Choosing the Best Commercial Air Conditioner for Your Building

The commercial air conditioner you choose for your building will need to be efficient; this can mean investing in a name brand model that may be more expensive to install, but which reduces your utility bills over time. A high-quality model will also mean less maintenance and a unit that doesn't interrupt your day with lots of noise as it operates. Note what is meant by that and a few features to look for when deciding on the best commercial air conditioner for your building.

Steel housing

The housing of a residential air conditioner is usually made of lightweight aluminium, which is often cheaper than steel but thinner and not as durable. Outside a residential home, an aluminium housing may be sufficient as there is little risk of that housing getting damaged. However, for a commercial facility, there may be more risk of errant forklift drivers running into that housing, damage from debris flying off a truck, or gravel being kicked up by heavy trucks as they enter and exit your parking lot. To protect your air conditioner from this potential damage, opt for a steel housing for your unit rather than aluminium.

Larger grill openings

You may think that larger grill openings would mean that the fan of the commercial air conditioner would make more noise, but note that fan blades are often noisier when air circulation is restricted around them. By opening up the grill of the air conditioner housing, the fan may actually run more quietly, and you are less likely to be bothered by the sound of a large unit. Look for those larger grill openings, especially if the housing unit will be located near your workers.

Energy efficiency

Air conditioners are rated according to their energy efficiency, but you need to understand what this rating indicates. The more efficient the unit, the more electricity it directs to the actual cooling mechanisms, versus the energy needed for running the other features of the unit, including the thermostat, evaporator, and the like. It's good to understand this because an energy efficient air conditioner may still use large amounts of electricity if it needs to cool a very large area. If you opt for a larger unit than your previous unit, if you set the thermostat to a lower temperature, or if you want the unit to cool a larger area than you had covered with your old unit, your energy bills may not go down, but you will be spending less than if you opted for a less efficient model for those same needs.