Summer in New Jersey Punishes HVAC Systems
July and August in Northern NJ are not just hot. They are humid. That combination forces commercial cooling equipment to work harder than most building owners realize. It is not just about dropping the air temperature. Your HVAC system is also pulling moisture out of the air, and that latent cooling load can account for 30% or more of total system demand on a muggy day.
If your equipment is not properly maintained going into summer, you will notice it in higher energy bills, more comfort complaints, and a greater chance of a breakdown during the worst possible week.
Clean Your Condenser Coils. Seriously
Condenser coils on rooftop units collect dirt, pollen, and debris from spring through fall. A dirty condenser coil forces the compressor to work harder to reject heat, which raises head pressure, increases energy consumption, and shortens compressor life. We have pulled coils off units in Hackensack that were 50% blocked and the building owner had no idea.
Get your coils cleaned before the summer peak hits. This is basic maintenance, but it has an outsized impact on performance and efficiency.
Replace Filters on Schedule. Not When They Look Dirty
By the time a filter looks visibly dirty, it has already been restricting airflow for weeks. Restricted airflow reduces cooling capacity, causes uneven temperatures, and can trigger freeze-ups on the evaporator coil. Change filters on a calendar schedule, monthly or quarterly during heavy cooling season for most commercial buildings.
If your building is near a construction site or a heavily trafficked road, consider stepping up to a higher MERV-rated filter or shortening your change interval.
Check Refrigerant Levels
Low refrigerant means low cooling capacity. It also means your compressor is working harder than it should, which increases wear and energy consumption. Refrigerant does not just evaporate on its own, if levels are low, there is a leak somewhere that needs to be found and fixed.
A qualified technician can check refrigerant charge as part of a seasonal tune-up. If your system has been topped off with refrigerant multiple times, that is a sign the underlying leak was never properly repaired.
Verify Your Economizer Is Working
Many commercial rooftop units in New Jersey have economizers, damper systems that bring in outside air for free cooling when outdoor conditions allow. When they work, they save significant energy. When they fail, and they fail often. They either stay closed (wasting energy) or stay open (letting in hot, humid air and overloading the cooling system).
Stuck economizers are one of the most common and most overlooked issues we find during summer service calls in Bergen County and Morris County. Have your technician verify that the economizer actuator, sensor, and damper are all functioning correctly.
Use Scheduling to Your Advantage
If your building is unoccupied at night and on weekends, your HVAC should not be running at full capacity during those hours. Program your thermostats or BAS to raise setpoints during unoccupied periods and start the pre-cool cycle early enough that the building is comfortable when people arrive.
For buildings with Honeywell Tridium or other BAS platforms, you can set up optimal start programs that calculate the right time to begin cooling based on outdoor conditions and building thermal mass. That is free energy savings from equipment you already own.
Schedule Your Summer PM Before It Is Too Late
The best time for a summer tune-up is May or early June, before the heat arrives and before every HVAC contractor in Northern NJ is booked solid with emergency calls. If you have not had your cooling systems checked yet this year, do not wait until a rooftop unit goes down on the hottest day of July.
Call KCG at 973-335-3884 to schedule your summer preventative maintenance. We serve Morris County, Bergen County, Essex County, Passaic County, and the surrounding areas.