With the growing tenant demand for healthy, safe, and energy-efficient building environments along with strict new government standards, proper HVAC management is critical. And the most energy efficient HVAC systems are the ones utilizing HVAC management software.
If you’re a commercial real estate (CRE) landlord wondering how to make a commercial building more energy efficient, it starts with evaluating your HVAC system.
Here are the three most common issues property owners and operators are facing when it comes to commercial HVAC energy efficiency.
Problem #1:
You’re under- or over-ventilating your building, wasting money, and putting your occupants’ health at risk.
Solution:
Maximum indoor air quality (IAQ) and proper building ventilation is essential for tenants’ comfort and health. Both the CDC and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) have set IAQ standards for commercial buildings. It’s on CRE landlords to maintain those standards.
The CDC has identified the following ways to improve building ventilation:
- Open outdoor air dampers beyond minimum settings to reduce or eliminate HVAC air recirculation
- Open windows and doors to increase outdoor air flow
- Adjust HVAC systems to increase total air flow
- Turn off any demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) controls that reduce air supply based on occupancy or temperature during occupied hours
- Run HVAC systems at maximum outside air flow for two hours before and after the building is occupied
The right software can help CRE landlords quickly increase or decrease fresh air exchange in buildings. Benefits of proper building ventilation also include improved tenant experience and higher tenant renewal rates.
Problem #2:
You lack HVAC management, leading to poor visibility into how and where energy is being wasted (and therefore where your money is wasted).
Solution:
On average, a commercial building’s HVAC system can account for 50% of total energy usage for a CRE property. Energy efficiency in commercial buildings can significantly boost your NOI. Energy efficiency is found money.
Technology built specifically for HVAC energy efficiency in commercial buildings provides a solution right at your fingertips. Such software offers CRE properties the capability to reduce energy consumption by plugging into your existing building management system (BMS) to automatically optimize HVAC settings across your buildings. The result is a reduction in energy consumption (and costs). You can increase your NOI by reducing operating expenses by 20%.
Problem #3:
You’re getting excessive hot and/or cold complaints from occupants, frustrating tenants and eating engineers’ time.
Solution:
A building technology solution offers proactive ways to meet tenants’ needs before complaints are filed. And with engineers sometimes maintaining multiple buildings at once, it’s important to find a solution that works for everyone.
Consider an intelligent HVAC management system with a virtual engineer partner that proactively manages building temperatures to stay ahead of problem zones. A tool with a virtual engineer partner monitors and learns your equipment operations. It can also leverage AI and data inputs to make real-time micro-adjustments to maximize tenant comfort.
The Bottom Line of Commercial HVAC Energy Efficiency
The high cost of energy management in commercial real estate eats away at your bottom line and it can cost you more if your buildings aren’t sustainable. An intelligent HVAC management system, integrates directly into existing BMS or building automation system (BAS) and implements real-time data to:
- Reduce energy consumption
- Improve tenant comfort
- Exceed IAQ standards
An intelligent HVAC management system can improve operational efficiencies, help your portfolio meet its sustainability goals, and increase NOI – all with no capital investment. Reach out to us to learn more.
