Summer is upon us, and with it comes temperatures soaring into the triple digits. At work, it can be a commitment to keep yourself and all of your employees cool throughout the day. More often than not there’ll be someone at the thermostat lowering the temperature and wondering if the cooling system is broken.

We get it! No one wants to be sweating it out at work all summer long. That’s why we’re here with some awesome HVAC summer tips that’ll have you staying comfortable day in and day out while the cooler seasons approaches.

TUNE YOUR HVAC SYSTEM

The most inopportune time for your Commercial HVAC system to shut down on you is the summertime. A shutdown would result in lost work hours and revenue while repairs happen. Even a brand new HVAC system, like a new laptop, will degrade in performance over time if not taken care of correctly. This makes it all the more important to have periodic HVAC maintenance to identify and fix any problems within your HVAC system before they become disasters. Work with your Commercial HVAC service, and find a schedule that works for you to make sure your cooling system does not break down during the peak temperature hours.

While you may not be a certified HVAC technician, you can play a part too! Your air duct filters around your business need replacement at least once every quarter. Air filters trap dust and debris circulating to ensure you have clean, breathable air inside. If left uncared for, air filters can block air circulation and result in musty and unclean air, as well as overwork your Commercial HVAC system and raise your energy bill. New filters are cheap and affordable, and only take minutes to take down and install. Do what you can to make sure business is breathing comfortable air.

CHANGE YOUR LIGHTING HABITS

While the weather itself can make it unbearable to work without air conditioning, there’s things you can do to limit the indoor heat. Light oftentimes pairs up with heat. Here’s a few HVAC tips to help with your lighting scenario.

For starters, if you still rely on incandescent lights to illuminate the workplace, it’s time to swap them out. While incandescent lights are powerful, they produce a lot of heat. You would know they do if you have ever touched one with your bare hands after it was just on for some time. Take measures to change out these warming light bulbs for ones that don’t generate heat, like LED or fluorescent light bulbs.

Another option is to use natural light as much as possible. The sun offers free lighting; if you have a lot of windows in your business you might want to opt for "free" daylight lighting for open workspaces and offices to save money on your daily lighting usage.

Lastly, install occupancy sensors throughout your workplace. These sensors detect movement, so when no one is present it’ll shut off the lights automatically. Plus it’s rather enjoyable to be the first one in the office and have the lights flash on as you walk from the front desk to your own.

Summer Energy Saving Tips to Save Money on Commercial HVAC

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BLINDS AND FILM

Besides reducing costs by replacing heat emitting lights, another way to stay cool is to limit the amount of sun that shines through your business. Blinds don’t only work at home, they work in offices too! Whether you’re a fancy guru and like unique wood blinds, or one that’s content with generic white pull-down blinds, both are great for blocking the sun out of your workplace. Setting up blinds on the West and East sides of your business is a good start, as those directions are where the sun wakes up and goes to sleep daily.

Window film is yet another way to keep your building cool and lower your energy cost. Its polarization reflects incoming heat waves, and you can easily tell the difference in temperature when putting your hand against two adjacent windows, one with film and one without. Window film also gives your business a little privacy, making it harder to see outside in than vice versa.

Utilizing both blinds and film can save you lots of energy cooling down the workplace. On average, business using both of these options can keep their thermostats 3 to 5 degrees higher than businesses who run their HVAC system all day, every day.