Author: Andy

Maintaining optimal indoor air quality (IAQ) in commercial buildings relies heavily on several factors, including humidity control. Poor humidity control can affect your HVAC equipment, building materials, and your tenants’ health. The challenge for many commercial property owners is knowing the right humidity level for their building to ensure that the best quality air reaches the indoor space and prevent the damage caused by too high or low humidity.

The Effects Of Air That’s Too Dry

Excessively dry air in your building can cause the wood behind your walls to deform and crack. Paint may begin to chip and fall. Dry indoor air also increases the risk of electrostatic discharges, damaging sensitive electronic equipment, and possibly compromising essential or sensitive data.

When indoor air is too dry, small particles such as dust or viruses linger in the air longer. These contaminants can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory system or cause viral illnesses in your building occupants, which could spread through your building and have devastating effects on your tenants’ business.

Problems Caused By High Humidity Levels

If you feel the air is too dry in your building, which is a common concern during winters in Southern Ontario, raising the humidity level may solve the problem. However, like air that’s too dry, excessively humid indoor air can cause damage to your building’s materials, tenant discomfort, and health problems.

The problems high humidity can cause depends on where moisture gathers. For example, condensation on metallic surfaces or systems constructed of cast iron can cause rust. Wood within walls and paint are also vulnerable to the effects of accumulated moisture.

High humidity creates a breeding ground for mold and dust mites, which can trigger allergies, cause asthma flare-ups, and result in respiratory irritation in your building’s occupants. You can rectify this problem by keeping humidity levels at an optimum level, in which case mold and dust mites die off.

What Is The Right Humidity Level For My Building?

In most buildings, we recommend a humidity level of between 40 – 45 percent. Humidity levels that drop below 30 percent are typically considered too low. Over 50 percent humidity is generally considered too high.

Your building’s recommended humidity level will depend on several factors, including whether you’re located in an area that experiences extreme outdoor air temperatures or levels of humidity. The proper humidity level also depends on whether your building has adequate ventilation, the age or condition of your HVAC system, and if you operate combustion appliances and equipment that can increase indoor humidity.

It can also be helpful to check for visual signs of improper humidity levels. Although it might not be feasible to look for damage to wood within the walls or your machinery, you can look for these indicators that might suggest if the humidity level needs to be adjusted:

• Condensation on outward-facing windows
• Signs of mold
• Building occupants seeming congested or complaining they can’t breathe very well

Your HVAC system plays a significant role in controlling the relative humidity level in your building. Call your HVAC technician for recommendations on the proper humidity levels for your building and how to maintain them.

Keep Humidity Levels With The Proper Range

The easiest way to control relative humidity in your commercial building is to have a qualified HVAC technician inspect the condition of your HVAC system and, if necessary, get recommendations on components that will keep your air humidity level within the optimal range.

For example, energy-recovery ventilation (ERV) systems can help by recovering moisture from exhausted indoor air to raise the humidity of dry incoming air from the outside. They also work in reverse to remove some of the moisture from incoming outdoor air that is too humid.

In other words, ERVs operate as both humidifiers and dehumidifiers, ensuring that the indoor air is kept at an optimal level throughout the year.

Remember that devices that help you better control humidity should be considered an investment, not a cost. The price of installing an ERV unit is significantly lower than trying the fix the damage to the walls, equipment, and components within your commercial building – not to mention the cost of shutting down your building due to a viral infection breakout.

As always, you’re welcome to call us anytime to learn how Springbank Mechanical Systems makes commercial HVAC maintenance easier, safer, and more cost-effective.

Gregg Little, Paul DeThomasis, and Hugo Lopes are co-owners of Springbank Mechanical Systems. You can reach them at 905-569-8990 or via email at gregg@springbank.com, paul@springbank.com, or hugo@springbank.com.

With Ontario continuing its reopening strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are inviting their employees back into their offices. Although many welcome this development as a return to “normalcy”, many people are hesitant to go back.

They cite several reasons for their reluctance, including social anxiety after being isolated and preference for their home-based routines. However, top of mind with many people is the fear of infection.

Commercial property managers can help alleviate these fears by ensuring they provide optimal indoor air quality (IAQ). Top-level IAQ can be accomplished by reducing the contaminants that can spread indoors through their HVAC system.

You can help enhance the IAQ in your commercial property with these five strategies: Continue reading “5 Best Practices to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Commercial Properties” →

It’s no secret that companies are going through revolutionary changes to adopt more sustainable practices. The public at large is now expecting corporations to demonstrate how they are viewing new product research and development through a climate lens. This has left many businesses scrambling to reallocate resources toward new environmentally friendly innovations.

Commercial property managers face the same challenges, especially when upgrading their HVAC systems to embrace new green innovations that attract tenants, manage energy consumption, and keep operations profitable.

Enter the IoT (Internet of Things) to help solve these issues.

IoT technology has revolutionized the commercial HVAC industry in several ways. They improve energy efficiency by allowing complete control of a space to be heated or cooled. Remote connectivity provides better customer service and product support. It also provides rich data that helps you optimize your system for continued efficient operation.

Continue reading “How IoT Is Revolutionizing Commercial HVAC” →

As COVID-19 case numbers decline, the Government of Ontario is moving forward with its reopening plan. This means that companies in commercial office buildings will be starting to welcome their employees back to the workplace.

The phased reopening also coincides with the return of hot, humid weather in Southern Ontario, prompting property managers to prepare their buildings’ air conditioning systems for regular seasonal use.

Here’s how you can properly start up your A/C system to preserve climate-controlled comfort for your building occupants, especially if it’s been sitting idle for several months. Continue reading “Re-Opening Ontario : Safely Starting Up Your Commercial A/C System” →

When exploring HVAC options for commercial buildings, many property managers take a close look at rooftop HVAC units (RTU’s) for the number of specific benefits they offer over split systems.

RTU’s are generally used for low-rise buildings with large, open spaces such as department stores, shopping malls, warehouses, factories, and more. They’re best suited for single-story installations because the air doesn’t have to travel far to the internal space. However, they’re also popular with multistorey buildings less than nine stories high, as long as there is ample space on the roof and appropriate ductwork already in place.

Continue reading “Should You Get A Rooftop HVAC Unit?” →

The ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented shift in the number of people working from home. The work-from-home trend has left many office buildings and other high-occupancy buildings operating with fewer onsite staff than ever before.

During periods of low occupancy, property managers need to balance the climate needs of security, maintenance, reception, and other essential staff still on the premises with the need to scale down their HVAC requirements to save energy.

Here are nine ways you can optimize your HVAC energy consumption while your building has low occupancy:

Continue reading “9 Tips for Running Your HVAC System During Low Occupancy” →

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold here in Canada, a spotlight has been shone on seniors long-term care facilities and the extra precautions taken to protect the older adults who reside in one.

That’s because the coronavirus has proven to be very dangerous to seniors, with the risk of infection increasing with age. Also, since the virus is known to be transmitted through surface contamination, physical touching, and airborne particles, facility owners are taking steps to manage this and future pandemics so that they protect the health of their residents, as well as facility staff and visitors.

Some of the common steps to controlling the spread of the virus include restricting access to the facility, limiting contact between residents, and deep cleaning throughout common areas. However, added protections can also be implemented into existing and new HVAC systems to help purify the inside air everyone in the building breathes.

Continue reading “How HVAC Protects Seniors in Long-Term Care Homes” →

The HVACR industry uses refrigerants in various appliances such as dehumidifiers, process cooling, air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers, in order to cool our office/homes or refrigerate products.

However, many refrigerants contribute to global warming and ozone layer depletion, which has a negative effect on the environment as a whole. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from some refrigerants absorb infrared radiation and hold it in the atmosphere, causing what’s known as the greenhouse effect.

The good news is that the scientific community has been working hard for the last 20 years to develop solutions that will not only slow down the environmental impact of these substances, but also try to reverse them. Along with cooperation from the global community, ongoing research is promising.

What Effect Do The Different Types Of Refrigerants Have On The Environment?

There are generally three types of refrigerants used in HVAC and refrigerator/freezer applications, all of which have been known to have a negative effect on the environment:

• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC): CFCs have an excellent reputation as a cost-effective cooling agent with low toxicity and flammability risks. However, they also contain fluorine, which contributes to CFC’s negative impact on the ozone layer, which has resulted in it being phased out in recent years.

• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC): This refrigerant was used as a replacement for CFCs to slow the depletion of the ozone layer, although it too is not completely ozone-friendly. It’s also a greenhouse gas that’s much more potent than carbon dioxide, and has contributed to chlorine buildup in the atmosphere.

• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC): HFCs have become a preferred choice for refrigeration manufacturers as they don’t deplete the ozone layer as much as CFCs or HCFCs. However, they do significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, potentially adding to global warming.

Due to growing public awareness and concern over ozone layer depletion and global warming, worldwide initiatives have been introduced, ratified, and implemented to reduce the use of these refrigerants, with the unified goal of helping to reverse the effects they’ve had on our planet.

Fighting Ozone Depletion From Refrigerants

In 1987, The Montreal Protocol was ratified to repair the damaged ozone layer. As the very first agreement signed by every nation in the world, this truly global effort aimed to phase out the production and consumption of numerous ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs, as well as reducing reactive chlorine and bromine in the stratosphere. The Protocol spurred the HVAC industry into changing the types of refrigerant they use in commercial air conditioning and refrigeration from CFC to HCFC, which has less of an impact on the ozone layer.

Addressing Contributions To Global Warming From HFCs

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol came into effect in January 2019. This amendment required all signatories to limit the use of HCFCs in refrigerators and air conditioners by more than 80 percent. With the gradual phasing out of HCFCs, along with CFCs before them, HFC refrigerants began to become the favoured refrigerant in cooling systems and appliances as they have a lesser impact on the ozone layer. However, HFC’s potential to add to the global warming situation has caused concern that we’re solving one problem but making another worse.

Seeking Alternatives To Chemical Refrigerants

This has created a demand for chemicals that can be used as refrigerants without causing damage to the ozone layer or adding to global warming. Several have already been removed from consideration due to the harm they may cause the environment.

There has been significant research into natural refrigerants, which are not man-made and have a negligible impact in the environment. One example of a natural refrigerant that is making its way into the market is propane, however this type of hydrocarbon, although environmentally friendly, is much more hazardous for installers and service personnel to work with.

Other natural refrigerants, such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, and water are also being used for larger HVAC and refrigeration applications.

Read More: 4 Signs Of a Possible HVAC Refrigerant Leak

Looking Forward To A Cleaner Future

We continue to see the benefits of the Montreal Protocol in the gradual recovery of the ozone layer, which is expected to be returned to pre-1980s condition by the middle of this century. The slow healing process is due to ozone-depleting agents remaining in the atmosphere and causing damage for many years, as well as temperature shifts and dynamics due to other man-made causes.

For example, although the Antarctic ozone hole is at its smallest since the recording of its size began in 1982, it’s not expected to recover to pre-1980s condition until sometime in the 2060s. However, it’s been noted that by removing 98% of substances that deplete the ozone layer, an estimated two million people have been saved from contracting skin cancer every year.

In the meantime, the Montreal Protocol continues to see nations of the world working together to help heal the environment. Here at home, the team at Springbank Mechanical Systems is ready to adopt new technology that works efficiently for our clients while creating a better world for future generations.

Gregg Little, Paul De Thomasis, and Hugo Lopes are co-owners of Springbank Mechanical Systems. They can be reached at 905-569-8990, or via email at gregg@springbank.com or paul@springbank.com or hugo@springbank.com.

Technology has been changing the way we live, work, and play for years. In the HVAC industry, tech is also revolutionizing how we help commercial property managers heat and cool their buildings.

Thanks to mobile connectivity, system automation, software platforms, and equipment upgrades, technology continues to innovate in ways that help companies cut down on energy costs while making HVAC system management easier and more efficient.

Here are 4 different ways that technology is transforming commercial HVAC systems:

Technology Enables HVAC Systems To Become More Eco-Friendly

With public demand for sustainable, green technology at an all-time high, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional means of heating and cooling are becoming more commonplace in the market.

For example, geothermal heating and cooling systems are slowly eliminating the need for petroleum-based systems. Geothermal heat pumps use ground and water sources to generate the energy needed for HVAC systems to heat and cool buildings. Alternatively, solar power can be used in combination with gas so property managers can easily switch between the two to better control energy use.

Adopting sustainable solutions not only cuts your energy costs, but also increases the value of your property while future-proofing your HVAC system and attracting more long-term tenants.

Cost-Effective Installations, Upgrades, And Repairs With Ductless Systems

Southern Ontario is currently hot with new commercial building construction. However, there are still many older buildings currently in use that were built at a time when controlled HVAC systems were more the exception than the rule. Many of these buildings rely on boilers and radiators to heat their spaces in the winter, and electric fans and open windows for cooling in the summer.

Updating these buildings with an HVAC system is next to impossible, especially if there’s no space to install ductwork. Even if there is space, the cost to install the system might be out of range for building owners.

Fortunately, VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) HVAC systems offer the perfect solution for older buildings, or anywhere HVAC upgrades are needed but space is at a premium. They also provide a cost-effective alternative for modern buildings with air leaks from holes or cracks in their ducts that result in significant repair costs.

Software Platforms That Offer Automated Temperature Control

Manually setting thermostats to control your building’s climate is a thing of the past – or at least it can be with innovative smart HVAC system technology that automates the entire process for you.

Building automation systems (BAS) allow you to control your entire building’s facilities, including HVAC, lighting, and power, from one central dashboard. These systems are completely customizable to your building size, occupancy levels, and energy requirements, and allow you to monitor and adjust system performance when your needs change.

Read More: Stay In Control With Building Automation Systems

Properties can also be fitted with occupancy sensors that customize the level of ventilation by monitoring the number of people in an area or zone, and adjusting fan speed and air movement accordingly. They can also track outdoor conditions such as sunlight, humidity, and temperature and use this information to properly heat or cool the area. For example, if a space doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight, the system will turn down the cool air in the summer and provide more heat in the winter to that particular area.

Zone control systems offer another way to control energy use by setting temperatures to an individual space’s requirements. For example, an occupied office has different climate needs than an unoccupied office or a file room that’s only used occasionally. Zone control systems enable you to distribute the appropriate airflow to exactly where and when it’s needed.

Read More: The Benefits of Commercial HVAC Zone Control Systems

All of these automated solutions allow for better overall control of your HVAC system, leading to long-term energy savings thanks to advanced technology.

Convenient HVAC Controls Through Wi-Fi Connectivity Technology

There isn’t a lot that you can do on your laptop that you can’t on your mobile device. That goes for HVAC controls too.

Thanks to wireless technology innovations, you can control and monitor the temperature, airflow, and humidity levels of your building from anywhere through robust Wi-Fi connected software on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

This also enables your HVAC maintenance team to monitor your system and make preventative maintenance recommendations from anywhere by collecting data and generating reports that identify system status, usage trends, and past performance. If repair is necessary, your maintenance team will already have the information necessary to spend less time diagnosing the problem and more time working on repairs.

Here at Springbank Mechanical Systems, we use technology in our day-to-day operations as well. Our software tools and platforms are designed specifically for the HVAC industry, and work to give our customers the best experience possible. We employ technology that streamlines task management, allocates resources efficiently, enhances our communications, and provides timely technical support whenever you need it.

We firmly believe in the power of HVAC technology to make your HVAC system operate more reliably and with better cost-efficiency over the long term. If you’d like to discover how HVAC technology can help you save money, give us a call anytime.

Gregg Little, Paul De Thomasis, and Hugo Lopes are co-owners of Springbank Mechanical Systems. They can be reached at 905-569-8990, or via email at gregg@springbank.com or paul@springbank.com or hugo@springbank.com.