Category Archives: BLOG

Industrial units are generally quite hectic, jam-packed places. There is a lot going on and a lot to manage, and your ventilation is just one cog in that very big wheel. But depending on what your business does, it could be an important factor, or it could be absolutely critical (as it is with food manufacturing and solvent storage companies). Even if your workspace is occupied by people working at desks, you still need to ensure adequate ventilation and air quality for them on a daily basis. This is done through industrial ventilation units, installed into the bones of your building. But why bother investing in a high-quality ventilation system over a cheaper one?

Employee Health

One of the bigger reasons to invest in a decent industrial ventilation system is for the health of your employees, and anyone else who visits your premises. Proper ventilation improves air quality within the building, which is not only more pleasant to be in, but prevents health problems and reduces employee sickness rates. Poor air quality has been found to exacerbate certain health conditions like asthma and allergies, and can even cause significant damage to those who are already vulnerable. Good ventilation prevents all of that by providing high-quality air in the work environment.

Remove Fumes & Impurities

The main function of a ventilation system is to vent old air out and pull new air in. This removes any fumes and impurities that have been generated within the building and prevents them from being breathed in by the people inside. Within the ventilation system, there will be a series of filters, all designed to catch impurities as they come in and prevent them from entering the building. This means that you will see a significant reduction in odours, bacteria, dust, humidity and everyday pollutants.

Comply With Government Regulations

Believe it or not, there are laws and regulations surrounding ventilation, heating and cooling, especially in business settings. If your building does not meet the standards required by law then it could be considered dangerous by the government, and you could be shut down. All buildings and facilities managers should make themselves fully aware of the regulations and their responsibilities, and take appropriate action to ensure the buildings they look after come up to code.

Reduce The Temperature

Did you know that air conditioning isn’t the only way you can reduce the temperature of a room or building? When a lot of people are confined to a small space, as often are in industrial units, the air can become stuffy, leading to it feeling hot and uncomfortable. Not a great work environment! This isn’t helped by the body heat people give off making the space feel warmer than it is, and making it very obvious that there isn’t adequate ventilation in place. Ventilation helps to circulate fresh air into a space and removes stuffy, old air, creating a better atmosphere and reducing the temperature and relative humidity in a room.

Prevent Damp & Mould

Have you ever had a bathroom without a vent or a window? How quickly did you find mould and mildew building up in there? Damp and mould like dark, damp environments without ventilation, so if your buildings don’t have ventilation, you’re more likely to experience these problems. That likelihood goes up more if your business does something that generates heat or steam, like food production or even bookbinding. Even in the colder months when you want to keep the windows shut, proper ventilation allows for the free flow of air in your building and prevents mould from growing.

Energy Efficiency

Finally, good ventilation helps improve energy efficiency in your building by reducing the need to open windows for fresh air. This means that in colder months you won’t be letting hard-earned heat float out of the window in exchange for fresh air, or have to run the heating full blast to compensate for that lost heat. In today’s climate, any way to keep your energy bills down is a plus, and ventilation can do just that.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance Ltd we specialise in providing industrial HVAC solutions to buildings of all shapes and sizes, from industrial warehouses to data centres and anything in between. If you aren’t happy with the quality of your industrial ventilation or would like to explore how proper maintenance could improve your system’s performance, just get in touch with the team today and book your free consultation.

If you run a building that has an HVAC system, you need a reliable technician on hand too. HVAC systems require regular and careful maintenance as well as immediate repairs if an emergency arises. From boilers breaking to air conditioning glitching, those mechanical problems need solving fast! But it rarely makes sense to hire someone in-house to tend to your HVAC systems, so instead HVAC maintenance businesses become a core service. Having a trusted HVAC technician on call can be the difference between success and a disaster for your business. But how do you know if you’re choosing the right technician for you and your business? Well, today we wanted to share a few things to look for in your HVAC technician.

Qualifications

One of the very first things you should ask your HVAC technician is what kind of qualifications, accreditations and licenses they hold. Companies who have earned qualifications from professional licensing bodies have proven they are knowledgeable and skilled, so you can move forward with some peace of mind. After all, HVAC maintenance is a complex skill, and both the company and their employees need to have the expertise and knowledge to do so safely. If you choose a technician who doesn’t, you’re exposing yourself and your customers to safety risks, as well as opening yourself up to legal responsibility.

Experience

Beyond qualifications, you want to find a company with experience in managing and maintaining HVAC systems. You want to select a HVAC technician who has practical experience in the field. This separates knowing the theory of maintenance from the practical skill of doing it. An experienced technician will have come across all sorts of problems, and have some creative solutions for them too!

Integrated Approach

HVAC systems aren’t the only things within a building, and they shouldn’t be treated as a standalone system. The internal workings of a building are complex and often closely integrated – your HVAC, fire systems, intruder alarms, access control – all of it is interconnected. So when you’re looking for someone to maintain your HVAC system you want someone who can look at it in the context of the other systems in the building. Not only will this ensure that they are all well maintained, but that they are all working in harmony together.

Corporate Responsibility

This is something a lot of businesses may not think about, but you should also look at how your technician approaches corporate social responsibility. It’s important to choose a contractor who shares your values, and who you can rely on to help you take proactive steps to reduce your global impact. For example, at Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are very proud of our commitment to the environment, and helping our clients achieve carbon neutrality in all of their buildings.

Above all – don’t buy just on price. Speak wot a couple of different contractors about their approach and find someone who ticks all of the boxes. Be flexible with your budget where you can, because spending a little more on the right HVAC technician can save you thousands in the long run. Not to mention all of the time and stress they can help you avoid too!

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we see ourselves as a holistic HVAC maintenance. While we specialise in regular maintenance and repairs of HVAC systems, we can also manage your wider building systems, providing a one stop shop for all of your building maintenance requirements. If you would like to know more about what to look for in a HVAC technician, or our approach to buildings maintenance, just get in touch with the team today.

If your business employs people, it’s your responsibility to provide them with a suitable and safe environment to work in. Not only that, but it’s in your best interests to make that environment as comfortable and positive as possible so that your employees are happy and productive. But did you know how much the ventilation in your offices could impact employee motivation? The wrong temperature, not enough fresh air or high humidity can all cause your employees to feel unwell, unhappy and thoroughly demotivated.

The solution? Good air conditioning.

Why You Need A Good Working Environment

We’ve all been in a stuffy, hot environment at some point. Trying to focus when the temperature isn’t right, or there is no airflow can be difficult if not impossible, and if you have to stay there for prolonged periods it can be incredibly demotivating. All of which are bad news for you. You want employees who are happy, healthy and productive, which means they need a workspace that is comfortable and well-ventilated.

It’s not just Recently studies have shown that good airflow actually enhances cognitive function and decision making, giving your employees a better chance to plan, make decisions and actively engage in their work in a meaningful way. On the flip side, even more research has found that working in a low-quality environment can have significant negative impacts on employee health and wellbeing. And since this is largely controlled by air conditioning and ventilation systems, it’s worth investing in for your workplace.

The Unseen Effects Of Bad Air Quality

Bad air quality doesn’t just make you cough – the impact is far more widespread than that. When the environment is too hot or too cold, employee productivity dip significantly. Lack of appropriate ventilation leads to the air feeling stuffy and air not being cleaned properly before being cycled. This can have a negative impact on long term health, as well as short term productivity.

For example, having a low relative humidity (below 40%) environment increases the lifespan of airborne pathogens, helping them stay suspended in the air for longer and travel further, spreading infection throughout the workplace. Viruses such as influenza and norovirus survive longer at an RH of 20- 30%, whilst a mid-range RH between 40% and 70% will minimise their survival. Tests also indicate the infectivity of the influenza virus is increased by both low and very high RH, with minimum infectivity at 50% RH. But RH below 40% will also make people feel cold, leading to a rise in heating bills, a wide range of health problems and increased absenteeism.

But, you can’t have your RH too high either. Above 60%, people will start to feel uncomfortable and out of proportion with the actual indoor temperature. This will make people a bit edgy, sweaty and generally unable to focus. This causes people to turn on air conditioning or comfort cooling, sending energy costs through the roof. High humidity also encourages mould growth and condensation, which at best is a temporary slip hazard and at worst can create mildew, mould and all of the associated health-related problems for your employees.

How To Achieve Improved Ventilation

The simplest way to achieve good ventilation and air temperature control in your workplace is by investing in high-quality air conditioning and ventilation systems. This can either be done by completely replacing what you have or retrofitting new systems into an existing environment to improve performance. Invest in happier and healthier staff, better employee performance and significantly reduced sickness rates.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we supply, install and maintain air conditioning and ventilation systems for businesses and workplaces across the UK, no matter how large or small. If you would like to know more about improving productivity with air conditioning, just get in touch with the team today.

Ongoing maintenance may feel dull, but it’s an essential part of facilities management. After all, many building systems, like fire alarms, pose a serious danger to life if a fault develops. Fault-finding early is the ideal way to keep everyone safe, and this means performing regular maintenance on your building systems. So, here’s a ready-made buildings maintenance checklist that will help you ensure a safe, smoothly running building.

HVAC

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are there to help create a comfortable working environment for everyone in the building. But they are complex systems, and small faults can cause big issues. If these systems break, they can not only be expensive to repair, but they can lead to the building being unusable or even dangerous. This is everything from the air conditioning not working on the hottest day of the year in an office with lots of big glass windows, to a boiler leak causing dangerous gasses to fill the building.

Regular maintenance of these HVAC systems includes cleaning out dirt and debris from filters, replacing parts as they begin to degrade, running checks for leaks and regularly checking that everything is running smoothly. This approach means you will be able to reduce your repair bills overall,  avoid disastrous breakdowns and schedule in upgrades for convenient times when they will cause the least disruption.

Plumbing

Burst pipes can be catastrophic in a commercial building. Luckily, proactively inspecting your plumbing can prevent most problems from occurring in the first place. Plumbing checks should be carried out on a regular basis, and should include a visual inspection of pipework for signs of rust or corrosion, as well as pressure checks to detect leaks, low pressure or blockages.

Fire

To be fit for purpose, all commercial fire systems need to meet very specific safety standards. This is because failure to adhere to these standards can be a danger to life. So building managers need to be confident that these systems are working properly. Regular inspections help keep them compliant and aligned with the relevant regulations. This includes all fire detection and suppressant systems in the building, from fire and CO2 alarms to sprinklers and foam fire suppression.

Security

If your building operates security systems, whether that’s full access control or just CCTV, they play an integral role in keeping people and assets safe. Ongoing maintenance helps you get the most out of your system and pick up on any issues that could pose a threat to your property or people. Cabling should be checked, sensors cleaned and repositioned, any batteries changed, alarms tested, and glass inspected for damage to make sure the systems are all working correctly.

Roofing

When was the last time you inspected your roof? They are an integral part of your building, and yet many facilities managers neglect them. But if a tile becomes loose, a facia cracks or a gutter becomes blocked, this can cause issues in other areas of the building. Regular inspections help identify any issues if they are present and give you the ability to fix them in a timely manner.

Power Installations

This is very much in the ‘anything else that requires power’ section. Any sort of power installation, from a boiler to a large generator, will need regular inspections and maintenance, otherwise, they could pose a serious health and safety risk.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we don’t just focus on HVAC maintenance. We work holistically to support facility managers with all of their building’s maintenance needs. For more information, just get in touch with the team today.

Every person, organisation and building in the world has a carbon footprint. Over the last 10 or so years a lot of focus has been on knowing what your carbon footprint is, and reducing it as much as possible. But not as much focus on business and residential business owners doing the same thing. So today we’re going to talk about what a carbon footprint is, why it matters and how using a heat pump could help reduce yours.

What Is A Carbon Footprint?

Essentially your carbon footprint is the name for the environmental impact generated by your company activities. Specifically, the amount of carbon dioxide released into the environment by performing the activity, and how damaging it is.

For example, if you wanted to work out the carbon footprint of a bottle of water, you would need to add up all of the greenhouse gases produced by sourcing the water, manufacturing the bottle, transporting and creating the product and all of the activities within the business to get that bottle of water made and sold to you. That’s a lot to add up!

We talked a bit more about how you can work out your carbon footprint in this blog, so if you wanted to know more, give that one a read!

Why Is Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Important?

Obviously, the fewer carbon emissions that are released into the environment, the better. And everyone should be doing their part to reduce theirs. But the two biggest carbon producers are businesses and buildings, so there’s a big incentive to start there, as it will have a much bigger impact than any individual action.

There are also some business benefits to embracing carbon neutrality now and moving towards a more sustainable business model. For one thing, it will protect your reputation in the marketplace as the public outwardly condemns more and more carbon-heavy businesses. Consumers are actively choosing to work with businesses that take their carbon footprint seriously and are making positive changes, so a boost to your sales figures and general market presence are a welcome bonus.

It will also make it easier for you to transition to a more sustainable business model in the future. There are already limits being put on energy consumption and regulations around things like fossil fuels – and you can bet there will be more in the future. Lowering your emissions now in any way you can will make reacting and complying with new sustainability regulations a lot simpler for you down the line.

Finally, it will actually help your business cut costs. While investing in carbon-neutral strategies and equipment might seem expensive, most will save you an enormous amount on energy bills in the medium and long term. By lowering your carbon footprint, you lower your energy use, which in turn lowers your energy bills. And while it isn’t always viable for businesses to spend money on becoming environmentally friendly, in this case, the savings are worth it.

By cutting down the carbon footprint of those two sectors, we could significantly slow down climate change, preserve our environment and make better use of the earth’s resources.

Building Maintenance And Carbon Footprints

Commercial properties are one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses, largely thanks to the multitude of systems inside that produce carbon dioxide as well as the physical act of building them. This is such a large problem that the government has actually launched a ‘Zero Carbon Buildings’ initiative, with the aim of bringing all older buildings to carbon zero by 2050, and ensuring all new buildings are constructed in a carbon neutral fashion alongside them.

Once a building has been built, the biggest source of carbon dioxide is usually the HVAC system. Older or legacy systems like gas boilers can produce around 4,500 kWh of CO2 per year, which can add up to a huge amount of carbon in the environment over the building’s lifespan. But if you change to a modern solution like a heat pump, you can cut that number to almost zero. Heat pumps produce just 220 kWh of CO2 a year because they are powered by electricity, not gas, and they last a lot longer as a result. Paired with renewable energy sources like solar panels, this single change could bring your building to almost carbon neutral within a matter of months.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of our own business as well as our clients. We are currently consulting with a number of block and facilities managers on the changes that would need to be made to their HVAC systems to meet this target, and if you’re in a similar position we’d love to help you too. Just get in touch with the team today for a free consultation. And if you want to know more about energy efficient HVAC solutions, keep an eye on the blog.

Carbon is a big source of concern for the world right now. Greenhouse gasses have been flooding our environment for such a long time now that we’ve done irreparable damage to our planet. Thankfully, the world has woken up to the danger, and now we are all able to make changes to reduce our impact and really make a difference. If you own or run a commercial building, one of the ways you can do this and do your part to become carbon neutral, is by switching your heating, ventilation and air conditioning solution from gas to heat pumps.

What Does Carbon Neutral Mean?

Being carbon neutral means you are not contributing any carbon to the environment, but you aren’t removing it either. Given that very few businesses can actively remove carbon from the environment, being carbon neutral is the big goal for all businesses and anyone who owns a building in the UK. This can be achieved by adopting environmentally friendly policies and either upgrading or retrofitting equipment with more eco-friendly alternatives.

In fact, there’s a Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative in place at the moment, in which the UK government pledged to achieve a net zero carbon emissions goal for the country by 2050. Since a large portion of carbon emissions are generated by buildings, this is one of their first focus points. existing buildings to be retrofitted wherever possible with zero carbon solutions, rather than knocked down and a new building erected. This will save a significant amount of carbon by itself, and if new buildings are being designed and constructed in a carbon neutral fashion, suddenly zero carbon buildings become a lot more achievable.

How Do Heat Pumps Help?

The big question now is, what can you do to reduce the carbon footprint of your building? You might think that you’re locked into all of the legacy systems you have in place, but this simply isn’t true. In fact, most modern systems can be retrofitted into older buildings, replacing your less efficient and more wasteful systems in the process. In terms of heating, ventilation and air conditioning for your building, the best answer is a heat pump.

Switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump is a relatively simple process. Choosing the type of heat pump you want will depend on your location, access to resources and other things, and once installed can save you a massive amount of carbon emissions. In fact, while a gas boiler produces around 4500 kWh of CO2 per year, a heat pump produces just 2,20 kWh of CO2 emissions, largely through its power source – electricity. And since they last around 14-15 years compared to the gas boiler’s 10, they keep the CO2 emissions lower for longer.

The Magic Ingredient

Of course, heat pumps do an amazing job, and they are a great first step in your carbon neutral journey. But while they are low carbon, they aren’t zero carbon by themselves, since they require mains electricity to run. The real magic comes when you pair heat pumps with renewable energy. In other words, solar panels.

By utilising solar energy you’ve generated yourself, you can completely negate the need for mains electricity for your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. This is not only a great cost saving exercise (since energy bills for most commercial premises can add up to thousands a month in just HVAC costs), but it also slashes your carbon emissions for the system to basically zero. If you have a well-insulated building then you can enjoy efficient heating at low cost and zero carbon emissions. Now isn’t that magical?

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of our own business as well as our clients. We are currently consulting with a number of block and facilities managers on the changes that would need to be made to their HVAC systems to meet this target, and if you’re in a similar position we’d love to help you too. Just get in touch with the team today for a free consultation. And if you want to know more about energy efficient HVAC solutions, keep an eye on the blog.

We don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s pretty hot in the UK right now! We’re having some unprecedented heatwaves this year, and workplaces across the country are turning to the ‘AC’ part of their HVAC systems to keep cool. But if you haven’t been taking care of your air conditioning properly, you could end up in a sweaty disaster. So today we thought it would be a good idea to remind you of why regularly servicing your air conditioning is a good idea!

Better Energy Efficiency

With energy bills soaring, you want to make sure you’re making the most of every penny you spend, and not washing money running inefficient equipment. Regular servicing is an easy way to ensure your air conditioning system running at full efficiency. Small things like clogged air filters, dirty condenser coils and other issues mean that the system is using more energy to operate normally, sending your energy bill through the roof. You might not even notice any of those issues are there, just that your energy bill has gone up and you don’t know why. Maintenance can stop these things from building up and keep your energy bills manageable.

Lower Repair Costs

Speaking of keeping your bills manageable, regular servicing also means your repair bills will be lower across the board. That’s because your technician will be able to spot issues while they are still small and fix them early, leading to lower repair costs. Without regular servicing, you will find yourself on the receiving end of emergency repair bills, which are never cheap.

Your System Will Last Longer

As with any major equipment, regular servicing will extend your system’s operational life significantly. When just one component fails in the system, the rest of the components have to work much harder to compensate for it. This significantly reduces the lifespan of the entire system and means you will need to replace your HVAC systems a lot more often than strictly necessary. And while of course there is a limit on how long certain components are going to last, regular servicing means less stress is put on the system, and the longer it will last.

Better Indoor Air Quality

Air conditioning isn’t just there to keep you cool. It’s also there to clean and filter the air to provide a safe environment for your employees. It’s been proven time and time again that indoor air quality is linked to productivity, sickness, absenteeism and employee happiness, so it’s a worthwhile investment to make! But to achieve all of this, your air conditioning system contains a number of air filters that are designed to purify the air that passes through it. These can get dirty very quickly, which then decreases the air quality. Regular servicing ensures that your filters are working as they should, being changed regularly and that everyone in the building is breathing clean air.

How often your air conditioning needs servicing will depend on a few things, including the model, age, how often it’s used and how well it has been maintained in the past. So, if your air conditioning isn’t cutting it in this heatwave, it might be time for a service. To book yours, or find out more, just get in touch with the team today.

If the last 2 years has done anything, it’s revealed just how important hygiene is for the overall health of individuals and the population as a whole. But while we’ve all been focused on making sure we wash our hands and properly clean surfaces, how much thought have you put into the cleanliness of other areas? Like the air in your building, for example?

Air quality isn’t just about keeping Covid-19 out of your lungs. It’s also directly related to things like concentration, mood, performance and better overall health, and improving it can have serious benefits to everyone breathing it. So how do you keep your air quality high and prevent infection? By keeping your HVAC systems clean and well maintained.

Airborne Pathogens And Viruses

One of the most common causes of infection from viruses is the inhalation of contaminated air. For example, speaking, coughing and sneezing can all expel large numbers of ‘aerosols’ (suspensions of solid or liquid particles in the air), which could include viruses and bacteria. The smaller the particles are, the longer they will stay in the air and the further they will travel when expelled. For example, we know that Covid-19 can survive in the air for over 25 minutes before it is dispersed enough to not be infectious.

When exposed to dry air, most of the moisture content in the aerosol will evaporate instantly, making the suspended particles smaller and lighter, able to travel further and survive longer. But both temperature and relative humidity affect the airborne survival of viruses, bacteria and fungi. So by controlling the heat, humidity and airflow within your building, you can significantly reduce the lifespan of viruses and pathogens and protect the people working within.

From The Outside In

Your first line of defence against pathogens and debris getting into the air in your building is to stop it from coming inside in the first place. The simplest way to do this is t ensure that all air intakes in the building have been fitted with a pre-filtration system, containing a filtering media that blocks larger pollutants from entering the building. These systems are actually a fairly standard part of most HVAC systems, as they help improve efficiency and keep it operating at optimum. The thing most people get wrong is not changing this filter media often enough. Since it is responsible for catching all of those bigger pathogens and stopping debris clogging the system, they tend to get filled up quicker than smaller filters and lose their effectiveness. By hiring a company to perform regular routine maintenance tasks like changing filter media, you can dramatically improve your indoor air quality and protect your HVAC equipment at the same time.

Regular Cleaning

Outside health concerns for the people in your building, maintaining good hygiene standards in your HVAC system can also have some commercial benefits. As we mention every week, regular maintenance is key to ensuring your system is working correctly and catching problems while they are small. Cleaning is a part of the HVAC maintenance programme for this exact reason. Without regular cleaning and hygiene checks, your HVAC system could suffer from:

• Condensation forming and pooling on vessels, pipes, equipment, cold surfaces and even floors, causing hazards and damage.
• Corrosion and other damage to buildings, structures, fittings and equipment.
• Bacterial growth and mould, resulting in hygiene issues, spreading infection and compliance difficulties.
• Higher servicing and maintenance costs as a direct result of damage caused by poor hygiene.

The good news is that ongoing HVAC maintenance isn’t an expensive outlay for you, unlike the cost of replacing a full unit, or paying sick leave for employees who are breathing poor quality air. While the cost of replacing a complete system can run into the thousands, maintenance and cleaning of that system will cost a fraction of that and keep your buildings in working order for longer. Not only that, but there is some evidence to suggest that well run HVAC systems could actually save you money in terms of energy and electricity used by your building.

By investing in regular maintenance and cleaning for your HVAC systems you are ensuring lower payouts for repairs, reducing your emergency call-outs (and their charges) and providing a cleaner, more comfortable environment for the people using your building. For advice or help with your long-term HVAC maintenance plan, get in touch with the team today to book your free consultation

Carbon is a big source of concern for the world right now. Greenhouse gasses have been flooding our environment for such a long time now that we’ve done irreparable damage to our planet. Thankfully, the world has woken up to the danger, and now we are all able to make changes to reduce our impact and really make a difference. If you own or run a commercial building, one of the ways you can do this and do your part to become carbon neutral, is by switching your heating, ventilation and air conditioning solution from gas to heat pumps.

What Does Carbon Neutral Mean?

Being carbon neutral means you are not contributing any carbon to the environment, but you aren’t removing it either. Given that very few businesses can actively remove carbon from the environment, being carbon neutral is the big goal for all businesses and anyone who owns a building in the UK. This can be achieved by adopting environmentally friendly policies and either upgrading or retrofitting equipment with more eco-friendly alternatives.

In fact, there’s a Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative in place at the moment, in which the UK government pledged to achieve a net zero carbon emissions goal for the country by 2050. Since a large portion of carbon emissions are generated by buildings, this is one of their first focus points. existing buildings to be retrofitted wherever possible with zero carbon solutions, rather than knocked down and a new building erected. This will save a significant amount of carbon by itself, and if new buildings are being designed and constructed in a carbon neutral fashion, suddenly zero carbon buildings become a lot more achievable.

How Do Heat Pumps Help?

The big question now is, what can you do to reduce the carbon footprint of your building? You might think that you’re locked into all of the legacy systems you have in place, but this simply isn’t true. In fact, most modern systems can be retrofitted into older buildings, replacing your less efficient and more wasteful systems in the process. In terms of heating, ventilation and air conditioning for your building, the best answer is a heat pump.

Switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump is a relatively simple process. Choosing the type of heat pump you want will depend on your location, access to resources and other things, and once installed can save you a massive amount of carbon emissions. In fact, while a gas boiler produces around 4500 kWh of CO2 per year, a heat pump produces just 2,20 kWh of CO2 emissions, largely through its power source – electricity. And since they last around 14-15 years compared to the gas boiler’s 10, they keep the CO2 emissions lower for longer.

The Magic Ingredient

Of course, heat pumps do an amazing job, and they are a great first step in your carbon neutral journey. But while they are low carbon, they aren’t zero carbon by themselves, since they require mains electricity to run. The real magic comes when you pair heat pumps with renewable energy. In other words, solar panels.

By utilising solar energy you’ve generated yourself, you can completely negate the need for mains electricity for your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. This is not only a great cost saving exercise (since energy bills for most commercial premises can add up to thousands a month in just HVAC costs), but it also slashes your carbon emissions for the system to basically zero. If you have a well-insulated building then you can enjoy efficient heating at low cost and zero carbon emissions. Now isn’t that magical?

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of our own business as well as our clients. We are currently consulting with a number of block and facilities managers on the changes that would need to be made to their HVAC systems to meet this target, and if you’re in a similar position we’d love to help you too. Just get in touch with the team today for a free consultation. And if you want to know more about energy efficient HVAC solutions, keep an eye on the blog.

Did your last energy bill make you wince?

It’s the same story up and down the country, as energy bills double or even triple and everyone looks for ways to manage the price rise. Some change providers, some simply try to use less, and others are installing brand new systems to be more efficient. But we have a fourth option for you to consider – and it’s much more convenient and cost effective than the others.

Make sure your settings are correct.

Yes, it really is as simple as that to save money on your HVAC bills, and here’s why.

Why Set-Up Is Important

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are by no means simple. They are actually quite complex, and they need to work together in harmony in order to perform properly and deliver energy-efficient heating and cooling for your business or home. This means you need to have them set up in the right way to provide you with the most energy-efficient heating and cooling for your space.

A great example of why set up is so important is actually a domestic thermostat, exactly like the one you have in your own home. Research has shown that setting your thermostat just one degree lower could save you around 10% of your heating bill. And if you’re one of those households that sets their thermostat at around 25°C, you could save even more by turning it down to the recommended 20°C. It’s a similar story in commercial buildings, with slight set-up changes being able to yield massive cost savings.

Set Up Mistakes That Could Be Costing You Money

There are a huge number of ways you can set up your HVAC system, and you can change these settings at any time. Most people will change their settings when the seasons change to compensate for the change in weather – but others will just leave the settings be, wasting money in the process. To give you an idea of what we mean, here are some of the most common set-up mistakes we see in both commercial and domestic HVAC systems:

Heat set wrong: The most basic of mistakes – your thermostat is set too low or too high. Your thermostat is critical for regulating the temperature within a space, over time, so if it’s not set correctly you could be heating an empty building and wasting energy, or leaving your tenants shivering.

Sensor not working properly: If your thermostat sensor is broken, isn’t performing properly or is miscalibrated, this means your HVAC systems could be running at the wrong times. In the worst-case scenario, your sensor would be reading the room temperatures as lower than they are, and running hot air through a building that didn’t need it, costing you a small fortune.

Timer not working properly: Again, since HVAC systems often work on a schedule, ensuring your timer is working and set correctly is important. This is what allows you to control how much energy you use by running the heating or cooling at optimum times, and not running it when not needed. If your timer isn’t set properly, you could be spending money on running it when you don’t need to.

The thermostat doesn’t work: Finally, your thermostat just flat out doesn’t work at all. It either isn’t connected properly, or it sends the wrong temperatures to the main system, which can lead to you using gas and electricity at the wrong times, or even 24/7, which will end in a very, very expensive bill.

And these are just a few of the more common set-up mistakes we see when we inspect HVAC systems. They might all seem small, but they can add up to a lot of money. When you’re running a block of flats and spending £10-15K a month on gas and electricity, you want to be sure you’re reducing that as much as possible.

With the right settings and regular maintenance, you can save around 10%, sometimes even 30-40% depending on the age and condition of your equipment, on your energy bills. That’s roughly between £1,500 and £6,000 a month in savings, all thanks to regular maintenance and settings checks! So if you don’t already have an inspection and maintenance plan in place for your HVAC systems, now’s the time to get set up!

Other Money-Saving Tips

Of course, with energy prices so high at the moment everyone is looking for ways to save money in any way possible. So as well as making sure your HVAC systems have been set up correctly, here are a few things you can do to reduce your bills for your heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems either at home or in a commercial property:

• Cleaning: Regularly cleaning your vents and replacing filters when they get dirty keeps your systems running efficiently and saves you money.
• Maintenance: Make sure you are regularly maintaining your HVAC units, to the manufacturer’s schedule as a minimum.
• Clear Vents: Ensure your HVAC vents are clear and not blocked so the system can easily draw air in or pump it out.
• Check For Draughts: Draughts andair leaks in windows or doors can cause warm or cool air to be wasted, adding up to a lot of energy loss.
• Window Dressings: Using blinds and curtains effectively during the summer can keep the heat out and reduce the need for air conditioning,

We know times are tough at the moment, but we hope that our tips can help you save some money as energy prices continue to soar. And if you would like one of our expert team to inspect your systems and advise on any changes you could make to save you money, just get in touch with the team today.