An HVAC System’s job is to maintain the temperature of your office building. HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilating/Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. Your HVAC system keeps your building cool in the summer and warm in winter.
According to the Consumer Energy Center, 44% of your utility bill is just for heating and cooling your building. Needless to say, it’s important to maintain and upgrade the components of your HVAC system to take control of your energy bill. What are those components that need to be maintained? Let’s break it down for you:
1. Thermostat
This is the part of the HVAC system with which you’re most likely familiar. The thermostat is how you program the temperature of your building. Depending on the temperature of the building, it will either warm or cool the air supply. Then the HVAC system circulates the air to reach the desired temperature on the thermostat.
2. Furnace
The furnace is the largest component of your HVAC system. Its main function is keeping a supply of air warm and ready for distribution through the building. It heats the air by either electric resistance, solar energy collected on site, combustion (burning natural gas, oil, coal, or propane), or using the heat pump.
3. Heat Exchanger
This is a part of your furnace as well. It switches on when the thermometer activates the furnace. It pulls in cool air and warms it up, then circulates it through your ducts or vents.
4. Evaporator Coil
This is also a part of the furnace, located on the outside of it in a metal enclosure. But the evaporator coil cools the air when your temperature is set to a lower temperature with the help of the condensing unit.
5. Condensing Unit
The condensing unit connects to the evaporator coil on the furnace. It’s installed by HVAC contractors who fill it with refrigerant gas. This gas is then cooled to a liquid by the heat exchange with the exterior air. Then the condensing unit will send the liquid to the evaporator coil where it returns to a gas state.
6. Refrigerant lines
These lines carry the refrigerant in the form of a gas to the condensing unit and also return it, in liquid form, to the evaporator coil. They are narrow tubes that are often made of copper or aluminum.
7. Ductwork
This is the system that transports the hot or cold air from the furnace throughout your entire building. They are often composed of aluminum.
8. Vents
These are the openings from the ducts that actually guide the air into each room of your building. They can be manually opened or closed. You can also direct the vents in a specific direction where you want air to flow.
That’s how your HVAC system works!
All those components help your HVAC system:
- control the air temperature in your building
- ventilate and decontaminate the air that enters your building
- promote proper air movement
- control the moisture content in the air.
Now that you know how important your HVAC system is to your environment, are you ready to get your system serviced before the cold winter months ahead?
Contact us at 336-788-5407 or Submit a Service Request!
Information and Image Sourceswww.nsf.orgwww.ul.com