My HVAC Hobby

When you own a commercial facility, you need a cooling strategy that is developed specifically for that facility. In particular, if you own a bakery, there are numerous elements you should consider to make sure your air conditioner is as efficient as possible. Keep these tips in mind.

1. Consider Zone Cooling

If you're putting in a new commercial air conditioning system, you should consider setting it up with seperate zones. In most cases, the area where you keep your ovens is going to be a lot hotter than the front of house where your customers are.

So that you can keep these areas at relatively consistent temps, you may want a seperate air conditioner for each area. You also need a separate thermostat so you can control each area separately.

2. Reduce Hot Air Coming Through the Front Door

With a busy bakery, there are likely to be a lot of customers coming and going through the front door. Every time they open the door, that can let in hot air, and that can cause your air conditioner to work even harder.

To minimise the amount of hot air that comes into your facility, you may want a vestibule. That is a double set of doors with a small foyer or entryway between them. Most of the hot air comes through the first set of doors into the foyer, but it isn't as likely to get through the next set of doors into your bakery.

If a vestibule is not possible, you may want to look into PVC curtains. They can hang over the entryway and help to prevent air from getting in or out.

3. Focus on Ventilation

Although you want to stop hot air from coming in through the doorway, you want to let hot air out of other parts of your bakery. In particular, hot air from ovens or stoves can build up in your bakery, and when it mingles with the cold air, that can lead to condensation. The condensation can lead to mould, slippery sports on your floors or other issues.

To combat this, talk with your commercial air conditioner installer about your ventilation needs. At a minimum, you should have hood fans over your stoves and vents in your ovens that take the hot air outside. If you still have a lot of condensation, you may want to put in a dehumidifier. That can help to pull water from the air as well.