If you manage a commercial building, you know your HVAC system does a lot of the heavy lifting. It keeps your tenants comfortable, protects your equipment, and helps control energy costs. But knowing how often you should maintain your system is not always straightforward.
Should your maintenance be seasonal, quarterly, or monthly? The answer depends on your building size, system type, risk tolerance, and what comfort level your occupants need every day.
At Harold Brothers Mechanical Contractors, over the past 17 years, we have serviced thousands of buildings across Massachusetts, from Boston to Worcester to the South Shore. We have seen how the right preventative maintenance schedule helps customers avoid breakdowns, reduce energy waste and downtime, protect warranties by keeping compliant with terms, and extend the life of their HVAC equipment.
In this guide, we explain the differences between seasonal, quarterly, and monthly maintenance, who each option is best for, what is typically included, and examples from real buildings across New England.
Commercial HVAC maintenance includes routine inspection, cleaning, and testing of your heating and cooling equipment. The goal is to keep your system running safely and efficiently all year.
During a maintenance visit, a technician may replace filters, check electrical parts, clean coils, verify refrigerant levels, inspect belts, review condensate drains, and measure airflow and temperature. They also perform safety checks and record the condition of your equipment. These visits can range anywhere from an hour to a day depending on the size of your system.
This routine care helps catch small issues early and prepares your building for seasonal weather changes so you can avoid sudden outages and expensive repairs, while preserving your equipment warranty and reducing unexpected downtime.
DOE’s Better Buildings material says proper HVAC PM can save around 5–20% on energy bills.
Seasonal HVAC maintenance is performed twice per year—once before cooling season and once before heating season. This helps your equipment get ready for the two times of year when systems work the hardest.
Seasonal maintenance is the best option for most buildings across New England. It works well for:
During each visit, a technician checks and cleans equipment, verifies refrigerant and electrical systems, reviews airflow, and replaces filters. They identify issues before the season changes so you can plan repairs instead of reacting to emergencies.
Seasonal service works best for small buildings with light usage and predictable conditions.
Quarterly maintenance means a technician visits four times per year—about once every three months. This plan offers more frequent oversight, especially for buildings with larger systems or heavier use.
Quarterly service is a strong fit for:
Quarterly maintenance includes everything in seasonal service but adds more regular inspection to help manage wear and tear. This is especially helpful for buildings with high occupancy or systems running most of the year.
If you have bigger equipment, high turnover of air, lots of occupants, or older systems, quarterly maintenance may be the right level of care.
Monthly maintenance provides the most oversight and protection. It is designed for buildings where steady temperatures and humidity are critical every day. Most buildings do not need monthly visits.
These plans are used in food storage facilities and buildings that operate 24/7. Technicians perform checks more often, change filters regularly, and monitor system performance to identify early warning signs.
Monthly service gives operators a clear picture of how the system is running and helps prevent shutdowns that could affect safety, product quality, or business operations.
Monthly service is ideal for buildings where even a short outage could cause catastrophic problems.
Choosing the best schedule depends on your building’s needs. The questions below can help guide your decision.
If your occupants need consistent comfort, seasonal or monthly service is a smart choice. Low-use spaces may be fine with seasonal service.
Buildings that run all day and night need more frequent care. Quarterly visits help prevent sudden failures.
If HVAC failures could disrupt healthcare, lab work, production, or IT systems, quarterly service provides the right level of protection.
Older systems may need quarterly visits to avoid breakdowns. Newer systems may work reliably with just seasonal checks.
Good maintenance supports reliable operation, lower energy costs, longer equipment life, and fewer emergency repairs. It also helps keep buildings safe and compliant with codes.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that HVAC systems can use up to 35% of the energy in a commercial building. Regular service can help you control costs and avoid wasted energy.
Choosing the right HVAC maintenance schedule depends on your building, equipment age, and how important stable temperatures are to your daily operations.
Seasonal maintenance is the most popular option because it prepares systems for changing weather and helps prevent breakdowns. Quarterly service is better for larger or more demanding buildings, like schools or mixed-use facilities, where equipment runs harder. Monthly maintenance is typically reserved for food service, heavy industrial sites, and specialized warehouses that need frequent filter changes and tight environmental control.
Harold Brothers Mechanical helps commercial buildings across Massachusetts choose the maintenance plan that keeps them safe, efficient, and comfortable. Our team understands how to prevent costly problems, reduce downtime, and support long-term reliability, with licensed and factory-certified technicians, dedicated PM specialists, competitive open-shop pricing, and full HVAC + plumbing service options.
If you want a closer look at what actually happens during a commercial HVAC maintenance visit, read our full step-by-step walkthrough.