Commercial HVAC in Amherst, MA
- Powers Air HVAC, based in Granby, MA
Powers Air HVAC is owner operated and based in Granby. Drew ran a larger service operation and deliberately went back to a leaner model: his own work, plus a trusted network of plumbing subcontractors. For a property manager or landlord, that means the person who walks the building is the person who specifies the job and stands behind it.
What we take on in commercial and multifamily buildings
- Ductless mini-splits and heat pumps, single and multi-zone
- Central air conditioning, furnaces, ductwork and ventilation
- Electrical panel upgrades, change-outs and EV charger installation, done in-house by Powers Air
What Amherst homes are working with
The rental and multifamily stock is what changes the buyer. Instead of one homeowner deciding once, you have a landlord or property manager making zone-by-zone calls across buildings that were converted over decades: a first-floor unit with its own heat, an upper floor still on the original boiler, an addition heated by baseboard. Each failure lands on an occupied unit, usually in the coldest week of the year, and the choice is between patching the old system and replacing it. Amherst’s student rental market adds a scheduling problem, because leases tend to turn over on a fixed annual cycle and the useful window for work in occupied buildings is short.
There is a second group of buyers: owner-occupiers with older houses and a real appetite for electrification, and mixed-use buildings with a shop or office downstairs and apartments above. A large share of this housing has no ductwork at all, because it was built around steam or hot water radiators, which is the ductless case in one sentence. Where there is no natural gas, delivered oil or propane sets the running cost, and that is where heat pump economics differ most from a gas town.
What we see most often:
- Converted houses with radiators and no ductwork
- Oil or propane boilers sized for the original house, not for the units it now serves
- Window air conditioners and electric baseboard in rooms the old system never reached
- Electrical services that were never upsized for the load added since
How we size and specify the system
Every recommendation starts with a load calculation for the space, done unit by unit or zone by zone, not a rule of thumb per square foot. For residential-type spaces that means a Manual J. The result tells us how much heating and cooling each space needs at design conditions, and equipment is chosen to match it.
Oversizing is the common failure. A unit that is too big satisfies the thermostat quickly and shuts off, then starts again minutes later. That short cycling wears the compressor, leaves rooms clammy in summer because the system never runs long enough to pull moisture from the air, and produces the temperature swings tenants complain about. Bigger is not more comfortable.
For heat pumps we look at capacity at low outdoor temperatures, not the headline number. Cold-climate models carry an HSPF2 rating, but capacity still falls as it gets colder, so the real question is what the unit delivers on the worst night and whether backup or auxiliary heat is needed. On ducted systems we check static pressure in the existing ductwork before promising anything. On ductless systems we check refrigerant line length limits, line set routing, condensate and where the outdoor unit can actually go.
- The load calculation results for each space, or the reason one is not needed
- Exact indoor and outdoor unit model numbers
- Line set length and routing, and how condensate is handled
- Electrical requirements, including whether the panel needs work
- Permit and inspection costs shown as their own line
- What is excluded
What the work involves
- Site visit. We walk each unit or space, look at what heats and cools it now, and check the electrical service and access.
- Load calculation and options. You get a written recommendation with what each option costs in effort and money, and what Drew would do in your position.
- Quote and permit. A written quote, and permits pulled properly.
- Installation. Scheduled around occupied units and tenants where the building allows it. Plumbing tie-ins go through Drew's plumbing subcontractors.
- Inspection and walk-through. The work is inspected and you get a walk-through of what was installed.
What it costs
Commercial and multifamily projects vary too much for one fixed price, so here is a realistic range: most projects we quote fall within a typical price range. Where a job falls depends on:
- Number of zones or units served
- Indoor unit type: wall-mounted, ceiling cassette, floor-mounted or ducted
- Line set runs between indoor and outdoor units
- Electrical service capacity, and whether the panel needs work
- Access, including occupied units, upper floors and outdoor unit placement
Rebates and incentives
Get a Quote
Call 413-339-3194 and describe the building: what it is, how many units or spaces it has, and what heats it now. Drew will tell you what he would look at first and whether he thinks the job is worth doing. Powers Air is based in Granby and serves the towns around it.
See the full range of work on our Commercial HVAC, our residential heating and cooling page for the town HVAC in Amherst, and how sizing works in more detail in our Heat Pump Repair and Service.