Category Archives: BLOG

Air conditioning systems aren’t just machines. They are actually more like the human body. Each unit has its own set of systems, all dependant on one another and carefully in balance, and all need taking care of. If you avoid the dentist for years, eventually you’ll get a cavity and have to go for a long and expensive procedure – the same goes for your air conditioning! And if you’ve got air conditioning on a commercial level, then taking care of it is even more of a priority. So, here are a few facts about air conditioning maintenance, and why it should become a habit rather than an afterthought.

Being A Clean Freak Is Good!

A clean air conditioning system is a happy air conditioning system, and just like your tumble drier at home, it needs a clean out every now and then. But it’s about more than just keeping the mechanisms looking good. Commercial air conditioning systems cycle and clean a lot of air every day for your building, and the dirt they catch tends to build up in filters and pipes. Systems that are dirty are not as energy efficient as clean ones, resulting in a significant reduction in performance and climbing running costs. Not only will it cost you more money to run, but the dirt build up will also increase the stress on the mechanical parts in the system, making them work harder than they should and reducing their lifetime. To top all that off, not cleaning your system can risk a decline in air quality when ventilated and throw off the temperature regulations, resulting in wildly varying air temperatures. In short, if you want your air conditioner to run at its best and not need replacement parts as often, keep it clean!

Being Reactive Costs You Much More 

Despite assurances to the contrary, a lot of companies still operate in reactive mode when things go wrong with their air conditioning. This means that they only bother to maintain it when something goes drastically wrong, rather than scheduling regular cleanings and maintenance checks. The downside to being reactive is that a repair on a big failure, or just a full deep clean, can cost you far more than regularly scheduled check-ups. Not only does it cost you more in running costs (see the point above) but your system failing could result in a huge bill for a replacement. By scheduling regular air conditioning maintenance, you can catch and replace failing parts in a staggered way, before they cause problems, and prolong the life of your components.

How To Tell If Your Air Conditioning Needs A Tune Up

There are a few main warning signs to help you figure out when your air conditioning units need a little TLC.

Age: You’re not the only one who worries about getting older! We suggest replacing your unit every 15 years, as this is the average age of failure. So if you air conditioning system is getting to that age, make sure you are looking out for signs of failure, and planning a replacement strategy.

Rising Energy Bills: This is an easy way to test if your air conditioning system is starting to break down. Take this month’s energy bills, and compare them to last month. Then do the same with this year and last year. If you see a marked increase in the more recent bills, then there is something wrong.

Leaking Water: Finding puddles of water where they shouldn’t be isn’t always a sign of a leak in your roof. Sometimes it can point to a leaky air conditioning unit. This leaking is usually caused by a liquid backup, or the overflow of excess condensation. Either way, your first call should be to your air conditioning professional to get it fixed and prevent further problems.

Unpredictable Temperatures: If you’ve set your AC to 20 but you’re still sweating, odds are there is something wrong with your unit. This could be something as simple as a faulty thermostat, or it could just be a worn out system that’s struggling to cool the air as much as it should. So, if everyone is hot and bothered, get your units checked.

Strange Noises: Are strange noises ever a good sign? Well, they definitely aren’t good when it comes to your air conditioning! If you are hearing whistling noises that sounds like a ghoul is stuck in your pipes, creaking, clunking or any other kind of strange noise, this could be a sign of a bigger problem with your unit, and it definitely needs a check-up.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we work with companies of all shapes and sizes to instal and maintain air conditioning systems in their commercial properties. So, if you haven’t checked on your air conditioning unit in months, or just think yours needs a tune up, why not give us a call and arrange your free consultation? We can show you the best way to care for your air conditioner so that it becomes a long-term partner, and not just a nightmare fling.

In the past we’ve talked a lot about the environmental impact of buildings, particularly when it comes to heating them and supplying them with water. And we’ve also mentioned the benefits of heat pumps as an alternative to traditional gas boiler systems in terms of both energy and cost. But if you want to be really green (and almost eliminate your energy bill), then you can combine two powerhouses of green energy – heat pumps and solar panels.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

Solar panels are by no means a new invention. But they are something that’s flown under the radar for many years, largely because the technology was still too expensive to be commercially viable. However, with a lot of development in the last decade and funding schemes from local governments, solar panels are now an affordable solution for businesses and homeowners alike.

So, how do they work? Solar panels essentially absorb the energy from the sun and convert it into energy. That’s the simple version. The more complex version is that on a subatomic level the panels allow photons (or particles of light) to knock electrons free from their atoms, generating a flow of electricity. This is because each solar panel is made up of lots of small panels, also known as photovoltaic cells. Each of these cells takes in sunshine and UV energy, and turns it into electricity.

Solar panels are made by attaching a lot of these individual photovoltaic cells together and sandwiching them between two layers of semi-conducting material, usually silicon. This protects the cells and the people around them, and allows the cells to work together in generating a substantial electrical current.

These panels are attached to the roof of your building, where they get the most exposure to sunlight. A qualified installer can then wire them directly into your electrics or attach batteries, so that the energy they generate can be used to power the building or be stored in battery cells for a later date. It’s a little more of an upfront expense, but it’s the ultimately renewable, green energy source.

So How Do Solar Panels Power Heat Pumps?

So in this blog we’ve talked a bit about heat pumps work when compared to a traditional gas boiler. You can read in more detail there, but in essence they work by absorbing thermal energy from a low-grade source, transferring it to a heating element with a higher temperature and dispersing it through the system. The source for the thermal energy can be air, ground or water, depending on your premises and limitations.

Heat pumps are generally much more energy efficient (around 400%) and much more environmentally friendly, since they produce far less CO2 and require less energy to run. So, switching to a heat pump is already a great step toward reducing your carbon footprint. But if you want to really make cost and environmental savings, you can take it one step further and connect solar panels to your heat pump. This means that any electricity the heat pump requires to operate will be powered by the greenest, most renewable form of energy – sunlight. Which is better for the environment and better for you.

On average, a heat pump (of any variety) will use around 25% of its rated heat output in electricity. So for a 20kW heat pump, up to 5 kW of electricity is needed. If you can provide that electricity through solar power, rather than buying from the grid, you can save yourself a huge amount of money. And if you invest in battery storage for your solar panels as well, you can retain any extra energy you generate for use during production dips (aka winter in the UK!).

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we’re really passionate about the environment. We’re always looking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and passing that knowledge on to our clients. By advising our clients to combine solar panels and heat pump solutions, we hope to help you save money, and do your bit to save the planet. If you’d like to find out more, just get in touch with the team today to book your free consultation.

If you’ve been watching the news recently (or at any point over the last few years), you probably know that the environment is one of the most important issues in the world right now. And the message being sent is very clear – everyone, no matter how big or small, rich or poor, can do something to improve the state of our environment. That includes your business! One of the big (yet simple) changes your business could make is to cut your carbon footprint, and businesses have been encouraged to do this as part of their sustainability efforts for some time. But how do you work out what your carbon footprint is in the first place, and what can you do to reduce it?

What Is A Carbon Footprint?

Put simply, a carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouses gases (GHG) our business produces, both directly and indirectly, in order to build and operate a product or service, as well as running the business itself. Greenhouses gasses are the main aspect we look at when working out our carbon footprint, and these are the gasses that make the planet warmer by trapping heat in the atmosphere. They include:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2), which occurs when fossil fuels are burned, and accounts for the majority of emissions in the developed world.
• Methane of CH4, which mainly comes from agriculture, livestock and landfill.
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O), which is about 300 times more potent than CO2, but is produced in much smaller quantities by farming and refrigerants.
• Fluorinated gasses like hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs, which are used in air conditioning.
• Sulfur hexafluoride of SF4, which is very potent an often found in electrical engineering, production or insulation.

While these are the main offenders, there are all sorts of other greenhouse gasses your business may be producing, and these all need to be taken into account when working out your carbon footprint. And it might surprise you to know that the main culprit of CO2 production within businesses is often the buildings themselves, and the energy it takes to heat, cool and ventilate them.

Where Do I Start?

So, where you do start in working that out? Well, your carbon footprint needs to capture greenhouse gas emissions output form your business on an annual basis, so your first step will be collecting data from within your business. This will come from a few different places, including travel, logistics and operations. The essential information you will need to gather includes energy, gas and water details, along with business travel data.

This information will typically fall within 3 ‘scopes’ for the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which are:

Scope 1: GHG emissions from fuel combustion, vehicles and fugitive emissions (like refrigerants or nitrogen fertilisation) that are directly within the organisation’s direct control.

Scope 2: GHG emissions related to the production of electricity, heat and team purchased by the organisation.

Scope 3: Other indirect GHG emissions that weren’t included in Scope 2, but are related to the businesses wider activities and come from GHG sources owned or controlled by others. This includes emissions related indirectly to the use of consumer goods associated with transport and waste treatment, along with the travel of employees and visitors and things like upstream raw material production.

It can take a lot of time to collect all the data you need from those sources, and many businesses need some support in doing this, particularly when you need to get data from third-party sources. But don’t worry – we can help you with all of that!

What Do I Do With The Data?

Next up you will need to select the appropriate emission factor for each emission source in order to calculate the tonnes of CO₂ emitted (tCO₂e). Make sure the data you use is for a consistent time period to get the best results here – so if you’re looking for annual numbers, all of your data should come from within the same time periods. This will give you consistent results and make it much easier to work out what you can cut back from where.

Once you have your data laid out, you will need to select a methodology for your footprint that is most relevant for your organisation and your ambitions. You can choose to conduct a basic footprint using a carbon calculator spreadsheet, or you can adopt an internationally recognised standard to work towards. The choice you make will depend on the data you’ve collected, as well as what you plan to do with the findings.

One of the ways you can do this is by looking at the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in your buildings. If you are still running gas boilers, or old, inefficient air conditioning, these could be contributing significantly to your carbon footprint. Luckily, they are easily dealt with. By installing heat pumps as an alternative, you can cut your carbon emissions by up to 90% – or more if you power them with solar panels. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today for your free site review.

Do you get your car serviced every year? Do you pay attention to warning lights if they come on, and take your car to a professional to diagnose and fix the problem? Of course you do. It helps prolong the life of your car, prevent expensive repair bills and make sure everything is running exactly as it’s supposed to. In fact, it’s so important that annual MOTs, which check the safety and efficiency of your vehicle, are a legal requirement. So why wouldn’t you do the same with your HVAC systems? Regular servicing can bring you a whole lot of benefits when it comes to HVAC systems, and we’re going to show you just 4 of them today.

Reduced Energy Bills

Let’s start with the big one. Energy bills have never been higher, and when energy bills for commercial properties can already run upwards of £5,000 a month, the last thing you want is for that number to go up. By having your HVAC system regularly maintained, you can keep your energy bills low. If your HVAC system is battling through dirty filters and leaking pipes, it’s going to take a lot more energy to keep producing the results you want for your building. But with regular maintenance, filters are changed, worn parts are replaced, pipes are cleaned, and problems are identified and fixed when they are still small. All of which means your system needs less energy to operate at full efficiency, and your energy bills are kept low.

Longer System Lifespan

HVAC systems aren’t cheap, and the last thing you want to do is keep replacing them every few years when something critical fails. Sadly, we see this happen with buildings that don’t have regular maintenance done, and by this point, there is often nothing we can do but decommission the old system and install a new one, with a maintenance contract in place. Even the most reliable HVAC system on the market needs to be looked after, otherwise, it will burn out in as little as 5 years. Regular maintenance keeps your system in good working order and gives it a much longer lifespan. Some of the systems we maintain are 15 years old!

Avoid Big Repair Costs

If you’ve noticed a heating or cooling problem in your building, you probably already have a big repair bill on your hands. This is because HVAC systems are incredibly complex and sensitive, and almost all major issues start out as minor problems. Something as simple as a misaligned pipe, loose bolt or worn part could cause thousands of pounds in damage if it’s not noticed quickly. Regular maintenance checks look for exactly this kind of thing so that we can spot the issues and fix them while they’re still small. And minor repairs are cheap – or the cost is included in your package depending on the maintenance company you use. So while you will be paying regularly for maintenance, it’s still much cheaper than the emergency repair bills would be!

Energy Saving Tips

Finally, during your routine HVAC visit, your technician may be able to spot little things you could do differently to improve the energy efficiency of your system. This could be something as simple as having your ducts cleaned and sealed, upgrading to a new part or suggesting a new air filter that delivers better results for less energy. Working with an HVAC maintenance team means you gain access to the experts on a regular basis, and they are always more than happy to pass on their knowledge to you!

In short, maintaining a relationship with an HVAC maintenance company could be the best decision your make for both your business and your wallet. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we specialise in the routine maintenance and servicing of HVAC systems of all shapes and sizes. We design maintenance packages to suit your system and needs, to ensure everything works in an energy-efficient manner. Depending on the condition of your system, we could save you between 10% and 40% on your energy bills through proper maintenance, repair and prolonged system lifespan. If you’d like to know more about how you can save 10% or more on your corporate energy bills this year, just get in touch with the team today to book your free consultation.

When it comes to choosing and installing a heating system in a commercial building, there are a lot of options open to you. So many, in fact, that it can feel a bit confusing at times! You want something that’s going to be cost-effective, reliable and energy efficient, all while being the right size for your premises is and performing all of the functions you need it to. A decision made even more complicated by the fact that there are a number of different ways you can achieve the results you want! So, in order to help you provide a safe and warm environment for the people living or working in your buildings, we wanted to give you a quick overview of the types of heating systems available, how they work, and which are best for each type of building.

Gas & Oil Heating Systems

Gas and oil-based heating systems are typically older, and there are now more environmentally friendly ways to heat commercial properties with modern solutions. They work by using boilers fuelled by gas or oil to heat water and circulate it through pipes and radiators in the building. They are pretty resource-heavy, take a lot of time to heat and circulate, which makes them inefficient and costly to run. You may have inherited a building with this type of system already installed, but we would usually recommend you move away from them, as they are only really effective in office buildings that rely on spot heating.

Heat Pumps 

Heat pumps absorb and transfer thermal energy from a low-grade source to a heating element (the pump’s coolant) with a higher temperature, before dispersing it through the system to warm the space. You can get different types of heat pump depending on which source you want to use, but the main types are air source, ground source, water source and air to water. All of these are classified as renewable systems, since they use natural energy sources to provide heat to your building, and they are much more energy and cost efficient than pretty much any other type of heating solution. And the best part? Heat pumps can be installed in almost any commercial and even residential setting, which means you can reduce your energy bills and carbon footprint while providing effective heat to your building.

Under Floor Heating

Under floor heating has been around in residential properties for a long time now, but it’s recently started gaining popularity in commercial spaces too. Using either hot water pipes (wet) or electrical cabling (dry) that are laid into the floor, you generate heat and rely on the natural properties of hot air to radiate up from the floor. This means less energy is lost, and the heat is felt more effectively by the people in the building. However, this method is only really appropriate for new builds, as installing it requires completely pulling up the flooring to install the pipes or cables underneath. So if you’re building a new office, warehouse or other commercial building, this is an option to consider.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer when looking at which heating system is best. There are so many variables from building to building and business to business that can drastically change your heating requirements. That’s why we always recommend you speak to a specialist. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we specialise in HVAC installation and maintenance, and are perfectly placed to help you find the perfect solution for your commercial heating needs. If you would like to know more, or have any questions about HVAC and heating systems in general, just get in touch with the team today.

If you run a commercial HVAC system, you will need to have it maintained. That’s not an optional extra – it’s an essential part of running such a system. If you don’t have regular maintenance checks, your system won’t last very long, with small issues turning into very big, very expensive problems that could result in you having to replace the whole system after just a year or two. So, you need maintenance. But what does that mean exactly, and what happens during an HVAC check?

Basic Tasks

Change Air Filters: To keep air flowing through the system and purifying properly, your filters need to be cleaned or changed regularly. Dirt and debris gather on them very quickly, especially if you carry out ‘dirty’ activities in your building like cooking, manufacturing or production. All of your filters will be changed for fresh ones as part of your check.

Visual Inspection: We will carry out a visual inspection of the whole system, looking for issues both big and small. This includes checking all the major and minor components of the HVAC system, pipes and appliances looking for signs that something may be wrong. A few warning signs would be disconnected pipes, rust, leaks, blockages or strange sounds.

Recalibration: While HVAC systems will run all year round, the demand placed on them can vary depending on the season. Recalibrating your HVAC system once in summer and again in winter is a good way to ensure you’re saving money, your system is running as efficiently as possible, and you’re not wearing parts for no reason.

Check & Clean Drainage Lines: Pretty much all HVAC systems will create water vapour, which needs to be funnelled out of the building to avoid structural damage. This is then collected as condensation in a tray, which over time can become the home to all sorts of bacteria, algae and mould and eventually lead to a blockage. Routine checks ad cleaning of your drainage lines keeps them flowing cleanly and protects the health of the people in the building.

Clean Evaporator & Condenser Coils: Your evaporator and condenser coils are exposed to the air that circulates through them while your system is running, and that air isn’t clean yet. This means all sorts of dirt and debris can build up, having a significant impact on their efficiency. Your maintenance check will include cleaning of both these elements.

Lubrication: There are moving parts in pretty much every HVAC system, though some do have less than others. Over time these can wear down and not work as efficiently. Ensuring all moving parts are lubricated and running smoothly keeps your system working for longer.

Comprehensive Checks

Safety Checks: This includes taking amperage readings, running a safety test on controls, checking all motors, testing for carbon monoxide and checking for leaks throughout the system. Safety checks are often when we discover something going wrong inside the system, and allow us to catch the small problems before they can become big ones.

Diagnostics: If we suspect something is wrong, or you’ve informed us of an issue, we will also run diagnostic tests on the system to see if we can locate and identify the problem. This could be something as simple as locating the leak in a pipe to diagnosing an electrical fault.

Repairs: If there are any broken or damaged elements, we can repair them when the damage is minimal. Damage only gets worse over time with HVAC systems, which is one of the reasons regular maintenance is so important. The big issues usually start as small things that can easily be repaired, which is exactly what we do.

Replacements: In the event a component can’t be repaired, we can replace it with a new one. This ensures your system has the right parts and is all working correctly, and will improve safety, efficiency and cost by some measure.

And a lot more besides! At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we tailor our maintenance packages to reflect what you need as a business. We can carry out monthly, quarterly or annual planned maintenance visits, as well as ad-hoc maintenance work if you have something that needs some attention. If you would like to know more about our maintenance packages or you just have a question, please get in touch with our team today.

If you have a cooling tower on your premises, you likely have a rather large area to heat and cool on a daily basis, or have very specialised temperature requirements. Cooling towers are often used in industrial HVAC installations, and they can provide some of the more efficient heating and cooling solutions for these spaces. But they do have one major drawback – they get dirty. Specifically they get slimy, accumulating a lot of dirt and moisture that can build up fairly quickly at times. So if you have a cooling tower, one of your regular maintenance tasks should be to keep it clean. And while it’s a slightly gross, difficult and sometimes time-consuming job, the long term benefits to your bank account are worth it.

What Causes Slime Build Up?

The slime build up in your cooling tower might seem a bit disgusting, but it’s actually a perfectly normal by-product of this type of system. It’s a substance called biofilm, which is a product of the microorganisms that live in your boiler and heating system. Scientists like to call this gooey coating ‘Extracellular Polymeric Substances’ – but if you’ve ever had first-hand experience of it you might just call it slime!

The microorganisms that have made their home in your property’s boiler or cooling tower create this biofilm as a way or protecting themselves. They live within or underneath this protective sheath, breeding and thriving – so the more slime you have, the more microorganisms have been living in your cooling tower rent free.

But you do need to be careful when you go in to clean this slime away, as some of the microorganisms within it can be quite dangerous. For example, certain bacteria that reduce sulphites can cause some significant metal corrosion in your systems. Legionella is another common bacterium found in the average cooling tower, and the biofilm this produces is the leading cause of Legionnaires disease – a very dangerous form of pneumonia that can be deadly. This is one of the reasons we recommend you hire a professional HVAC maintenance company (like us) to tackle cooling tower cleaning, as we have the experience, knowledge and specialist equipment to do this job quickly and safely – and dispose of the slime in a safe way afterwards.

That Slime Is Costing You Money

Having that biofilm living in your cooling tower isn’t a great thing. Not only is it a health risk, but it can also cost you money over time. Not a lot at first granted, but the longer you leave it the more build-up you get, and the more money you end up throwing away. For example:

• Your cooling tower will not be operating as efficiently. Biofilm is an incredibly good insulator, and if it gets into your cooling towers it will affect the way their ability to work properly. This means you will be using more power and more money to keep the towers working properly. To put it into perspective – a layer of biofilm just 1/5 of a millimetre thick will reduce your HVAC efficiency by over 10%!
• You are putting yourself and your employees and even the public at risk. If you have an outbreak of biofilm in your system, it‘s the first sign that worse is to come. You could, for example, be harbouring a strain of waterborne pathogen, holing any number of bacteria and viruses including Legionnaires’ disease. If your premises is close enough to be spraying mist over a local populated area, you are liable for any damages and illnesses stemming from that mist.
• Finally – you are risking a lot of damage to your equipment, which could cost you a small fortune in repairs or replacements. That sulphite reducing or iron depositing bacteria that cause biofilm to form can also destroy steel – the very substance your cooling towers are made of! In severe cases, these bacteria can eat away at 1-inch-thick steel tubing in as little as 18 months. Can you justify replacing your entire cooling system every 2 years just because of some slime?

So ask yourself this – if you have a cooling tower on your premises, when was the last time it was cleaned? If you don’t know, or it was quite a while ago, now is the time to take action. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance cleaning cooling towers is a part of our regular maintenance work on your HVAC system, so having a regular contract with us means you never have to worry about slimy cooling towers again. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

Commercial air conditioning units are big systems, built for the big job they have. Compared to a domestic air conditioner they have to cool a much larger area of water, all while battling the same high heats effectively in warmer months. Not only that, but dozens or hundreds of people rely on a commercial air conditioner to do its job effectively, compared to the three or four who might in a residential setting. That’s why it’s so important to be able to recognise the signs that your commercial air conditioning system might be in trouble, or worse need replacing altogether.

Short Cycles

Short cycling is what happens when your air conditioning unit turns itself off shortly after it starts up. It’s a short cooling cycle the system is running because it’s getting too hot, or there is an internal error. This is causing a problem within your system and interrupting it’s ability to cool air. This causes it to shut down. This is one of the more common issues we see, mainly because it’s an easy one to miss, especially if you’re not paying attention to it. This problem can go on for a long time and eventually cause your system to fail, so if you notice it happening, you need to bring in a professional.

Strange Noises

As a general rule, air conditioners do make a bit of noise. But that noise should be minimal – and it definitely shouldn’t be so loud it’s disturbing people. If your air conditioning system is making a racket, or you can hear strange noises like rattling, screeching or clanging, these are fairly sure signs there is something wrong. Now this might just mean something needs repairing, but if it’s a consistent problem, especially if you’ve left it a while before dealing with it, then you may need to invest in a new system.

Age

This might sound odd, but you shouldn’t just replace your air conditioner when it breaks down. All commercial air conditioners have a recommended lifespan, and most tend to last between 10-15 years. The age your air conditioner can reach will depend on a number of things, including if it’s been properly serviced during its life, how well it’s been maintained and how often it’s used. But if your air conditioning unit is at that 10-15 year mark and you’re noticing issues start to creep up, now is the time to get it replaced.

Less Efficient

If your system is reaching the end of its life, it probably won’t stop working overnight. Instead, it will start to work less and less efficiently, costing you more money as it does, until it eventually breaks down. A few signs that this might be the case include:

• Air flow is not as good as it was
• Air isn’t as cool
• Certain zones of the building won’t be cooled properly
• Water or coolant starts leaking
• Increasing energy bills despite no change in usage

If you see any of these in your system, it might need replacing.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we work with companies to install and maintain air conditioning systems of all shapes and sizes in commercial properties. Our experts can advise you on the right type and size of system for your property, ensure it’s installed correctly and set you up on a regular maintenance plan to prolong the life of your equipment. If you would like to know more, or you think your air conditioning system might need some attention, just get in touch today to book your free consultation.

Being a facilities or property manager comes with a lot of legal responsibilities. There are many areas that need your attention on a day to day basis, which means some of the annual checks can slip through the cracks. But the reality is simple – if you have a commercial property with any kind of gas appliance, it’s a criminal offence not to have a valid Gas Safety Certificate. These certificates need to be done once a year, and are often best done at the same time as your boiler service for convenience. But we know it’s all too easy to forget it needs doing, which often means rushing to find a technician who can do it before the deadline. This can lead to some difficult situations for you, so we wanted to talk about what a commercial gas safety check is, and why quick and cheap really isn’t your best option.

What Goes Into A Gas Safety Check

You may think that a gas safety check is just someone coming to look at the boiler in your building and make sure it’s all working properly and not leaking carbon monoxide into the air. And while domestic gas safety checks are often centred around the boiler (while covering other things as well), a commercial check is a lot more involved. This is partly because the systems used for commercial buildings are bigger and more complex, but also because there are more people using the building and the risk is higher if something were to go wrong. So a good commercial gas safety check will actually cover your entire site, including:

• All boilers
• All appliances in the building, including alarms
• All meters on the premises
• All pipework connected to the gas system

When a technician comes to do these checks, they will do the following on every single one:

• A visual inspection
• Functionality test
• Pressure tests
• Operation tests

This takes a lot of time, but it’s the best way to ensure your building is safe and your gas systems in full working order.

Why Cheaper Isn’t Better

When it comes to gas safety certificates many facilities managers are guilty of leaving it to the last minute, or for looking for the cheapest option rather than the best one. Both of these are understandable given how much these roles require you take on, but they are both incredibly bad decisions that will often come back to bite you in the future.

You see, you will find a lot of companies out there who are offering quick and cheap gas safety certificates for commercial properties. They will come onto your site for half an hour, do a few checks and issue you with the official certificate that means you can prove you met your legal obligations. But the thing is, you didn’t actually meet your obligations at all. As we proved above, a proper gas safety check isn’t just making sure the boiler’s working and there isn’t a leak in your system. It’s a comprehensive check of your entire system to make sure everything is safe, up to code and to flag up any maintenance issues that need to be addressed before they become a bigger problem. That takes a couple of hours to do, and doesn’t cost £50. So you haven’t really got a valid Gas Safety certificate, even if you’re physically holding one.

Contractors that offer this kind of quick and cheap GSC service will often make mistakes because they are rushing to fit in as many as they can, often to cover their own liabilities if they are working on the building in general. So while it might save you a little money in the short term, it’s putting the health and wellbeing of the people in your building at risk, potentially invalidating your insurance, and costing you a lot of money further down the line.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we spend a lot of our time correcting the mistakes of other technicians, particularly when it comes to gas safety checks. We understand the importance of having a comprehensive annual check done, and endeavour to provide you with the best quality service and official documentation to back it up. We carry out gas safety checks for all commercial premises, so if yours is due, or you think you may need to have your appliances rechecked, just get in touch with the team today.

When it comes to any HVAC system, choosing the right one and getting it installed correctly is only part of the process. Once everything is up and running, these delicate systems require regular maintenance and repairs to keep them running smoothly and avoid any nasty surprises. Without regular maintenance work HVAC systems of any type and size can start to break down, leaving you with very expensive bills and maybe even some property damage to contend with. But maintenance isn’t just limited to tightening screws and changing out components. It’s also about one of the less glamorous jobs – cleaning.

What Is A FCU?

FCU stands for Fan Coil Unit, and it’s a fairly standard fixture in most commercial air conditioning and heating systems. It’s designed to move air from inside the system and through multiple components (including a filter, fan blower, condensing coil, plenum box and ductwork) to filter and heat/cool the air before delivering it to the assigned rooms. It’s one of the most efficient ways of heating and cooling air within an HVAC system, but that doesn’t mean it’s without its issues. As a fan coil unit gets older its needs will become more and more frequent, which is one of the reasons regular maintenance is an absolute must.

Why Does It Need Cleaning?

Cleaning is a key part of maintenance work, even though most businesses won’t think twice about it. But here’s the thing. Part of a fan coil unit’s job is to filter air, which means catching all the dust, debris and particles as they move through the system. But all of that debris has to go somewhere, and that’s the filter plate. As you can see in the image below, FCU filter plates can become so full of this debris and dust that they become dense, and air has a harder time moving through them. This means the system has to work harder to push the air through the filter, and the whole system becomes less efficient. Long term this could cause overheating and actually cause your FCU to completely break down – which is a much bigger bill than you want to receive!

To show you what we mean, we took temperature readings of this FCU filter and unit before and after we cleaned it all out. The before readings clock in at around 22.5°C, with a very uneven temperature distribution. You can see the heat is all in the centre, with the edges being left cool or receiving no heat whatsoever. But once the filter had been cleaned out, the temperature was not only more consistent across the whole unit, but it was also the right temperature – 33.3°C. So when we say it’s important to clean your FCU and its filters, we mean it!

Benefits Of Regular FCU Cleaning

Energy Savings: Studies have shown that a dirty or clogged up filter can not only reduce the effectiveness of your HVAC system, but it can increase your energy consumption by 15-25% – so regular cleaning is ultimately easier on your wallet.

Flood prevention: Most fan coil units have a drain line or pan, and if not cleaned and drained regularly it can become blocked up by dirt and debris. This can lead to flooding and cause mould to grow, both of which are bad news for your building.

Extend life expectancy: By regularly cleaning your filters you actively extend the lifespan of your FCU. It prevents things like overheating, burnout of components or unnecessary wear, all of which could contribute to a machine failure.

Better air quality: Indoor air quality is incredibly important, especially if you have people living or working in your building. Having clean filters means they can work more efficiently and filter air effectively, giving you better air quality in your building.

As a general rule, we recommend having your FCU cleaned at least once pr twice a year, to ensure it stays fully functional and running efficiently. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance Ltd we specialise in the maintenance and servicing of commercial HVAC systems. And we love a good clean! We view cleaning as a critical part of our job in keeping your systems healthy. If you’re not happy with your current maintenance provider, or if you don’t know when your filters were last cleaned out, we would love to help. Just get in touch with the team today to book a free consultation.