Whether it’s a freezing-cold office building where the employees resort to heavy sweaters and space heaters, or an overheated warehouse where employees are sweating in the middle of winter, it’s a sign something isn’t right with the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).
Donald Dodge, Business Development Manager with Efficiency Nova Scotia, says comfort is often an issue in buildings where HVAC systems are malfunctioning or multiple systems are working against each other.
“We see situations where the tenants on one side of a building keep calling the building manager because they’re all cold, while on the other side of the building they’re all calling because they’re too hot,” says Dodge. “That means something is not right. Your tenants are uncomfortable and your building is using more energy than it needs to be using.”
Efficiency Nova Scotia can help any type of commercial property from new construction, custom projects and even building recommissioning where they’ll help investigate potential energy efficiency issues.
“Energy efficiency works for everybody. It improves your bottom line, improves your competitiveness and makes for happier, more comfortable tenants who are able to concentrate on their work,” says Dodge.
Efficiency Nova Scotia can organize for HVAC professionals to visit a building for a full investigative study. The study helps determine if the equipment in the building is set properly and if the different components are working together or not.
“Maybe a building has very old equipment that needs to be replaced, but it might just need to have variable frequency drives installed on its motors and fans,” says Dodge. “Even without replacing any equipment, an investigation study focusing on recommissioning existing equipment can lead to as much as 200,000 kWh of energy in a single year.”
Dodge says it’s the ultimate compliment when a building owner has been so pleased with Efficiency Nova Scotia’s help on one building that they come back to ask about potential energy issues in their other buildings.
He says building owners shouldn’t let worries about potential costs keep them from calling Efficiency Nova Scotia — they’re there to help.
“Our job is to help guide them and show them what’s available to offset any costs,” says Dodge. “Whether it’s a small business or one of the largest buildings in town, we always try to find a way to help them.”
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