indoor air quality (IAQ) with CO2 of less than 1000 PPM.
The HVAC goes through varying processes to achieve each of these different functionalities.
- During heating, HVAC systems burn gas, oil, or electricity to warm up the cool air in your building. Exhaust fuel is discarded through a vent and a fan blows hot air into the building through air supply ducts.
- Ventilation majorly involves the HVAC system utilizing mechanical tools like fans to maintain clean air and reduce humidity through continuous air circulation.
- For cooling or “air conditioning”, the HVAC system extracts hot air from the environment, cools down this air using a refrigerant, and uses a fan to blow out newly cooled air through vents. Air conditioning also dehumidifies the air, allowing you to maintain appropriate humidity levels of between 40% to 60%.
Types of HVAC Systems
There are five main types of HVAC systems that you can install, depending on the size of your commercial or residential building.
1. Single Split Systems
These are HVAC systems with a single indoor unit and a single outdoor unit suitable for small commercial rooms or offices.
2. Multi-Split Systems
Multi-split systems have the same compressors, evaporator coil, furnace, and refrigerant as their single-split counterparts but connect multiple indoor units to a single outdoor unit. Multi-split systems are great for large commercial buildings with wide spaces and multiple rooms.
3. Constant Air Volume (CAV) Systems
CAV systems supply air at a constant rate or volume but vary the temperature of the air supply to match indoor requirements. They are great for single large-spaced areas with a constant thermal load.
4. Variable Air Volume (VAV) Systems
VAV systems are the opposite of CAV systems as they supply varying volumes of air at different temperatures to multiple rooms in a building. From their functionality, you see that these types of HVAC systems work best with large buildings that have multiple rooms or offices.
5. Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Systems
VRF systems make use of the same refrigerant for both heating and cooling, with this refrigerant supplied to different rooms for temperature regulation when needed. VRF systems are great for large commercial facilities with mixed usage where different rooms require highly varied temperatures.
Regardless of the type of HVAC system, you make use of, however, your focus should always be on energy efficiency. You don’t want a situation where you have to choose to either pile up more utility expenses or endure uncomfortable temperatures, humidity, or air quality.
For the best selection, you want to always look for systems with a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) rating. The SEER rating compares the cooling output of an HVAC system with its energy usage, with ratings between 15 and 23 serving as safe havens for efficiency.
Helping You Setup Your HVAC Systems
VRF systems are known to be the most efficient type of HVACs, helping you save up to 50% on energy costs. Strategic Grounds’ professionals can help you set up these essential HVAC systems as well as varying grades of Single-split, Multi-split, VAV, and CAV systems across your multi-site business locations. Contact us to enjoy value on your commercial HVAC installation and maintenance services.
