Most businesses don’t think much about their heating options until they decide to renovate or move into a new building. While this may not seem like a top priority decision, the heating system you choose can determine the comfort of your tenants and your potential cost savings during the winter.
Most businesses use either a combustion furnace or a heat pump. The combustion furnace uses heat produced from burning oil or gas to warm air and push it through the air ducts. This process is fairly simple and inexpensive, but is also inefficient. Older buildings may only achieve 65% efficiency using combustion heating.
The typical alternative to combustion heating is a heat pump. This energy-efficient system condenses and circulates warm air from the atmosphere. Refrigerant in the heat pump extracts the heat and then transfers it to the coil to be pushed into the space via the duct system. This heating is more energy-efficient, but it cannot achieve as high temperatures as combustion heating.
However, there is a third option: a hybrid heating system.
Also referred to as dual-fuel systems, this heating alternative can save you on your electric bill during the winter months. In hybrid heating systems, the heat pump is backed up by a combustion heat system. The less-efficient heat system is only used when the heat pump can’t achieve the desired temperature. You can turn the combustion system on automatically, or to be manually activated.
As compared to having only a combustion heating system, hybrid systems can save businesses nearly 50% on their heating bills annually. That’s a big cost savings, and one which won’t leave your tenants out in the cold. While hybrids are more expensive than traditional heating systems to install, the savings can help you pay for the unit within three to five years.
If you want to learn more about hybrid heating systems, contact your local MaintenX team today. They can help you decide whether hybrid heating is right for your facility, and offer affordable installation services no matter what you choose.
