Winter Weather Tips for Commercial Building Owners

While so many people look forward to the winter and colder weather, commercial building owners, service, and maintenance teams know that a challenge lies ahead. They’re responsible for the upkeep of commercial facilities and buildings so they must prepare for the winter.

Here is the winter building checklist that will tell you what to pay attention to the most.

Heating Systems

When it comes to cold weather, heating systems need extreme maintenance. This should be your top priority. The best thing to do is to schedule your inspections according to a written plan to make sure that you address all maintenance tasks on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual level.

Remove and clean burners regularly and check flues for carbon build-up as you don’t want to risk dangerous carbon monoxide and dioxide leaks. If your equipment is older than 10 years, replace it. Safety and efficiency should be your top priority.

Cooling Systems

Cooling systems should also be on top of your facilities winter checklist. Since you won’t be using these during winter, the best thing to do is remove of them. This includes emptying the condensate drain trap and shutting down the chiller and draining cooling tower.

Anything that needs electrical maintenance should be handled delicately to avoid any accidents. Nowadays, almost all heating and cooling systems are fully electrical. Cold winter days could damage your cooling systems and its delicate electronics so make all necessary repairs and take precautions to ensure maximum safety.

Calibrate Thermostats

Since you can use thermostats to structure your heating systems, this is a real cost-efficient solution when you need your systems to operate more efficiently. So, calibrate thermostats for optimal temperatures.

Power Outages

Every building has power lines which can be damaged by wind, snow, moisture, and ice. No one wants power losses, so inspecting backup power sources as part of your regular electrical maintenance is the best way to ensure proper operation. One of the most useful tips we can give you is to make sure that your winter maintenance includes all electrical equipment.

Lighting

Lighting is one of biggest energy consumers, so you need to pay special attention here. Installing sensors to dim or turn off lights is a good way to go, but there’s also building automation that allows for centralized control of all systems such as ventilation, heating, cooling, lighting, and so on.

Apply all these useful tips and your commercial property will stay safe during winter despite how low temperatures get. These tips aren’t here only to make sure your property is safe but they’re also good suggestions on how to improve energy usage and make your property more energy efficient. For any electrical help this winter, reach out to MSC Electrical today!