Using natural sources of heating, cooling and ventilation
When it comes to HVAC, there is one simple way to maximise your savings – use natural sources of heating, cooling and ventilation as much as possible.
The more you use your ‘artificial’ heating, cooling and ventilation equipment, the more you’ll pay for your energy bills.
Natural ways to cool: If it’s cool outside and hot inside, all you have to do is open the windows and doors – ideally on opposite sides of your building – to facilitate cross ventilation. Just remember to turn off the air conditioner.
Natural ways to heat: Keeping warm is as simple as maximising the winter sun coming through windows; using the thermal mass of your building to store heat; closing the office blinds at night; and increasing insulation to keep heat in.
For more ideas on how to use nature to cool and warm your premises, check out ‘Step 10 – Insulation’.
It’s surprising how many people open the windows during the hottest part of the day to ‘cool down’ their premises. Doing so only brings in hot air and makes the air conditioner work harder, increasing cooling costs.
If it’s a hot day and the air-conditioning is on, make sure your staff are trained to keep the windows shut. You should only open windows when there is a cool change that can bring cooler air into your building. When you do this, you should turn off the air-conditioning.