Preventative maintenance is a crucial aspect of any commercial building's overall maintenance program. You take care of your car with oil changes, tire rotations, and tune ups to increase its longevity; the various systems in your building should be treated the same. Neglecting regular maintenance can lead to costly repairs, downtime, and decreased building efficiency that costs you more money in the long run. This is particularly true for building automation systems, HVAC equipment, and even security systems like access control and CCTV, all of which are essential components of a modern commercial building.
Building automation and building controls are the brains of a building's operations, controlling everything from heating and cooling systems to lighting and even security. These systems require regular maintenance to ensure that the electronic and software components are operating together as designed. If your BAS goes down, so will other important systems in your building. We understand how important planned maintenance on building automation systems is, so it’s at the center of our newest service offering: Impact-Driven Service. Impact-Driven Service uses a building analytics software to intelligently capture information from the controls systems in commercial buildings to pin-point inefficiencies as well as items that need repair or adjusting. It gives you the preventative maintenance edge, allowing you to be proactive with your systems and prevent breakdowns or problems from occurring.
Building controls primarily work with HVAC equipment such as roof top units (RTUs), air handling units (AHUs), and boilers, and are responsible for maintaining a comfortable building environment. Proper maintenance of these systems not only ensures comfort for your occupants, but can also significantly reduce energy costs. Just like with your car, dirty filters, worn belts, faulty sensors, and other issues can cause HVAC systems to work harder than necessary, driving up energy costs and significantly increasing the risk of breakdowns. These breakdowns often occur at the most inconvenient times such as extreme weather events where the equipment is working harder. If your heating system goes down during a cold snap in the middle of winter, it will not only affect the comfort of your building occupants but can damage other equipment like pipes, leading to even more expensive repairs. Avoid the cost, hassle, and misery that comes from downed HVAC systems by getting scheduled maintenance on your equipment.
When it comes to safety, it’s always better to be proactive than reactive. Performing preventative maintenance on your building security systems allows you to prevent incidents from happening or resolve them easier if they do. Components like access control and CCTV systems require regular cleaning, voltage checks, and software and firmware updates to ensure that any potential security issues are identified and addressed promptly. Malfunctioning access control or CCTV systems can compromise building security and put employees, tenants, and assets at risk. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you need to investigate an event only to discover a crucial camera was too dirty to provide a suitable picture or simply hasn’t worked for months.
In addition to reducing repair costs, preventative maintenance can also help to extend the life of these major commercial building systems. By identifying and addressing issues early on, service providers can help ensure that they continue to operate efficiently and effectively for years to come. By working with a qualified service provider, building owners and managers can take a proactive approach to maintenance. LONG offers scheduled service on HVAC equipment, building automation, and security systems, and along with Impact-Driven Service, we’ll ensure your commercial building systems get the preventative maintenance they need to keep working properly, keep people comfortable and safe, and save money in the long run.