Month: November 2017

Are you a commercial building owner looking to improve the efficiency of your facility while reducing operating costs? Retro-commissioning may be the answer for resolving aging building system problems and keeping occupants comfortable and complaint-free.

What is Retro-Commissioning?

Retro-commissioning is a systematic evaluation of a building’s energy-consuming systems. Since commercial buildings have complex mechanical, electrical, and control systems, even small problems can cause big issues with a system’s performance. During a retro-commissioning evaluation, trained professionals find problem areas with a building’s existing equipment and systems. The building owner then works with these professionals to develop a plan to improve efficiency and performance.

Depending on the building’s needs, retro-commissioning may address some of the following:

• HVAC loose fan belts and leaking valves
• Thermostats and sensors that are out of calibration
• Equipment or lighting running at inappropriate times
• Incorrectly functioning control sequences
• Systems simultaneously heating and cooling
• Air balancing systems running ineffectively

When Should You Consider Retro-Commissioning?

• Experiencing issues with your building systems’ performance: Has there been a recent unexpected increase in building energy use? You’ll definitely notice it in your costs!
• Comfort complaints from occupants: Has there been an increase in complaints about air quality or temperature control?
• Recent facility updates: Has the building’s needs changed due to new occupants or remodeling to the facility?

Retro-commissioning benefits everyone associated with your building. Occupants find the environment more comfortable and receptive to their needs, building managers get fewer complaints while gaining a better understanding of your building, and your building systems will run more efficiently, giving you peace of mind while saving money.

Worried retro-commissioning is too expensive? Some of the suggested improvements may be inexpensive fixes and lead to big energy savings. Even with bigger projects, the return on investment from energy savings could come in as little as a year or two. Studies suggest a retro-commissioning project can yield energy savings up to 15 percent.

Performance Solutions’ industry experts have saved clients over millions of dollars in operating costs. If you are interested in learning how retro-commissioning can benefit you and your facility, contact us today.

Preventative maintenance is necessary in many industries, and it is particularly necessary for commercial equipment and buildings. Although they are initial investments of costs and time, the benefits of preventative building maintenance are huge and can have far-rippling impacts on many operations down the line. These benefits include:

• Small problems get caught in the early stages. This prevents larger, more costly repairs later. In the long run, preventative maintenance costs less.
• Maintenance becomes scheduled, instead of being performed at unplanned, higher rates and costs. Costs vary by industry, but unplanned downtime is often extremely expensive. Resources already committed to production get wasted when these unexpected costs pop up.
• Everyday planning for the organization becomes more accurate and precise. Cost estimates more accurately reflect reality.
• These improved cost estimates allow better planning in all business areas.
• Staying on top of your assets and equipment and running better and more to plan fosters a responsible, productive attitude from your employees. All organizations have cultures. Attitudes start at the top and filter down. Better control of equipment maintenance and downtime makes for employees more cognizant of their roles in the process.
• Lastly, and most importantly, safety is a primary concern in all industries. Preventative maintenance keeps equipment in better shape. It catches problems that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. It keeps small problems from becoming large and allows safer operation. Consequentially, employees respond to this increased focus on safety by becoming safer themselves.

With solid preventative building maintenance, you adopt a proactive attitude with plan and control, rather than a reactive attitude. We can help you develop this by analyzing and building business plans that are comprehensive and accurate. Preventative maintenance is a big part of many parts of any business plan. For more information about how Performance Solutions can help guide your organization into the uncertain future, contact us today.

HVAC maintenance and repair is a completely different animal whenever working with large event centers or facilities. A maintenance solution that specializes in large facilities can help you find the best HVAC repair solutions while strategizing for the following in mind.

Data-Based

When it’s relevant, a simple data analysis can be applied to help determine how energy efficient and energy effective your system is. Even if your system is broken, a quality assessment can be part of that repair, and it can help you optimize your future heating and cooling. An assessment can provide useful data that can be turned around and translated into practical changes. Improved insulation, upgrading your ventilation, or shifting gears to a new HVAC system are all the types of suggestions that experts may guide you through in your journey to not just fix your heating and cooling, but make it better.

Save Money, Save Energy

The end-goal in those HVAC updates and repairs should be to help create a more sustainable heating and cooling system for your event center or large corporate facility. When things are on such a grand scale, a little can go a long way. Small changes that save you money on your heating and cooling every day can translate into big bucks over time. On top of that, the energy that you’re saving is conserving precious resources and creating a far more environmentally sustainable business system.

We provide specialists that can help you strategize for the best HVAC repair solutions and for any other energy-saving opportunities that you may be missing for your facility. Contact us at Performance Solutions today to learn more!

The staff members of a given organization strongly influence the amount of energy that the organization uses. It takes quite a bit of energy to make a building usable by a wide range of individuals doing various jobs. As staff members wash their hands, turn on lights in the building and go about their work day or night, they will no doubt consume energy.

Many companies now use automation to ensure their employees use resources responsibly. They will install motion sensors and set up lights to turn off automatically when a room is empty. Many bathroom and kitchen sinks are now designed to have low water flow that will still stop relatively quickly. Although the utility technology helps, staff training should revolve around the responsible use of water and electricity. Too many employees act as if they can use as much water as possible when they’re at work because they’re not paying for it personally. Training employees in sustainability can make a big difference, not only on the environment, but especially on a company’s building operations budget.

Encourage staff to conserve energy by being conscious of the performance of various systems within a given workplace. For instance, if there’s something wrong with the heating or air conditioning system in a workplace, it’s important to notify someone to get it fixed quickly; otherwise, the long-term repairs and potential dangers could be even more costly. Defective systems can be inefficient in terms of their energy usage. Staff members that are more aware of these sorts of problems will often be able to prevent further serious issues. Everyone should be thinking about the details as well as the big picture.

For more information on building automation, performance, and how to train staff to be a more resource-responsible team member, contact us.