While many managers understand that scheduled preventive maintenance is the better choice, shrinking resources unfortunately force most to use reactive maintenance, costing companies more in the long run. This issue becomes amplified when discussing an HVAC system, which accounts for roughly 40% of total energy usage within a facility. The yearly cost of an HVAC system accounts for a large portion of a company’s budget, yet many fail to properly maintain the equipment. A properly maintained system can run 15% to 20% more efficiently than an improperly maintained system, and the long-term effect on a budget can be substantial. Keeping your systems fully tuned and maintained is important for keeping the facility operating efficiently and saving money, and is essential for protecting your investment.

Maintenance is often put in the category of overhead, and because of this is often underfunded in most facilities. The theory is that reducing overhead increases margin, and in the short term, it will. However, improperly maintained equipment will end up costing companies more money in the long run, along with having many adverse results. One of these results happens when the season change; the loads on equipment change and the set points and proper calibration need to be changed in order to meet the new demands. If the equipment is left unmaintained, it will run outside of it proper parameters causing unnecessary strain which leads to increased energy usage. Lost calibration is another adverse result in which the lifecycle of equipment begins to shorten. This means the equipment will need to be replaced more frequently and often prior to the anticipated life cycle of the equipment.

While only three financial reasons are provided here, there are many more that can be addressed. However, these three reasons effectively illustrate the need for a preventive maintenance plan that can be designed around your facility’s unique needs. Having a preventive maintenance contract on your building controls and HVAC equipment ensures you will maximize the system’s efficiency, have priority response, preferred pricing and increased up-time. Benefits of a Mechanical Services preventive maintenance contract include documentation of the services that were provided, reducing operating costs and protecting your investment.