How Warm Should Your Building Be During Winter?

Posted on: 31 March 2020

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What's the best temperature for your business in winter? It depends on what you do and your financial goals. Here's how to figure out the best temperature and the most economical way to do it.

What Will Keep Your Customers Comfortable?

The first thing you should think about is what will suit your customers. This doesn't always mean toasty warm, though. People will often come in wearing jackets and sweaters that they won't take off, especially if you run a store where people quickly come and go. The best thing you can do is dress like your customers and see what temperature feels best.

What's the Coldest You Can Go?

You may have areas like a warehouse that you don't need to keep comfortably warm. However, just like your home, you need to keep your pipes from freezing. You may also have products and equipment that can't get too cold. That usually means heating all spaces to at least 55 degrees. Your commercial heating services contractor can help you set up a zoned system if you want to let some areas get chilly while others stay toasty for your employees.

What's Your Energy Budget?

You probably know how high your home heating bills can get in the winter, and business heating bills can go even higher. You likely already know that the property size contributes to the bill, but you also have to deal with other sources of heat loss like doors constantly opening and closing all day. This could mean your energy bill could get out of hand if you aren't careful.

You'll want to look into several energy efficiency improvements. You can start by installing a more efficient heating system. You may also want to add things like double sets of doors or revolving doors to keep more heat inside. Adding insulation in your ceiling or walls can also help.

How Warm Is Too Hot?

You also don't want to go too far in the other direction and make things too hot inside. High temperatures can damage products, especially for foodservice businesses. You also create a risk of high humidity. For businesses with health concerns, such as health clinics or barbershops, high temperatures can help viruses and bacteria grow. If you're having trouble with some areas getting too hot while others get too cold, you may need to have your HVAC contract adjust your ducts and vents.

To learn more about how to comfortably heat your business while saving money, contact a local commercial heating services contractor.