Fall has arrived. For facility managers like you, the summertime HVAC wars are finally over. You’re battle-tested, probably bruised and weary, but certainly wiser for it all. Whatever wounds you may have incurred as temperatures soared and HVAC problems mounted, everyone – you, your facility and your tenants – survived.

Your work is not yet over, though. Don’t just wave goodbye to summer and be done with it. Now – right now – is a valuable opportunity to do reconnaissance on your HVAC strategy. This is where due diligence on your part pays off down the road.

Fall is prime time to evaluate your entire HVAC inventory, and particularly your HVAC service provider. To do so, ask yourself fundamental questions about the depth, breadth and quality of the service they provided, the performance of your equipment during the hot summer season, and how all this affected your organization’s bottom line.

Here are some questions to get you started:

  • How much did I spend this summer on HVAC emergencies?
  • How many HVAC emergency calls did I have?
  • How did my HVAC service provider respond to those emergencies? How quick were they? Were the problems fully solved, and done so in an efficient manner?
  • Do you know when each of your HVAC units was last serviced?
  • Do you know which of your HVAC units are under warranty and for how long?
  • What’s the age, make and model of the equipment that failed?

This last question in particular is an important one to ask yourself. By having this information at your fingertips, you’ll be in a great position to make smart (translation: economical) decisions about your HVAC equipment – and in doing, so, make a compelling case to your boss.

For example, you may see that you experienced lots and lots of HVAC emergencies during this past summer. But knowing the age, make and model of the equipment that failed, you can put those emergencies in the right context. In this example, let’s say half of all those emergencies occurred with rooftop units (RTUs) that were over 25 years old. No matter how much your service provider pampered those units, they would still struggle during a hot summer.

Finding the Right Solution for You

Solutions such as CLS Facility Services’ PM Logic® provide valuable information like this – and they make that information meaningful to facility managers through detailed yet understandable reports.

PM Logic® is specifically designed to give facility managers like you easy, Web-based access to industry knowledge that will save you time, keep your equipment healthy and efficient for years to come, and optimize your facility management budget.

PM Logic® is an easy-to-use online interface that provides comprehensive data-driven analysis and operational recommendations, including:

  • PM recommendations for your specific unit type;
  • Repair tracking and status updates, including a detailed history of service calls, repairs, open work orders and previous quotes;
  • Equipment evaluation and replacement data;
  • Equipment replacements;
  • Warranty tracking that helps clients realize money-saving opportunities;
  • Energy management system installation and monitoring.

PM Logic® provides you with a wealth of HVAC asset management knowledge that is both site sensitive and RTU specific. Just as important, it makes that knowledge easy to access and manage through our simple online system.

Whether it’s PM Logic® or another alternative, don’t miss this critical post-summer opportunity to evaluate your HVAC equipment, and plan smartly for the remainder of 2014 and 2015. It’s hard to fathom right now, but next summer will be here before you know it.

For any questions about CLS’s national HVAC services, or all other CLS services, please call us at 800-548-3542.