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Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

In Newfoundland and Labrador, space heating and cooling is responsible for over 50% of the energy used in commercial buildings.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

In Newfoundland and Labrador, space heating and cooling is responsible for over 50% of the energy used in commercial buildings. Improving the energy efficiency of your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system can be an important step in reducing your energy costs.

Improving the Efficiency of HVAC Systems

For some buildings, especially larger ones, the HVAC system is most likely an integrated system that provides all services - heating, ventilation and air conditioning. These HVAC systems require specialized expertise to install and maintain, but there are some key ways to reduce the amount of energy used by your system:

  • Make operational changes, such as reducing HVAC requirements when the building is unoccupied (e.g. after hours) and adjusting areas that are regularly too hot or cold.
  • Complete regular maintenance, as the need for repairs to equipment (e.g. leaky duct work) can dramatically reduce the efficiency of your system.
  • Utilize efficient fans, which can help to optimize efficiency and airflow, subsequently reducing energy use.
  • Install heat recovery, which transfers heat from warm exhaust air to cool air coming inside the building, thereby reducing the amount of energy needed to heat the air.
  • Improve the building envelope, as the amount of energy needed to heat or cool a space is directly related to how well it is insulated. Read more about improving your building envelope.

Over time, there may need to be adjustments to the parameters of an HVAC system to reflect new energy codes, best practices, or changes to the internal layout and use of a building. Any of these may affect HVAC performance and cause over or under ventilation, heating and cooling.

Choose ENERGY STAR

In some instances, HVAC services may be provided by a series of smaller pieces of equipment. ENERGY STAR-certified models can be found for many pieces of HVAC equipment in Canada. These products are generally the most energy-efficient options can be a good step towards reducing the amount of energy used to meet your HVAC requirements.

Additionally, the EnerGuide label is mandatory on a number of products in Canada, such as air conditioners. While this label doesn't identify the most energy-efficient options, it does tell you how much energy a product uses and can be useful when comparing options.

What have others done?

solar panels

Flowers River Lodge in northern Labrador installed a solar power system to produce electricity for their fishing lodge. The site was previously powered by a diesel generator that produced approximately 52 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year and consumed approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel. Since installing the solar power system, the lodge has met its energy needs and reduced its impact on the environment.

In this section

Codes, Standards, and Certifications
Building Envelope
Lighting
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Green Leases