Whether it’s air conditioning in the warmer months, or heating throughout autumn and winter, HVAC will have a huge impact on your hospitality standards – not to mention your guests’ experience (and their reviews).
Add to this your need to stay compliant with changing regulations, and growing pressure to reduce running costs as well as your carbon footprint, and it becomes clearer that replacing older, less reliable commercial HVAC systems could be the best move for your business.
Rising energy bills
In general, older HVAC systems are much less efficient than modern units, and could be even less so if they haven’t been looked after properly. Dirty filters, wear-and-tear and poor insulation will also strain your system, forcing it to work much harder for the same output, and using more electricity in the process.
With energy prices high, this kind of inefficiency will soon add up. But if you look to install a newer, more energy-efficient system, it’s likely you’ll reduce your utility bills from month to month, and stay in control.
A risk to your reputation
Guests may be more likely to complain about temperature than anything else. Over-enthusiastic aircon and too-hot bedrooms can only create unhappy guests and negative feedback, or, worse, fewer repeat bookings.
And too-hot, too-cold discomfort doesn’t just impact guests, either. Working in uncomfortable conditions will easily affect your team’s morale, as well as their service – both things that will negatively impact your business, and ultimately contribute to more lost revenue.
Non-compliance and possible fines
If your system is starting to age, you could well be falling short of your legal obligations. Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), any commercial air conditioning systems with a rated output over 12kW must have regular TM44 inspections by an approved assessor to check they’re well maintained and running efficiently – standards an older system might not meet.
Similarly, any use of products that contain F-Gas (fluorinated greenhouse gases) must meet requirements around record keeping and maintenance.
Plus, if a system is ever found to be causing health concerns through poor indoor air quality, or a refrigerant leak, you could even be exposed to a legal claim, making those regular checks – and potential upgrades – vital.
Mounting maintenance costs
Older systems are far more prone to breakdowns, which not only cause disruption, but can result in costly repeat repairs.
Unless you’re carrying out regular preventative maintenance, many issues are often only detected when they’ve caused a problem, too. Investing in newer equipment, however, will give you access to smarter systems that can flag faults before they cause downtime, and affect your guest experience.
Environmental impact
Inefficient HVAC systems cost more to run and will probably increase your carbon emissions, slowing your progress towards your Net Zero goals. Poor energy performance will also affect your ESG ratings and green credentials, which will be important to stakeholders across your wider business.
Upgrading to newer models with better controls, eco-friendly refrigerants, and energy-saving tech will help you reduce your footprint while improving comfort and control.
For more support and advice on upgrading your venue’s commercial boilers and air conditioning systems, why not contact one of our experts?
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