Importance of a Commercial HVAC Maintenance Plan

The performance, efficiency, and longevity of your commercial HVAC equipment will depend largely on how well and how often the equipment is maintained. Commercial-grade air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, or boilers can be very expensive to purchase or replace, while regular preventive maintenance is relatively inexpensive and lets you get the most out of your HVAC equipment over the longest period of time. Establishing a commercial HVAC maintenance plan or service contract with your trusted local HVAC professional is a good way to ensure that maintenance is performed regularly and on time each season.

What Is a Commercial HVAC Maintenance Plan?

A commercial HVAC maintenance plan, sometimes called a service contract, is an agreement between you and your HVAC contractor for regular HVAC system inspections, maintenance, and tune-ups. The contract will usually provide for a specified number and extent of maintenance visits to your home, performed on particular types of HVAC equipment, at defined intervals. For example, a maintenance plan may entitle you to two in-depth maintenance visits per year, one each for your heating and cooling equipment, performed at the beginning of your area’s heating or cooling season.

What Good Is Commercial HVAC Maintenance?

Commercial HVAC maintenance plans ensure that your heating and cooling systems are in the best condition possible and will function properly throughout the extent of heating or cooling season. Commercial HVAC maintenance contracts also:

• Ensure the continued function of your HVAC systems, limiting the possibility of equipment downtime and discomfort for your employees and customers.
• Reduce system breakdowns or failures that could require costly repairs or even complete system replacement.

Prevent delays in maintenance appointments that can result from the high demand for maintenance and repair services at the beginning of heating or cooling season. Maintenance plans also shift the responsibility of timing and scheduling to your HVAC service provider. Forgetting to schedule preventive maintenance is a major reason behind HVAC equipment neglect. With a commercial HVAC maintenance plan, your contractor will call you to set up the necessary appointments. Regular maintenance tied to a commercial HVAC maintenance plan will also pay off in improved equipment efficiency and reduced heating and cooling costs. By keeping your HVAC equipment in good repair, you will:

• Reduce system downtime by up to 35 percent.
• Cut overall energy consumption by as much as 30 percent.
• Stop 70 to 75 percent of unexpected equipment breakdowns.
• Decrease overall maintenance and repair costs by up to 20 percent.

Remember that a maintenance contract will be an additional expense above and beyond your monthly heading and cooling expenses. Prices for these contracts can be in the hundreds of dollars and will vary based on the frequency of appointments, the extent of services provided, and the time of year the maintenance visits are performed. The benefits and convenience of a maintenance contract, however, will almost always justify the expense.

Some Questions to Ask

• Is the equipment still under warranty? A service plan may not be necessary if the HVAC equipment and its components are still protected under a manufacturer’s or dealer’s warranty.
• Is the equipment to be serviced older or in poor condition? Older HVAC equipment or units in bad shape are probably better candidates for replacement rather than a service contract. Even preventive maintenance might not be enough to keep a nearly-dead furnace or air conditioner going all season.
• Can you do some basic maintenance yourself? Being able to take care of some basic maintenance tasks yourself, such as changing the air filters or cleaning the unit, will relieve your HVAC technician of routine chores and allow him to focus more on technical issues.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial and Residential settings. For more information on the importance of commercial HVAC maintenance plans and the plans we offer, and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!