Building owners and managers lead very busy lives, so building systems like HVAC aren’t always top-of-mind. That said, stop and think for a moment about your HVAC equipment. Can you answer these basic questions:

  • Do you have an up-to-date HVAC equipment list for your building(s)?
  • Do you know the make, model, serial number and warranty information for your equipment assets?
  • Are you currently paying for items that may still fall under warranty?
  • Do you maintain a database to keep track of filter changes, coil cleanings, unit malfunctions, repair history and cost history of your HVAC maintenance?
  • Do you really know whether your HVAC equipment operates at its optimal level of energy efficiency?
  • And #1…are you being reactive to HVAC problems, or taking  proactive measures to get the most out of your assets and reduce short-term and long-term expenses?

In a time of rising energy prices, it’s imperative to lower energy consumption while maintaining comfort in your facility or facilities. In our CLS blog, we’ve explained how a thorough HVAC Preventative Maintenance (PM) program can help you save money and keep your rooftop unit (RTU) running smoothly for years. That said, technology now exists to take PM to entirely new levels of detail – and value. We see this technology as the ultimate in PM. Here’s how it works…

A new hand-held diagnostic tool, what we at CLS call Tech Logic, is now being employed by our service technicians to collect data from HVAC units and generate comprehensive diagnostic assessments of those units – all in terms that are meaningful to property owners and managers.

How does this work at your facility? A CLS service technician simply hooks Tech Logic into your unit. It collects data to detect every fault and degradation found in air conditioning refrigeration cycles, and then informs the technician of the existence of these conditions, the impact of these faults on energy consumption and the available savings potential.

Tech Logic also suggests effective ways to mitigate these problems. When data collected by Tech Logic is synchronized to servers, custom reporting permits facility owners and managers to document the operating conditions of every unit and every circuit both before and after service measures are performed.

While connected to a packaged unit, the Tech Logic records six key measurements: Suction pressure, liquid pressure, suction temperature, liquid temperature, ambient temperature, and return and supply air dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperature. Calculated performance indices are used to identify faults in the unit. From the resulting diagnostic messages, technicians are able to produce better running equipment. The result is:

  • Enhanced reliability
  • Additional cooling capacity
  • Energy efficiency
  • Reporting that documents these gains and allows facility owners and managers to identify specific opportunities.

These measurements also enable Tech Logic to calculate Efficiency Index (EI) and Capacity Index (CI), providing a snapshot of the overall health of a unit. With the EI and CI recorded, a service technician can quantify for you the energy cost of operating at reduced efficiency or capacity.

With this technology, field diagnostics processes, protocols and reporting build feedback into every step of the maintenance and repair process. Using Tech Logic provides objective information to technicians on the rooftop, to their service managers monitoring the work that is being performed, and to end users and facility owners who want to know the true status of their equipment.

The result is that managers can measure the impact of their service and maintenance expenditures and feel comfortable they are making good decisions, while contractors will feel certain that they are delivering good value to their customers and effectively differentiating themselves from competitors. At the same time, technicians will know that they are doing the right things for their employers and customers.

CLS service technicians have already begun to utilize Tech Logic tools during PM checkups at customer sites throughout Ohio. With it, we can prescribe pinpoint measures for improvement with precise, technology-based data. We want to emphasize: You should maintain a consistent and thorough PM program that’s right for your particular unit; Tech Logic simply takes a good thing – PM – and makes it considerably better.

The technology behind Tech Logic isn’t new, but the solution itself truly is cutting-edge. We believe that solutions like Tech Logic represent the next wave in PM – it takes the guesswork out of PM by utilizing proven technologies and processes to accurately measure unit performance, including potential energy savings, and identify current or potential problems.

Want to learn more about CLS’s Tech Logic? Call us at 800-548-3542.