Thermostat wars are common in offices. It happens all over America, every day, in every office. One employee keeps the office toasty warm, while everyone else sweats in silence. Or worse, one enthusiastic supervisor insists on freezing temperatures to keep people “alert,” provoking all-out hostilities by the water cooler. With a ductless mini-split system, each ... Continue Reading
Variable Speed Motors: Harnessing the Power of Tesla Tech for Your HVAC System [INFOGRAPHIC]
Today, it’s all about energy efficiency, not just for the sake of preserving our environmental resources, but also in terms of saving you real money when it comes to indoor comfort. The fact is that the tried and true alternating current motor that powered HVAC systems from years past is no longer the best, nor the cheapest way to heat and cool your commercial building. ... Continue Reading
The Truth about the Economizer [VIDEO]
Offices get hot and stuffy, too. But most commercial building windows can’t be opened. The State of California found a genius way to bring that fresh air into the building with a simple equipment change: require outside air intakes on commercial air conditioners. Close the intakes on hot days, but open them on cooler days to draw in outside air and cut run ... Continue Reading
Is Your HVAC Hurting Employee Productivity?
Indoor Comfort Is More Than Just a Meme We wrote about it in this white paper, but the office wars are still upon us. Whether it’s considered too hot or too cold, your employees may still be uncomfortable. What’s worse: employee productivity may be affected. Studies show that uncomfortable indoor temperatures have a significant impact on employee work output and morale. ... Continue Reading
Ways To Make Your Commercial Building’s Indoor Air Smell Less Like Work and More Like a Forest After a Storm
Okay, So Maybe At Least Just Less Stuffy, Anyway The weather has been beautiful lately here in Southern California. While anyone who works in a commercial office building can tell you that it’s sure nice to be inside when the weather isn’t so great in the San Gabriel Valley, we do hear from a lot of people when the air outside is fresh and clean. “My office is so ... Continue Reading
Take Advantage of the HVAC Tax Deduction [VIDEO]
Did you know? Business owners can expense qualified HVAC products at time of purchase and installation As a result of recent changes in federal law, US tax code 179 allows commercial property owners to expense all qualified HVAC products at their time of purchase and installation. But few small business owners are yet aware of the impact these shifting regulations will ... Continue Reading
The Electric Motor for HVAC Goes Hi-Tech
Get the Download on How Variable Speed Motors Can Lower Your Energy Bills Anybody who knows anything about a conventional electric motor can tell you how it works. After all, its design was first settled upon in the late 19thcentury by folks like Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Used in everything from air conditioners to industrial tools and printing presses, you can ... Continue Reading
Thinking about a Solar HVAC System for Your Commercial Business? Watch this Video first.
In Southern California, there’s no shortage of sunshine. It only makes sense to install a solar power system to lower operational costs. Solar panels are a great way to absorb sunlight as a source of energy which can then be used to generate electricity. A solar installation is a serious investment. A high-quality solar system is not cheap. But the day to day savings ... Continue Reading
Southern California Edison Shifts Peak User Times, with Mixed Results for Commercial HVAC Users
Plan Your Utility Usage Accordingly In the heat of summer, it seems intuitive that the most expensive hours for commercial HVAC would be those hot afternoons when even the coldest iced coffee seems to melt immediately, and a team meeting can feel longer than the movie version of Anna Karenina, minus the subtitles. Indeed, it’s worked that way for a while here in the ... Continue Reading
Still Using Freon®? Replacing Your HVAC System May Be Inevitable
If your HVAC system is one of the hundreds of thousands that runs on refrigerants that will be phased out soon, the prohibitive costs of its repair might make your HVAC system’s replacement an urgent priority. Some pre-2009 HVAC units require FREON®, also known as R22, to function properly. But this and other chlorofluorocarbons have been considered to cause ... Continue Reading
Energy Conservation for Commercial HVAC and Office Buildings: Are You Ready to Go Green?
Environmentally responsible heating and air conditioning can save property owners big money, too. Against today’s fever-pitch public rhetoric, “going green” when it comes to HVAC could be construed as more of a political act for a commercial property owner than a practical one. And yet, regardless of your stance on any number of issues, streamlining your heating and ... Continue Reading
Commercial HVAC for Data Centers: Strategies to Know
Avoid Server Performance Issues with Best Practice Installation and Maintenance For many businesses in Los Angeles, computers play a critical role in day-to-day operations. When a server is malfunctioning or down altogether, it can spell disastrous profit margins for weeks or even months to come. Nevertheless, many commercial building owners are not aware of the HVAC ... Continue Reading
Landlords Take Note: High Performance Commercial HVAC Now Mission Critical for Seasonal Weather Extremes
Preventative System Maintenance Essential for Keeping Tenants Happy and Healthy Temps in the San Gabriel Valley can be brutal almost any time of the year. For quality renters with their pick of high-end properties, indoor comfort is more than just a perk; it’s mandatory. If you’re not up to date on the ins and outs of the HVAC system installed in your new rental home, ... Continue Reading
Humidity Control for your Commercial Building: What San Gabriel Valley Business Owners Need to Know
Air-Tro Can Help Address Your System Needs Whether you require cold storage areas within your commercial space, you manufacture certain textiles or paper products, or even do some woodworking as a part of your San Gabriel Valley business, you know that reliable humidity control is a mission critical facet of your overall HVAC system. Choosing the right one, however, ... Continue Reading
Business Owners: Trim Your HVAC Budget Costs with These Simple Energy Hacks
Little Changes in Equipment and Usage Add Up to Big Money for Commercial Property Owners We all like to save money, but it’s especially important for business owners to cut costs wherever they can to maximize profits. Check out these easy ways to streamline your energy expenses. Even using just one of them will result in more efficient HVAC performance for your ... Continue Reading
HVAC Pump on the Fritz? Check for These Common Issues
Use This List to Assess Your Commercial HVAC Pump HVAC pumps are an important mainstay of your overall commercial heating and cooling system. They’re working continuously to send liquid through your other equipment connected to them, including boilers, water towers and more. Most commonly a centrifugal or booster pump, unfortunately these can break or fail. Here are ... Continue Reading
Hi-Tech Flu Protection: Using UV Light in Your HVAC at the Office
After All, Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant. With “sick building syndrome” in the news lately, there’s a lot of concern right now about mold and other bacteria in the air we breathe at work. And it turns out that those fancy commercial office buildings constructed in recent years often provide little ventilation and a whole lot of moisture for dangerous contaminants ... Continue Reading
Improve Indoor Comfort and Lower Costs with Energy Efficient HVAC
Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference to Your Bottom Line. Did you know that most commercial buildings spend up to 8% of their operating expenses on heating, cooling and ventilation, according to recent US Department of Energy estimates? That translates into a lot of money for many commercial building owners, especially when you consider that increased energy ... Continue Reading
Banish the Flu Bug with UV Light: Keep “Sick Building Syndrome” at Bay in Your Office
This time of year workplace absenteeism climbs as cold and flu viruses make the rounds. What can you do to protect your employees? How about safely sterilizing the air they breathe at work? Haven’t we all had our hearts sink when we’ve heard a coworker sneeze in the office, or complain about “just a little sore throat?” In today’s competitive business environment, ... Continue Reading
Too Hot in the Office for Some People, Too Cold for Others? Ductless Mini Splits Are Your Answer!
You Can Make Everybody Happy with the Right HVAC for Your Commercial Building Southern California winters are notorious for being a little bit of everything: sometimes the coldest morning will yield to a warm, pleasant afternoon. It’s hard to know what to wear to the office, let alone how to manage the indoor temperature. And assuming there’s more than one person who ... Continue Reading
Heating and Air Conditioning President by Day, Monrovia Chamber of Commerce President by Night
No Jacket Required, but a Good Calendar App Helps Note: Bob was too shy to write about himself, so we at Air-Tro did it for him. Enjoy! As a longtime board member of the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce, Bob Helbing has participated in just about every aspect of its development and operation in past decades. And this year, he’ll be serving as Chapter ... Continue Reading
Start The New Year Off Right: Commercial HVAC Service Suggestions
Easy Maintenance Now Translates Into Big Savings Later The fact is that even the best HVAC equipment requires regular service. To ignore these tasks is to risk later equipment breakdowns. Even worse, a commercial unit that hasn’t been maintained properly may still work, but with a severe reduction in energy efficiency. The end result? You may be paying far more in ... Continue Reading
This Old Commercial Building: How Ductless Mini Splits May Be Your Solution
Ductless Mini Splits Offer Flexibility, Energy Efficient HVAC Does your commercial property score points for charm while costing you a fortune in energy expenses? Is your commercial property difficult to heat or cool efficiently? Is it impossible to install ductwork or venting due to construction limitations, building age, or overall design? Say hello to a ... Continue Reading
HVAC Memes and Pix You Didn’t Know You Needed
Who Knew Furnace and Air Conditioning Issues Were On Everyone’s Minds? It’s that time of year again in Southern California, when you’re never sure if it’s going to be hot enough to need the AC or cool enough to mean the furnace should be on. Apparently this isn’t as simple an issue as it seems! Whether you hang out at home or spend most of your time in a commercial ... Continue Reading
Could Your HVAC Refrigerant Be Leaking?
The Signs May Be There, Here’s How to Tell While indoor comfort is important for residential spaces, some would argue that it’s even more critical in a workplace environment. Research has clearly linked employee productivity with a comfortable temperature. And if it’s seemed hotter lately than you might like inside your office or warehouse despite a reasonable ... Continue Reading
