Being a facility manager demands maintaining a delicate balance between staying under budget and keeping the building maintained, safe, and up to code. Most facility managers find it difficult to operate under budget.
Still, no matter how short the maintenance budget may be, they are accountable for completing a host of fundamental tasks to keep things working smoothly. This is why well-planned precautionary maintenance is the foundation of a cost-effective facilities management plan.
Here are seven simple steps to start cutting your building’s maintenance costs.
1. Upgrade the lighting
Upgrading your building’s lighting efficiency by substituting bulbs with energy-saving LEDs and integrating it with the building automation arrangement can really cut costs.
Another easy method to conserve energy is to make sure that the lighting is shut off at night (excluding emergency lights that must be on at all times) or during weekends when nobody is in the building.
If you’re looking to remodel your current lighting, getting in touch with commercial remodeling contractors always helps.
2. Review and simplify your maintenance schemes
Your building’s maintenance plans may need some thinking upon, particularly if it’s been many years since someone really audited it. Few items on the walkthrough checklist may no longer be required, or they may be repeated. Recognize the essential steps and specify them.
Additionally, newer, more efficient methods may be available, which will decrease the time your maintenance workers use on the project. This in turn, will save you money.
3. See that the employees understand & follow safe work practices
It can be intriguing to cut some corners and get work done quicker or avoid reviewing the official safety procedures. Unfortunately, mishaps do happen, and one that ends in a major injury could potentially cost you thousands (or even a prosecution).
It’s necessary and overall more cost-effective (not to mention more secured for your employees) to ensure that all equipment operators and technicians have proper safety training. It’s also advisable to review safe work procedures at least once a year if OSHA has renewed any rules.
4. Have an electrical infrastructure management software in place
Using a software program like SmartCSM will let you:
- Plan regular maintenance
- Set prompts for maintenance to be finished.
- Assign certain tasks to specific employees
- Create a simple online as-build for immediate access to your building’s entire electrical infrastructure.
Having access to the building’s important information on your phone or tablet aids preventive maintenance and helps you track the activities of others.
5. Organize a new asset management system
Following the performance and status of your assets during their lifecycle can help keep the operating costs down. Using SmartCSM’s software, you can designate a unique QR code to each of your co-workers that can capture significant data from installation, operation, maintenance, and upgrades.
The QR code will give accurate, real-time data directly to your phone, so you will always know the work status. This will keep your devices running for longer and in better condition, which will save you money in the long term.
6. Monitor your building’s HVAC systems
Air conditioning, heating, and ventilation are a big cause of unforeseen maintenance costs. When a unit breaks down on an extremely hot or cold day, facility managers are often compelled to fix the situation promptly – which will never be cheap.
To avoid such a nightmare situation, have your HVAC system carefully examined at least twice a year, with seasonal startup and run inspections.
7. Perform predictive testing & inspection
Predictive testing can cut maintenance costs by facilitating just-in-time maintenance of your facility’s equipment. Predictive testing monitors your equipment’s status to detect trends that could lead to wear-and-tear or imminent failure.
This enables employees or technicians to execute maintenance without the direct involvement of the facility manager.
In a Nutshell
If not properly scheduled, the cost of the commercial building maintenance can go over the roof easily. At any point you feel a certain maintenance area is out of your scope, you can always get in touch with commercial general contractors who can get the job done for you effectively.
We hope that the steps mentioned in this article will help you plan your maintenance routine better and save operating costs.