HVAC Meaning

Understanding the basics about HVAC is essential for property owners because the system will affect their property in many ways. Besides the comfort and well-being of the people inside the building, HVAC also affects the safety, operational cost, and even aesthetic of the building itself. This article will tell you about more than just the HVAC meaning, but also every fundamental thing you need to understand about it.

So, what is HVAC?

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. However, the term covers more than just those three things. Basically, everything that has to do with a property’s air circulation, air health, and thermal comfort falls under this umbrella.

• Heating

The heating systems are most often necessary during winter. Thus, these are rarely present in buildings located in tropical climates. There are various types of systems that provide this service, such as furnaces, boilers, floor heaters, and heat pumps. Each of them has different technology and energy sources.

• Ventilation

An engineered ventilation system is necessary to promote airflow when natural ventilation systems are insufficient. There are many parts of the system that fall in this category, such as air handlers, exhaust fans, and ceiling fans. The ventilation category also includes systems that promote air quality, such as air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and an air quality monitoring device.

• Air Conditioning

Unlike the heating system, the air conditioning system aims to cool down the indoor air temperature to provide thermal comfort for the people in it. You can use either a central system, a split AC, a portable unit, or a window unit. There are also heat pumps, which can work as both cooling and heating systems.

Getting the Right HVAC for Your Building

In general, there are two types of HVAC systems: centralized and decentralized systems. A centralized system consists of a central AC as the cooling unit, a furnace or boiler as the heating unit, and ductwork to distribute the treated air to every room in the building. Meanwhile, a decentralized system consists of separated systems where each unit serves one or several rooms at a time without ductwork. Since each building has its unique needs and budget, no one system fits all. You need to browse all the options to determine which systems would work best for your situation. The factors to consider include type, size, efficiency rating, space required, and even aesthetic aspects. When installing your HVAC system, make sure to leave it to licensed professionals. It might be against the law to perform the job without specific skills and documentation. Moreover, an incorrect installation may lead to inefficient operation and early breakage.

Caring for Your HVAC Unit

Before installing the system, you need to educate yourself about what you should and shouldn’t do with the specific unit you buy. Furthermore, you need to perform maintenance every six months. The best times to do this are about three weeks before winter and three weeks before summer. The service includes a thorough cleaning, a checkup, a tune-up, and some repairs, if needed. Every time there is a problem with your system, call for professional help. Let them inspect and fix it before the problem gets worse. Ignoring issues will lead to bigger problems that might be even harder to fix. Understanding the HVAC meaning is necessary for every property owner and manager. Of course, you can hire a professional HVAC service company to deal with those things. But a little bit of basic knowledge will help you a lot along the way.     ECM Air Conditioning, with its headquarters located in Boynton Beach, FL, provides air conditioning services within Palm Beach County, Broward County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County. If you’re looking to have a new HVAC system installed, we’re on-call and ready to assist you. So if you’re in need of an HVAC installation, don’t hesitate to contact us today to schedule an inspection! Our HVAC installation experts will check your ductwork, measure, check wire sizes, and more before making recommendations to ensure maximum efficiency and comfort. Call us at 561-295-1763 or contact our HVAC installation team online by clicking here.