Imagine you have a bad sore throat. Bad enough to go to the doctor looking for help. Without asking you any questions, examining your throat, or performing any tests at all, the doctor states confidently that you have strep throat.
How confident are you that your doctor is correct?
That scenario illustrates the value of an HVAC operational assessment for commercial buildings. While every owner and facility manager wants to lower operating costs through energy efficiency and keep their building’s equipment performing well for as long as possible, it’s impossible for an expert to determine how to best achieve those goals without first performing an in-depth assessment of that unique building’s usage, condition, and dozens of other factors that play into their eventual recommendation.
What is an operational assessment?
If your building hasn’t had a HVAC operational assessment, you’re probably wondering what it is.
In short, an operational assessment is an organized overview of a facility’s entire HVAC system by trained professional technicians focused on the current condition of the system’s mechanical and electrical components, current and historical usage, operating costs, and maintenance records, which help them identify trends and highlight abnormalities in the data.
Beyond crunching numbers, the assessment also includes testing and analysis of the system’s mechanical integrity, exploring areas where repair, replacement or upgrade of components that are still functioning well could improve efficiency or performance, or save money and time over potential emergency repairs down the road. If the building is equipped with automation and analytics systems, they will also be evaluated - including all control systems - for opportunities to optimize energy efficiency and usage trends. The technicians performing the assessment will also explore options for energy rebates, enhanced comfort, improved redundancy, and reliability.
Why start with an operational HVAC assessment?
The operational assessment offers building owners the best available means of determining future maintenance needs and the probable timing of future repairs. This makes month-to-month and long term operating budgets and capex planning easier to develop.
It provides a foundational understanding of your unique commercial HVAC system’s current and historical usage and cost patterns, helping identify its current capacity as well as its potential capacity. This helps fill the gap between capacity and potential yields opportunities for efficiencies and improvements that can save money and extend the life of the system.
The resulting list of recommended replacements, maintenance activities, and upgrades provides a prioritized “to do list” that building owners and facility managers can use to improve their building’s energy efficiency and system performance.
At the top of the list will be the highest yield, lowest cost actions that can be taken immediately to provide dramatic return quickly. Recommendations further down the list may require long-term investment, but that will also provide excellent returns upon completion.
Finally, the assessment leverages the expertise of your commercial HVAC partner to identify any potential replacements and maintenance services that really won’t provide an adequate ROI through improved energy building efficiency or lower operating costs. Both sides of the equation are equally valuable.
If you’re ready to explore improving your Colorado commercial HVAC system and saving money this quarter, contact our team of experienced HVAC professionals today to learn more and to arrange an operational assessment for your commercial facility.
