Category Archives: BLOG

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we talk a lot about preventative maintenance – which is no surprise since it’s the foundation of our company! Preventative maintenance plans are at the heart of what our business does, and we do it because that’s the best approach for our customers. By adopting preventative maintenance, we are ensuring a good outcome for them, which is one of our core values.

But have you ever wondered why it’s so important to us, and we why don’t just practice reactive maintenance instead?

Reactive Maintenance

Reactive maintenance is when you deal with something after the problem has occurred. For example, you wouldn’t replace a seal until it broke, or deal with rust until it caused a hole in a pipe and gushing water. You do this because you didn’t know those issues were coming, and it took you by surprise. It’s an approach that is all too common, and it can cost your business thousands in repairs, damage and downtime. You aren’t planning for maintenance – you’re reacting to problems and doing the work at the last possible moment (or just after it).

For us, that would mean a lot of running around after emergency call-outs, fighting fires – sometimes literally- to keep businesses running when they are in dire need. And while we do handle emergency call-outs, we always try to move the client onto a preventative maintenance plan when we’re done.

Preventative Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is the exact opposite of reactive maintenance. Instead of just waiting for things to go wrong before you deal with them, preventative maintenance involves planning out an inspection and repairs schedule. This is a regular event, usually every month or quarter, where an engineer will carry out a full inspection of your equipment to make sure it’s all in working order. If they spot anything that isn’t working, or that looks likely to fail in the near future, they can repair or replace it then and there.

This approach means there are no small problems building up into big ones, and your machinery is always working as it should. These repairs are often minor, and could be anything from replacing a seal that’s starting to tear to tightening a bolt or cleaning a filter. Think of it as a regular health check for your machinery – something that keeps it all working properly at all times. This approach to maintenance has been gaining popularity in recent years, especially as costs have gone up and business owners are looking for ways to extend the life of their systems as much as possible!

Why Preventative Maintenance Matters

There are bound to be some things in your building that don’t require a maintenance plan – or perhaps any real maintenance. When they wear out, they are replaced, and the intervening time isn’t much of an issue. But in most cases, a machine malfunctioning or parts needing repairing is a major issue and something that needs to be solved as soon as possible. This is where preventative maintenance is really important.

Because preventative maintenance is all about spotting problems before they become problems, you can save yourself a lot of time, money and stress. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we believe that operations should centre around preventative maintenance, and set up plans with our customers to inspect and do work on their systems on a regular basis. This allows us to pick up little niggling problems and fix them quickly, usually for a lot less money than that major repair would cost!

If that’s not enough, here are a few other benefits our customers have seen from their preventative maintenance plan:

Elimination of downtime: No large-scale repairs means the business doesn’t experience any downtime and is able to provide service continuously.

Improved employee morale: Workers know that they won’t have to deal with suddenly losing access to equipment, or be forced to work in buildings with no heat while emergency repairs are organised.

Equipment has a longer lifespan: Because it is being maintained regularly, their equipment lasts much longer and functions better, giving them more time to handle upgrades or replacements.

Increased business credibility: They can deliver on promises without sudden issues or delays caused by faulty equipment, making them more reliable for their customers.

Better reputation: They become known as a reliable business where things never break down.

Saved money: Of course, all of them have saved money as well! Small repairs are usually cheap when they are handled quickly, which means you aren’t having to spend out on costly repairs every few months. Instead, it’s a small and manageable amount as and when needed, which is better for your cashflow and your bank balance.

If you would like to know more about our maintenance plans, or to set up your own preventative maintenance schedule, just get in touch with the team today, and we’ll be happy to help.

Hotels are one of those very unique businesses that don’t just require you to keep your employees happy and comfortable – but thousands of other people as well. Depending on the size of your hotel you might see hundreds, if not thousands of guests come through every month, and it’s your job to make sure they have the best stay possible. One of the biggest ways you can do this is by investing in a good heating and ventilation system. After all, you can buy the comfiest beds and the plumpest pillows, but if the rooms are too hot in summer, or too cold and draughty in winter, you’re going to get complaints.

But what does a hotel need from a HVAC system, and how do they make the most of their investment?

Hot & Cold Temperature

One of the main functions of HVAC systems within hotels is to provide guests with adequate heating, cooling and ventilation. This is to ensure a comfortable temperature for their stay, which should be carefully controlled depending on the current weather conditions. That means being able to supply hot and cold air to the room itself, as well as ensuring an adequate supply of hot water to all rooms at all times. This is a big ask, and only gets bigger the more rooms there are in your hotel, so choosing the right HVAC system is critical.

Low Noise Pollution

Noise pollution is a huge problem in many areas, especially in built-up cities or in hotels near busy roads. The background noise is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean your HVAC systems should be adding to the sound level. Many HVAC systems will make a lot of noise as they operate, and managing the environment for a large hotel is no small task. But in a hospitality environment, you can’t have clanking pipes and whirring noises at every hour – it’s bad for the guest experience and your bottom line. This means you need to choose a HVAC system that is designed to cope with such a large load without making a lot of noise or disturbing guests during their stay.

Variable Room Temperatures

No one person is the same, and each person will have a slightly different idea of what a comfortable temperature is. Some prefer it to be warmer, while others like a slightly chilly room to help them relax. While the general temperature of your hotel and common spaces should be set at a happy medium, most of the time, what that looks like may change throughout the day. For example, you might want the reception area to be cooler around midday to give relief from the warm weather outside, but make it warmer in the evening as the outside temperature starts to drop. Fine control of the temperature at any time is important for any hotel.

On top of that, guests want to have control over the temperature in their rooms during their stay. This is known as ‘zoning’, and it’s something that not all HVAC solutions can do. Each guest should be able to set their own temperatures during their stay, at various times of day, and you need to make sure you choose a HVAC system that can provide that level of control, zoning capabilities and flexibility.

Maintenance

Above all, hotels need to ensure that their AC systems are working properly at all times. The last thing you want is your HVAC systems to break down in the middle of the night and end up with a lot of grumpy customers, especially if it was a preventable fault. It’s even worse if you then can’t get the fault fixed quickly, as this could quickly end up with you losing a lot of money.

So, when you’re looking at HVAC companies, make sure you hire one that can provide you with an ongoing regular maintenance service as well. Alternatively, you could hire a specialist maintenance company (like us) to perform regular inspections and maintenance, repair faults and be on hand for emergency call-outs, so you know that your HVAC systems are always in the best working order.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we specialise in the repair and regular maintenance of HVAC systems for commercial properties, including hotels and restaurants. We have a wealth of experience dealing with HVAC systems of all shapes and sizes, and can provide you with the information you need to make the right decision for your hotel. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team to book your free review and consultation.

Energy bills.

At the moment, those two words can cause panic in pretty much everyone in the UK. The cost of energy has continued to rise month on month, despite energy companies reporting record profits year on year. But it’s just homeowners that are worried about their energy use – businesses all over the UK are also feeling the pinch of the energy crisis, and looking for ways to bring the cost of running their business back down. One of the main ways you can do this is by understanding what exactly your energy bill is paying for, and what steps you could take to reduce it.

The 2 Key Charges

On the face of it, your energy bill should look very simple. It’s made up of the unit cost and the standing charge. The unit cost is the amount you pay for each unit of gas or electricity used, and is measured in kWh. The standing charge is the cost you pay each month to have energy physically supplied to your premises and kept connected to the energy network. It’s no different to your home energy bills there, and in theory, that should be all you pay, and it will certainly be all you see on the bill. But as we know, theories aren’t always correct.

Extra Costs For Businesses

There are actually a few other costs involved in business energy that contribute to what you pay overall as well. While some are region or industry-specific, the universal charges include:

Business energy wholesale costs: This is the amount the energy supplier pays to buy energy in bulk before selling it on to customers. You won’t see this as an individual item on your energy bill, but it will make up a part of your unit rate. Unless you’re on a fixed rate tariff, your energy bills will usually go up when the wholesale cost of energy does.

Transmission Use of System charges: Also known as TNUoS. This covers the cost of maintaining and upgrading the National Grid. It’s usually included in the standing charge.

Paying for Distribution Use of System: Or DUoS. Distribution Network Operators are licensed by Ofgem, and they are the people who distribute electricity in your area. This charge covers the costs incurred by your DNO, and will vary depending on the type of contract you have, your meter type, your location and your time of use.

Climate Change Levy: This is a charge the government brought in a few years ago to encourage businesses to become more energy efficient and reduce their carbon footprint. This cost is charged per unit of energy, and will be factored into your overall bill. If you use small amounts of energy (less than 33kWh a day), you use energy for domestic purposes (like accommodation or schools), or are a charity, then you don’t have to pay this levy.

VAT: Most businesses are charged VAT at 20% on gas and electricity, and this will be automatically added to your energy bill. The good news is, you can claim it back, if you are VAT registered! And if you are a charity, use an average of less than 33kWh per day, or use at least 60% of your energy for domestic purposes, you’re eligible for a reduced VAT rate of 5%.

Can I Reduce My Energy Bill?

Obviously, with energy prices as high as they are, you want to do everything you can to bring that energy bill down and keep your business running smoothly. The good news is, you can find some pretty significant savings just by changing how you approach powering your HVAC systems.

Most commercial HVAC systems are still powered by electricity, which means paying energy companies for the privilege. But if you switch to a heat pump, you will find your energy bill plummets pretty quickly. They work by absorbing thermal energy from a low-grade source (air, water or the ground), and transferring it to a heating element before dispersing it through the heating and hot water system. This unique design means that the heating process can cost you anywhere from 25% to 60% less than using a traditional boiler, significantly reducing your energy bill. Plus, they’re a low-carbon option for powering your building, which means you are doing your bit to combat climate change as well!

If you want to really cut down (or even eliminate) your energy bill, then your best option is to pair a heat pump with solar panels. This allows you to draw solar energy in and convert it into electricity, which you can then use to power your HVAC system and your building as a whole. You can also purchase batteries to store excess electricity for when you need it, or even sell the spare power back to the National Grid!

While the initial installation cost of these solutions might be big, so is the impact they can have on both your energy bills and the environment. Depending on the size of your building, you could effectively eliminate your energy bills, leaving you free to spend that money on growing your business. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about saving you money and saving the environment, so if you would like to talk about heat pumps, solar panels or carbon-neutral solutions, just get in touch to find out how we can help.

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.