As the owner or manager of a commercial building in the Charlotte North Carolina area, you understand the importance of proper maintenance of the facility’s vital systems, including its HVAC equipment and technology. Without an effective maintenance program in place, the rigors of daily use could eventually wear out or even destroy expensive equipment that could have operated for many more years.
However, due to circumstances - whether financial or organizational - some facility managers find themselves in a position where maintenance has been left up to an in-house individual or team who may or may not have adequate knowledge and experience to properly carry out the job. In those circumstances, considering the high cost of HVAC repair and replacement as well as the risk of downtime, we always recommend considering implementing 3rd party professional building maintenance services with technicians who spend every day maintaining equipment similar to what you have in your building.
While it might sound like an endeavor, it doesn’t need to be a difficult or complicated process. In fact, professional building maintenance for your HVAC system can often be set up in three simple steps:
Step One: The assessment
The first step is to have a trusted and experienced commercial HVAC company perform an operational assessment.
This assessment offers an opportunity to set a baseline for how the building’s current systems are functioning. It will include a review of historical usage, current building and occupant needs, utility bill data, and repair history. This allows a maintenance consultant to determine trends, identify areas for improvement, and understand the total cost of ownership for your HVAC system.
Using this information in conjunction with your business goals for the facility, they will be able to deliver a list of operational and capital recommendations for energy and cost savings, improved comfort, and reduced risk of equipment failure. Along with these results, they will have a solid foundation on which to build an effective, customized maintenance program for your commercial building.
Learn more in the facility manager's guide to planned maintenance for Charlotte area buildings.
Step Two: Regulations
Another important step your commercial HVAC partner will take is to review any and all pertinent local, state, and federal laws and regulations that apply to your facility based on where it’s located and/or how it’s used.
In most cases, you’re already aware of these regulations and what’s required to remain in compliance. But, laws change quickly and sometimes items can fly by under the radar, creating compliance risks you didn’t anticipate.
Maintaining regulatory compliance for your facility also helps to build the planned maintenance program, since timing of inspections, specific sensor readings or equipment processes that must meet regulatory specifications can be continually monitored via the maintenance program.
Step Three: Recommendations
The final step in implementing an effective building maintenance program for your facility’s HVAC system involves the professional recommendations provided by expert technicians who have performed the assessment and reviewed the appropriate regulatory guidelines for your facility.
Generally, these recommendations will fall into three broad categories:
- Immediate improvements
- Long-term improvements
- Ongoing maintenance
The first category will include items that should be immediately addressed either because they are relatively inexpensive and can have a dramatic impact on improving the efficiency or performance of the system, or because they are out of compliance at the time of the assessment.
Learn more about creating an energy efficiency plan for your building.
The second category includes professional recommendations for energy savings, performance enhancements, and suggested usage adjustments that may or may not require a capital investment. These recommendations usually need to be planned and budgeted for, and they lead to gains in the future as the improvements are able to be made.
The third category lays out the recommended maintenance plan that’s been specifically designed for your facility’s HVAC system based on what equipment is installed, what condition it’s currently in, and how it’s going to be used in the coming months and years. This plan will be set up to optimize the equipment’s performance, energy efficiency, and lifespan in an effort to save money and maintain a comfortable and safe environment inside the commercial facility.
If you’d like to discuss implementing a building maintenance program for your facility in the Charlotte area, contact us today to find out how our experienced HVAC professionals can work with you to review your facility systems for the most efficient and cost-effective operation.
