A bit of sense can save much on facilities management costs

Everyone must know that effective maintenance regimes assure equipment longevity, increased lifespan of assets, and above all, helps reduce carbon footprint.

Keep utility costs in check

assets, including electric circuit boards, should be serviced at regular intervals.

If there are any defective items, these should be repaired or replaced to reduce breakdown costs, and higher consumption cost.

If the air-conditioning is serviced regularly as per the equipment’s OEM guidelines, the utility costs can go down 5-7 per cent. Different preventive planned maintenance tasks related to these services are performed regularly.

The comprehensiveness of these tasks is critical to achieving the objectives. These include filter replacements, cleaning of vents, gas refills. The health check on vents and ducts are also essential to maintain good air quality.

Each of these tasks is instrumental in saving costs as well as achieving asset longevity. Some of the benefits of a good FM is Its health and hygiene-related advantages. For instance, it helps in maintaining good air quality and automated temperature control to maintain requisite levels. Poor duct maintenance and filter conditions add to poor air quality that leads to breathing problems.

Excess cooling levels can add to many health issues that are time and again raised by health experts.

Costs add up

These maintenance issues add up to an additional cost burden. Duct congestion and excess cooling levels can influence costs. Anything in the range of 15-23 per cent levels can increase air-conditioning costs as well as undermine the pledge to lower the carbon footprint.

Our fixation with water usage in kitchens and bathrooms needs attention. A basic understanding of how to apply best maintenance practices that can help in conservation as well as in cost rationalisation.

For instance, water heaters are big energy guzzlers, so these can be fitted with automatic sensors to ensure automated temperature levels. For example, wastage and cost of water in gardening can be contained by understanding the actual moisture content and adjustment of irrigation systems based on weather cycles.

These are not complicated techno issues, but a basic knowledge of FM that most property owners must-have. A common heath challenge from water that most people have is the water tank cleaning, as this could pose contamination issues due to the presence of bacteria. Even in context of frequent cleaning, a common understanding of the use of chemicals can help to reduce costs and increase the lifespan of building assets.

Indeed, an understanding of FM at the basic household level is a game-changer to build a stronger case for far-reaching sustainability.

■ Tariq Chauhan is Group CEO at EFS Facilities Services Group.