Facility Management Tips for Reducing Operations and Maintenance Costs

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Maintenance and repair expenses are a normal and expected cost of owning a facility. However, these costs can run pretty high, and landlords, facility managers, and business owners are always looking for ways to reduce them. 

The path to reducing facility operations and maintenance costs involves much more than just using technology and applying a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). It involves a feasible redesign of facilities, minimizing vacancy runtime, changes in space utilization, and more. In this article, we’ll outline effective ways for streamlining operations, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs. 

1. Replace older lighting with LEDs

While the upfront costs of LEDs might be a bit higher than halogen and incandescent bulbs, they will help you to save energy in the long run. LED bulbs convert 95% of the energy used into light, while halogen and incandescent bulbs only convert 10% of the energy consumed into light, the rest is wasted as heat. LED lights can help to cut your electricity bill by up to 25%. 

2. Invest in building controls

If you own or run a commercial, residential, institutional, or industrial building, installing a building automation system (BAS) is one of the best decisions you can make. It allows you to monitor and manage various aspects of the building, including lighting, security, HVAC, and more. BAS enables streamlined building operations, which can help to cut costs. 

Usually, HVAC systems use the most energy in a building. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), over 40% of energy costs in commercial buildings go to HVAC. That’s a lot of energy and money going to HVAC systems, but with building automation systems, you can reduce these costs by an exponential margin. 

A building automation system helps to control things like heating and lighting, which results in significant savings. Don’t allow your HVAC system to ruin your bottom line. Talk to one of the top electrical contractors or to a commercial electrical contractor in your area, and have them install a building automation system (BAS). 

3. Implement predictive and preventive maintenance

Facility maintenance is an expense every building owner has to face, but you can greatly reduce these costs by implementing predictive and preventive maintenance. It is an exceptional way to minimize costs from emergency and reactionary maintenance efforts. 

Rolling out preventive maintenance systems allows you to catch malfunctions or issues before they occur and fix problems before they turn into costly ones. Predictive maintenance systems work similarly, but instead of notifying you of an impending issue, they alert you when a maintenance task should be done, even if it’s before the scheduled maintenance. Systems don’t usually break on a schedule, so predictive maintenance is an excellent way to minimize costs. 

4. Replace old appliances for Energy Star appliances

Another excellent way to save on energy costs is by replacing old appliances with energy-efficient ones. Energy Star appliances use up to 50% less energy. Some of the appliances you should consider replacing include refrigerators, clothes washers, and dryers, dishwashers, and dehumidifiers. 

Endnote

Reducing facility maintenance and operations costs shouldn’t be a complex process. Simple things like replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights, investing in building controls. Implementing preventative and predictive maintenance and replacing old appliances with Energy Star appliances can result in significant savings.