HVAC Maintenance and Energy Savings

Great article. I'm currently working on putting together a compelling ROI for top notch PM planning based on actual maintenance data from our cmms users. This has been most useful.

I loved the article. My little heart is pounding.

Here is the way I have been optimizing buildings since around 1984. I offer implementation either stand alone and hand written or through a partner web-based facilities management program.

Daily Operations Building Optimization Plan

Overview

Getting your arms around building energy consumption and the performance of equipment can be a simple and achievable process. The traditional power plant, as far back as the 1800’s, routinely logged the operation of each piece of equipment on a regular basis. Small problems in such an operation are found early and addressed before performance and reliability are compromised. Bringing this method to building operation has dramatic results. In some cases energy consumption and demand have been reduced by 40%. Frequent “off hour” trouble calls can quickly become the exception.

The Daily Operations Building Optimization Plan modernizes the permanently drafted log sheet of the past and makes it fully adaptable to the dynamics of your building.

Step 1: The Library

A library of various equipment types has been assembled on an Excel Spreadsheet. Each parameter of checking the equipment is listed to be copy/pasted to a log sheet. A block of data to check an Air Handling Unit with a heating and cooling coil will allow for the temperature entering and leaving as well as pressures. Particulars such as, the motor running, damper position, bearing noise, and even if local lighting is on, are included. All parameters can be edited and additional library entries can be created.

Step 2: The Route

A logical route through the building mechanical rooms and equipment spaces is established. The Route should be direct and not take more than 1 hour to 1 ½ hours to tour. Larger buildings may require a number of routes. A 500,000 square foot factory will generally require three routes. Each piece of equipment is listed in the order of its sequence in the route. Include small items as well as large. A single meter reading along the Route can provide great insight.

Step 3: Creating the Log

With the route established, a Log is created by copy/pasting the Library parameters for each piece of equipment in its sequence along the Route. The Log can be printed and inserted in a binder. Carrying three previous logs with the current one in the binder will help show an immediate history or trend. In some buildings local reading may be absent and available on a building management system. An insert allowing for later gathering of that data will make referencing easy. The Log is a worksheet, so encourage additional notes.

Step 4: Walking the Route

The frequency of walking the Route will depend on your budget and staffing availability. By keeping the Route at less than 1 ½ hours it may not encroach on other routines. The ideal in an active building is to walk the route Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Monday will assure that any failure over the weekend will be found. Imagine a condensate leak in outside air stream that has built a block of ice that weighs 1,000 pounds. And no one knows when it started. The Friday walk through will find a potential weekend problem that could result into an “off hour” call in or unnoticed event leading to an emergency.

The Wednesday is a comfort and familiarity walk as well as inspection. The operator gets to know the operational sounds, smells, and basic rhythm. A change in sound can immediately alert the operator who is familiar with the normal conditions. A steam meter reading can alert the operator to an increase of 4,000 #/hour that may be as remote as a stuck back draft damper on an exhaust fan.

Your operator will have his thumb on the pulse of your building in about two weeks.

Step 5: A Second Pair of Eyes

During regular working hours the Log books will be available to a group leader or supervisor for review. Different people place priorities on operational aspects that may not have been obvious to another. Questions and discussion of the readings and operation of the equipment should be encouraged. Cross training can be aided by real examples. Routes can be traded or rotated. Many times an operator will take ownership of his Route area. Friendly competition may begin to demonstrate who has the best uptime or greatest energy reduction. Your building will be the ultimate winner.

Step 6: The Work List

Generate a work list from the Logs on a weekly basis. Initially the Logs will show lacking or inoperable gauges and thermometers as well as other items that will not allow a reading. All these will make the work list. A simple list of one line job descriptions on a clip board works well when the operators prioritize their own jobs. Building Maintenance Work Orders can be generated when appropriate. A list of about thirty jobs is very workable. Expect the easier ones to be picked up and completed first. It is not unusual to find four or five larger unpleasant jobs lingering. Those are good jobs for the supervisor to assign to two or more mechanics.

Step 7: Evolution

An Evolution of the building operation will begin with the initial steps. Those tasks of sensing device replacement will lead to a deeper questioning of the equipment operation. Replacing temperature sensors can show a low temperature differential of a unit or a system. A chilled water system may be circulating at only a small capacity of its design. You send out cold water and expect warmer water to return. This condition can exist for years. Imagine a company sending out product and expecting money in return. Red flags would wave if none or too little returned. The money spent on an inefficient building system cuts deeper into the budget as energy costs rise. The awareness of your building operation using the Daily Operations Building Optimization Plan will point out waste as quickly as a lack of cash flow at the accounting department. After six months of use most facilities will achieve dramatic success. Energy and demand costs will drop. Reliability will be high and repair costs will begin to drop. Trouble calls and emergencies will be greatly reduced.

Reduce energy consumption and reduce your carbon foot print. These steps are simple and achievable. A lot of technology is being developed as sustainable methods. The Daily Operations Building Optimization Plan is something you can do today. It is a sustainability effort with a payback.

If you have comments or questions you can email DailyOps@frontiernet.net.

Thank you, Bernie

Wonderful! Yet another example of how common sense and time spent thinking about and understanding the dynamics of mechanical system operations and maintenance can be parlayed into a system of checks and routines. As a consequence. better performance and decreased costs are manifest. Nice!!!

When it comes to adjustments, the avalability of accurate actionable data is the key.  It also difficult to adjust everytrhing all at once over a 24 hour day 7 days a week without great expense and athletic ability.  You have to consider the interruptions, flooded toiletrs and light bulb replacements that are needed now.  So you can save a lot of time and wasted energy by truly automating as many features as possible and spending time checking periodically as you say.  The answer is a combination of employing the reliable technology now, with a disciplined followup to make sure of everything.

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Great article.  About a month ago I spent some time at a large international corporation's headquarters finding exactly the problems you described here, high energy costs and very low maintenance budget.  Unfortunately for them, most of their units failed within about a week of each other so they had to put in a call to my local <a href="http/.../www.hvacknoxville.org">Knoxville HVAC</a> company.  We were able to get them squared away, but I can't imagine they will make that mistake again.

Oh and don't we know it. Companies continue to behavior poorly when in a crisis. This is the simple measure that there is a comprehensive whole of business model that reflects the best practice. Best practice incorporates management of risk and includes under that umbrella, maintenance and energy.

Regards,

Steve