HVAC maintenance costs should be calculated in relation to the overall cost of the system. Generally speaking, it is not expensive to maintain a system compared to the cost of overall replacement through inadequate maintenance. The manufacturer will give a detailed maintenance manual, which should be referenced on a regular basis. Just as you would pay attention to upkeeping your vehicle, consider HVAC maintenance costs as an investment in the life of your system.

Remember that heating, ventilation and air conditioning are vital systems that must be in place before an organization can achieve true productivity. In many cases, occupancy of the building is not viable unless it has these systems in place and in certain jurisdictions, the business may not operate unless the internal temperature and conditions are up to code. The selection of an HVAC system is a considerable choice for the building owner. Systems will, on average, last up to 15 years if a program of maintenance is maintained. Unfortunately, this is often not the case and the first time that attention is given to the system is when failure occurs.

You should always bear in mind that HVAC maintenance costs are preventative and if followed correctly will prevent the system from failing before it’s time. When choosing a system, consult a designer accordingly, as the unit’s appropriateness for a building is not guaranteed and this can have, once again, a considerable bearing on its overall life.

Remember that a program of maintenance requires you to change not only filters, but belts and lubricants at specified intervals. Coils will need to be cleaned to ensure that heat transfer is constant and ash needs to be removed from heat exchange surfaces or inefficiency will surely result.

As HVAC systems are expensive and difficult to replace, it is advised that a computerized maintenance program be maintained. Where this is not the case, ensure that a log is kept and ideally attached to the outside of the unit so that inattention can be noticed. According to experts, you should spend 70% of your upkeep costs on preventative actions and 30% on corrective maintenance, to bring the unit to its best level of performance.

Technology moves very quickly and it is true to say that units which were designed and built 10 years ago are far less efficient than modern counterparts. However, it is not easy nor necessarily budget effective to replace units at regular intervals. Retrofitting solutions can be considered though as these incorporate cutting edge solutions and can often bring a unit to a very high level of efficiency without the need for replacement.

Ten years is a long time in politics and science as well, with a lot more focus being placed these days on energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction than a decade ago. As such, there is additional incentive to consider retrofit solutions as part of your HVAC maintenance costs. An investment in retrofitting can pay dividends in reduced maintenance costs and operational costs and will help to ensure that the operator of the system becomes more carbon compliant.

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