Commercial HVAC from a Licensed Silicon Valley HVAC Contractor
Rooftop units (RTUs) are the workhorse of Bay Area light commercial. The four equipment platforms we service most: Carrier 48TC (3-25 ton single-zone) and 50TC (heat pump variant) — fielded extensively in 1990s-2010s tech-corridor construction; Trane Voyager YHC (gas/electric) and YHE (heat pump) in 6-25 ton — heavy presence in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara office parks; York/JCI Predator (XP-series) 7.5-12.5 ton — common in retail and restaurant properties built 2005-2018; and Lennox Energence — popular in newer LEED-targeted buildings. Each has distinct quirks. Carrier 48TC econ damper actuators (Honeywell M7415) routinely fail at 8-12 years; Trane Voyager Symbio control boards have known supply chain issues post-2021; Predator units have well-documented condenser fan motor failures. Our techs know each platform.
BACnet integration is increasingly standard on commercial properties built after 2015 and a frequent retrofit on older buildings. We work with BACnet/IP and BACnet MSTP networks, integrating RTUs, VAV boxes, fan-powered terminal units, and exhaust fans into building management systems running on platforms like Tridium Niagara, Distech EC-Net, Johnson Metasys, Siemens Apogee/Desigo, and Automated Logic WebCTRL. Common scope of work: writing BACnet object lists for new RTU replacements, troubleshooting MSTP token-ring communication failures (often caused by improperly terminated trunk wiring or rogue devices with duplicate MAC addresses), and tuning PID loops on heating and cooling sequences that hunt or drift. Pure controls work bills hourly ($165-$210/hr) rather than flat-rate.
Title 24 Part 6 nonresidential differs substantially from residential Part 6. Commercial sections require: economizer operation on cooling units 4.5 tons and larger (Section 140.4), demand control ventilation on systems serving densely-occupied spaces over 750 sq ft (Section 120.1), supply fan VFD control on units over 10 tons, fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) on units over 4.5 tons in many occupancies, and specific minimum SEER2/EER2/IEER values for new equipment that step up roughly every 3-year code cycle. The 2022 update added lighting-mechanical interactive sequences and tighter FDD requirements. Replacement of an existing RTU triggers code requirements proportional to scope — a like-for-like swap on an existing curb may avoid full Title 24 compliance, but a curb replacement or capacity change typically does not.
Preventive maintenance contracts are the most cost-effective tool for light commercial. Typical scope: two visits per year (spring cooling-season prep, fall heating-season prep) on 5-10 ton equipment, three visits per year on 11-25 ton equipment. Each visit includes belt and pulley inspection, bearing lubrication where applicable, coil cleaning (condenser and evaporator), filter replacement (typically 2-inch pleated MERV 8 standard or MERV 13 for indoor air quality requirements), refrigerant pressure log, electrical termination torque check, gas pressure verification on gas-heat units, combustion analysis with CO test, condensate drain pan and trap clearing, economizer damper actuator function test, and BACnet trend log review for contract clients with BMS access. Pricing scales with tonnage and unit count — typical 5-ton single-RTU dental office runs $1,200-$1,800/year; 12-ton three-RTU office runs $2,800-$3,800/year; multi-tenant properties with 8-15 RTUs run $4,500-$8,500/year.
What's Included in Every Commercial HVAC Job
- Light commercial 5-25 ton scope: RTUs, package units, ductless splits, mini-split branch box (BC) systems, condenser-water systems
- Carrier, Trane, York/JCI, Lennox, Daikin, Mitsubishi factory-trained service
- BACnet/IP and BACnet MSTP integration with Niagara, Metasys, Apogee, WebCTRL, EC-Net
- Preventive maintenance contracts $1,200-$4,500/year typical for 5-15 ton scope
- 24/7 emergency response for PM contract clients (4-hour SLA Peninsula)
- Title 24 Part 6 nonresidential code-compliance documentation
- ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation calculations and DCV (demand control ventilation) commissioning
- EPA Section 608 universal-certified refrigerant handling for R-410A, R-32, R-454B, R-134a, R-407C
- Annual combustion analysis with documented CO ppm readings on every gas-heat unit
Common Commercial HVAC Issues We Resolve
RTU compressor short-cycling on high-pressure trip
Cause: Dirty condenser coil from cottonwood, eucalyptus pollen, kitchen grease (restaurant rooftops), or failed condenser fan motor
Fix: Coil cleaning with chemical wash (alkaline coil cleaner + low-pressure rinse), condenser fan motor diagnostic with amp-clamp, replace if drawing over rated FLA. Typical $450-$1,200.
Economizer not opening when outside air is favorable
Cause: Failed Honeywell M7415 or Belimo damper actuator, drift on outside-air enthalpy sensor (Honeywell C7400), or BMS sequence override left in manual
Fix: Test actuator at 0-10V control signal, verify enthalpy sensor calibration with handheld psychrometer, review BMS overrides. Typical $380-$950.
BACnet device dropping off the trunk intermittently
Cause: Improperly terminated MSTP trunk (missing 120-ohm end-of-line resistors), duplicate MAC address, baud rate mismatch, or noise from nearby VFD
Fix: Network analyzer verification, MAC audit, baud confirmation, separate VFD power runs from BACnet shielded cable. Hourly billing, typical 2-6 hours.
Tenant complaints of stuffy office air
Cause: Outside air damper closed or stuck, undersized OA based on ASHRAE 62.1 occupancy assumptions vs actual headcount, or DCV CO2 sensor drift
Fix: CO2 spot measurement (target under 1,000 ppm during occupancy), OA damper position verification, ASHRAE 62.1 recalculation. Typical $480-$1,400 if recommissioning required.
High gas bill on rooftop heat-cool unit
Cause: Failed reversing-flow control, leaking gas valve, or simultaneous heating and cooling from sequence error
Fix: Combustion analysis, gas pressure verification, BMS sequence audit, pilot-vs-HSI inspection. Typical $420-$1,800.
Condenser water temp climbing on water-cooled office system
Cause: Cooling tower fan failure, scale buildup on condenser tubes, low water flow from clogged strainer, or chemical treatment lapse
Fix: Tower inspection, tube brushing, strainer clean, water treatment audit with chemical service partner. Typical $1,200-$4,500.
Restaurant kitchen makeup air imbalance
Cause: Hood exhaust larger than makeup air supply causing negative pressure, doors hard to open, dining room cold drafts
Fix: Pressure mapping with manometer, MAU (makeup air unit) capacity verification, hood DCV controls if installed. Typical $850-$3,200.
Our Commercial HVAC Process
Site Assessment
Walk the roof and mechanical spaces, inventory equipment (model and serial), photograph condition, review BMS if present, interview building engineer or facility manager.
Scope + Proposal
Written scope of work with PM visit cadence, repair pricing tiers, code-compliance scope (Title 24, ASHRAE 62.1), BACnet integration if applicable, and SLA terms.
Initial Service or Install
First PM visit or installation work performed. Baseline readings logged: refrigerant pressures, electrical amps, gas pressures, CO ppm, OA CFM, supply CFM.
Ongoing Service
Scheduled PM visits twice annually (5-10 ton) or three times annually (11-25 ton). 24/7 emergency response for contract clients with 4-hour Peninsula SLA.
Reporting
Quarterly written reports for property managers and building owners summarizing work performed, equipment health trends, recommended capital planning items.
Commercial HVAC Pricing in the Bay Area
Typical commercial hvac pricing in our Silicon Valley service area runs $480 – $45 000 project or annual contract. Most jobs complete in PM visit 2-6 hours; major repair 4-12 hours; RTU replacement 1-3 days.
Every quote is flat-rate and provided in writing before work begins. Diagnostic fees are waived when repair is approved. We never use time-and-materials billing surprise pricing.
Local Context: Commercial HVAC in Silicon Valley
The Bay Area light commercial HVAC market concentrates in the Mountain View / Sunnyvale / Santa Clara tech corridor (Highway 101 / Lawrence Expressway / 237), Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto, the San Jose North First Street corridor, and the South San Francisco / San Bruno biotech belt. Equipment vintages skew toward 2000-2015 installations now reaching capital-replacement decisions — a 12-year-old 10-ton Carrier 48TC2 has hit its expected service life and replacement decisions involve 2025 Title 24 Part 6 compliance, R-410A phase-down economics, and increasingly heat pump conversion to align with Bay Area Air Quality Management District rules and city electrification reach codes (Berkeley, San Jose, Mountain View, Palo Alto). Title 24 nonresidential 2022 update added FDD requirements that retrofit incrementally on equipment replacement. PG&E A-1 and A-10 commercial rates plus SVCE / PCE generation charges make peak-demand reduction valuable; we coordinate with energy service contractors on demand response programs and BAAQMD wood-stove and gas-equipment grant programs where applicable.
HVAC Brands We Service for Commercial HVAC
Commercial HVAC FAQ
Do you serve commercial properties under 5 tons?
Yes — small commercial (1-5 ton) is essentially residential equipment in a commercial occupancy and we handle it routinely. Examples: small dental offices, single-tenant retail under 1,500 sq ft, satellite tech offices. Pricing follows our residential service rates plus a small commercial-occupancy adjustment for after-hours access requirements (badged entry, security escort, etc.). Above 25 tons (large commercial / industrial) we partner with specialized firms for chillers, central plants, and steam systems.
What does a commercial PM contract typically cost?
Pricing scales with tonnage, unit count, and access complexity. Typical ranges: 5-ton single-RTU dental office or small retail $1,200-$1,800/year (2 visits); 10-12 ton three-RTU office building $2,800-$3,800/year (2-3 visits); 15-25 ton multi-RTU property $3,800-$5,500/year; multi-tenant buildings with 8-15 RTUs $4,500-$8,500/year (3 visits plus filter changes between). Contracts include 24/7 emergency response with 4-hour Peninsula SLA, priority parts sourcing, and 10% discount on non-PM repair work.
Can you integrate with our existing BMS / BACnet system?
Yes. We work with BACnet/IP and BACnet MSTP across all major BMS platforms: Tridium Niagara N4, Johnson Controls Metasys, Siemens Apogee and Desigo CC, Automated Logic WebCTRL, Distech EC-Net, KMC Conquest, and Honeywell ComfortPoint. Scope ranges from writing BACnet object lists for new equipment integration to troubleshooting MSTP communication issues, PID loop tuning, sequence of operation programming, and trend log review. Pure controls work bills hourly at $165-$210/hr.
What is Title 24 Part 6 nonresidential and how does it affect my building?
Title 24 Part 6 is California's building energy code. The nonresidential sections (140-141, 120) apply to commercial buildings. Key requirements: economizer operation on units 4.5 ton+, demand control ventilation on dense occupancies, FDD (fault detection and diagnostics) on units 4.5 ton+ in many occupancies, supply fan VFD on units over 10 ton, and specific minimum SEER2/EER2/IEER on new equipment. Replacement scope determines compliance trigger — like-for-like equipment swap on existing curb often avoids full code work; capacity change or curb replacement typically triggers compliance.
How do you handle ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation requirements?
ASHRAE 62.1 specifies minimum outside air per person and per square foot by occupancy type. Office: 5 cfm/person + 0.06 cfm/sf. Restaurant dining: 7.5 cfm/person + 0.18 cfm/sf. Conference room: 5 cfm/person + 0.06 cfm/sf (with DCV typically required given high peak occupancy). We measure outside air CFM at the OA damper with a flow hood or pitot traverse, calculate required minimums based on actual occupant load, and commission DCV (CO2-based) where applicable. Common finding: outside air dampers stuck closed or jammed at minimum position from years of no actuation.
How fast can you respond to a commercial no-cool call?
PM contract clients: 4-hour SLA on the Peninsula (Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Cupertino, Santa Clara), 6-hour SLA in East Bay (Fremont, Hayward, Union City). Non-contract clients: best-effort dispatch, typically same-day if called before noon, otherwise next business day. Tenant-occupied commercial spaces with documented business-critical needs (data closets, server rooms, medical refrigeration) get priority routing regardless of contract status — we do not let a vaccine refrigerator fail over technicalities.
Do you replace rooftop units and handle the crane?
Yes. RTU replacement is one of our common project types. Typical scope: pre-replacement Title 24 compliance check, OEM equipment specification, crane scheduling (typically Hayes Crane Service or Bay Counties Crane), curb adapter fabrication if needed (for replacing an old Carrier with a Trane, etc.), refrigerant recovery from old unit, set new unit, gas hookup with leak test, electrical hookup, refrigerant charge per nameplate, controls integration with BMS, full commissioning with BACnet verification, and Title 24 documentation. Typical 7-10 ton RTU replacement runs $14,000-$28,000 installed depending on equipment tier and scope.
What about condenser-water cooled office buildings?
Condenser-water systems (water-cooled package units, water-source heat pumps) are common in 1980s-2000s mid-rise office buildings, especially in San Francisco, San Jose downtown, and Mountain View core. We service the package units and water-source heat pumps. For the central plant — cooling tower, condenser water pumps, chemical treatment — we partner with specialized water treatment firms (ChemTreat, U.S. Water Services). Our scope: WSHP service, riser balancing, isolation valve service, plate heat exchanger maintenance.