Heating Systems Options For Your Commercial Building
Heating a commercial building is not like heating your home. The building is much larger, the ceilings higher, and getting the temperature comfortable for people working inside can be tough. Several options are available for consideration if you own a large commercial space Some are more practical than others.
Heating The Air
While it might sound funny, heating the air is essentially what most commercial systems do. A boiler is used to heat water that circulates through large heat exchangers that are hung high on the wall around the building. Fans then push the air through the heat exchanger, warming it, which then warms the room. The system has been in use for many years, and while it works, the air cools quickly, so it's hard to keep the space feeling warm for very long. Since the system runs every few minutes, the cost associated with this type of system can be high.
Radiant Heating Systems
Heating the building with a radiant heating system is similar to the hot air heating, but instead of using a fan to move the air around, the radiant system uses radiators mounted around the perimeter of the space. A boiler is used to heat the water that circulates through the radiators with a pump. Heat rises off the pipes and through the radiator fines, warming the area. The cost to operate the system is a little lower than a hot air system, but the heat is better distributed and more consistent.
Solar Heating
Heating your commercial space using solar collectors can save you a lot of money. The way the system works is similar to radiant heating, but instead of heating the water with a boiler, the water in the system is heated by the sun. Water circulates through pipes that run to a solar collector on the roof of your building and then through a series of coils inside the collector. As the water travels through the coils, the sun heats it substantially. Once it is hot, the water is circulated back into the building and produces heat through a radiant system.
The cost to set up a radiant system is higher than a standard boiler system, but the savings over the long run can make a huge difference for a small company. The system does not need a lot of maintenance to operate smoothly, but if your business is in a region that sees a lot of snow, you may have to clean the collectors off from time to time.
Contact a commercial heating provider like Mercury Tec for more information.