As the owner or facility manager of a commercial building, the performance and longevity of your building’s HVAC system has to be your top priority. Not only does it mean controlling month-to-month operational expenses, it also means being able to effectively budget for larger capital expenditures down the road.
In many cases, however, an in-house individual or team is charged with the routine maintenance of the HVAC system. These individuals may or may not have adequate knowledge and experience to properly carry out the job, and they rarely have any ongoing education to stay up-to-date on the latest technology. This puts you in a difficult position, as one of your building’s key systems is potentially at risk for complications.
Considering the high cost of repair and replacement as well as the risk of downtime if the HVAC system stops functioning, the smartest decision is to implement professional building maintenance services provided by trained and experienced technicians who do this for a living.
Surprisingly, this doesn’t need to be a difficult or complicated process. In fact, there are really just three simple steps to obtaining professional building maintenance for your HVAC system:
Step One: The operational assessment
The first step is to have an operational assessment performed by a trusted and experienced commercial HVAC company.
The operational assessment allows the technicians to set a baseline for the building’s current system functionality. It includes a review of the current needs based on occupants and historical usage, utility bill data, and repair history. The maintenance consultant is looking for trends that will help them identify areas for improvement, and get a grasp of the total cost of running your HVAC system.
Combined with the business goals you identify for the facility, this data allows them to deliver a list of recommendations that will result in energy and cost savings, improved comfort, and improved equipment longevity. Additionally, they’ll be able to build an effective, customized maintenance program for your commercial building.
Step Two: Regulations and compliance
Another important factor that needs to be considered is any pertinent local, state, and federal laws and regulations that apply to your facility based on location and usage.
You are likely already aware of these compliance requirements. But laws can change quickly, creating compliance risks you didn’t anticipate. A professional maintenance provider can help provide that extra layer of security.
Regulatory compliance factors into the planned maintenance program since it will need to incorporate the scheduling of inspections and the monitoring of specific sensor readings or equipment processes.
Step Three: Making expert recommendations
The final step of an effective building maintenance program involves a series of professional recommendations provided by expert technicians who have performed an operational assessment on your HVAC system and reviewed the appropriate regulatory guidelines for your facility.
For the most part, these recommendations will fall into one of three categories:
- Immediate action items
- Long-term action items
- Routine maintenance
The first category will include items that need to be addressed immediately, either because they are “low hanging fruit” - relatively inexpensive and having the potential to dramatically improve the system’s efficiency or performance - or because they are already out of compliance.
The second category includes suggestions for energy savings, performance enhancements, and usage adjustments that may require a capital investment. Carrying out these suggestions will usually require budgeting and planning, but the future gains outweigh the initial investment.
The third category lays out a recommended daily, weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance plan specifically designed for your facility’s HVAC system. It will optimize the equipment’s performance, energy efficiency, and longevity to ensure you save money and maintain a comfortable and safe working environment.
If you’d like to discuss establishing a maintenance program at your facility, contact us today to find out how our skilled commercial HVAC professionals can work with you to keep your building systems operating as efficiently as possible.
