In most large buildings (and some smaller ones), natural ventilation is not enough to provide acceptable levels of comfort or health due to extremes of heat and humidity, together with odours, dust and airborne bacteria. If you are thinking about upgrading or repairing your existing Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system or installing a new one, K2 Heating and Cooling Solutions Ltd are here to help.
What is HVAC?
So, what does HVAC stand for? It’s an acronym that groups together 3 areas of technology that provide environment control (heating, cooling, and air quality) for building interiors. When designed well, these 3 (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) systems will work in unison to keep commercial and residential buildings at a pleasant state for optimum work and home comfort.

So HVAC meaning is the term we use as an umbrella for the following areas:
Heating
Modern buildings can be heated in numerous ways. A traditional central heating system may form part of your HVAC system which will heat a building by sending hot water from your boiler through pipes into radiators. Alternatively you may have more modern energy efficient options in place like a heat pump. Either way, you can control localised temperatures accurately and efficiently with a modern HVAC console.
Ventilation
Ventilation draws air from outside the building and typically passes it through an exhaust system to purify it before pumping into the building interior. This will provide a source of fresh air thats had any harmful toxins removed from it, thus improving the overall indoor air quality.
Air Conditioning
Air conditioning works by taking the existing air in a room and either heating or cooling it before releasing it back into the room. This allows you to adjust the temperature of a space to your requirements as modern AC systems will both cool and heat.
Does your home or business premises provide acceptable standards of air quality?
To provide adequate comfort for workers or residents, a minimum of around four air changes per hour are required and this can rise to around 50 changes per hour in certain environments (e.g. nightclubs). This is to deliver a comfortable temperature, adequate air circulation and freedom from airborne contaminants such as dust, smoke, pollen and microbes; it also ensures companies are meeting current health and safety regulations.

Benefits a modern HVAC system can bring
Unlike their clunky and inefficient predecessors, modern HVAC systems are discreet, quiet and lean-running. They are packed with useful features to optimise their performance and are often controlled by a sophisticated control panel or even via a smartphone.
Increased efficiency & reduction of bills
Modern HVAC systems are up to 4.5 times more energy efficient than their predecessors and can shave as much as 80% off an average energy bill. When weighing up the cost of replacing your current system, be sure to add energy savings into your calculations as you may be surprised at how quickly you would recoup that initial capital outlay.
Increased compliance
The government are increasingly toughening up on energy efficiency in buildings. For example, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires all landlords, facility managers and property owners operating a system of 12kW or more to submit to annual TM44 inspections (something K2 can carry out). Even if your system is currently certified as compliant with EPBD, will it be in five year's time? What happens if the efficiency targets are tightened up?

Health and safety
There is also Health and Safety and environmental legislation to think about. Are you providing a safe working environment for your workforce and clients? Can you guarantee that there are no hidden refrigerant leaks within your premises? If you can't confidently answer 'yes' to these questions, you should seriously consider upgrading your system.
Smarter environmental controls
A new system will not only be more energy efficient and kinder to the environment, it will also be quieter, more aesthetically pleasing and smarter, with integrated computer software for automation and user control. Systems vary in what features they offer but there are plenty of novel features to enjoy.

Hiring the right HVAC contractor
HVAC installation and maintenance requires specialist knowledge to ensure systems are working properly and meet required standards. If you’re looking for a team of experienced and professional HVAC contractors, K2 are ready to discuss your project.