Expectations for facility managers are at an all-time high. Indoor air quality, comfort and energy consumption are in the spotlight, and should be. With the onset of the pandemic, environments shifted, which included more people working from home. With that, it was easy to become accustomed to constant comfort. In their own homes, if an individual were cold, they could just turn up the heat. 

Buildings are welcoming back a steady workforce and occupancy is increasing. As people return, they expect to feel as comfortable as they did at home. They expect that the air they breathe is safe and clean.

Major factors in providing a safe, comfortable work environment are the functionality and sustainability of the systems that heat and cool facilities, as well as keeping the air clean and filtered. These systems directly impact how successfully a building performs. Is it possible to work smarter, not just harder, managing the requirements of occupants? Yes. But not without the right tools and support.

Thanks to improved technology, the way buildings are monitored and maintained has improved. That is great for FMs, if they are keeping up with the available improvements. With some minor enhancements, it is possible to utilize existing building equipment to gain real insight into how the building is performing.

With the right tools and analytics, it is possible to improve equipment performance, reduce energy costs and increase occupancy comfort.

A typical building generates millions of data points every day. This data offers incredibly useful information that can help FMs better understand their buildings. With facility analytics, data is collected from sensors on existing equipment systems to better diagnose malfunctions and faults and find potential opportunities for improvements, including energy savings.

Light hardware or software is installed to facilitate communication between an existing building automation system (BAS) and off-site cloud servers. Many BAS manufacturers now build their products on open protocols and standards to allow owners this kind of flexibility. Data from the building is transmitted to the cloud where it is compared against an ever-expanding set of algorithms to find mechanical failures, programming problems or energy saving opportunities.

With advanced programs, the results of the diagnostics are summarized into a simple set of easily interpretable scores for the building and its equipment so that long-term progress or degradation can be easily visualized and understood by key stakeholders. Meanwhile, individual faults and opportunities, interpreted by experts, are shared with FMs alongside potential remedies.

Leveraging data analytics requires more than just software with an owner left to their own devices. To be most effective, specific expertise is required so that results can be deciphered and applied correctly. In the right hands, these tools allow a deeper understanding of a building’s operation and how to maximize performance. Working with data scientists, a skilled service technician can become an FM’s trusted partner who can utilize the innovation to deliver a higher quality of service, save clients money and headaches, and serve the changing needs of the building and its business.

When interpreted by BAS specialists and facility analytics engineers, data becomes information that can be used to develop a better operational plan for a building. It is about doing the things that a specific building requires to get to peak performance – not more, not less.

Traditionally, system maintenance plans fell into one of two categories. In one model, a new system is installed; when it breaks, service is called. Technicians may also change or clean a filter, but it is 100 percent reactive, and the onus is on the building occupants to notice any problems. A second approach is a more preventive plan, in which maintenance follows manufacturer guidelines, such as constantly changing filters, examining belts and cleaning coils at a certain time each year. A plan like this may include more labor and parts than a building needs, and effort may not be directed exactly where it is required.

Technology puts a total view of building performance in the hands of both FMs and their service partners, enabling a more proactive and efficient practice. By applying facility analytics, with no additional manpower, it is possible to see what is happening in every corner of a facility, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A set of rules can then determine how well systems and components are performing. If certain patterns are known to lead to a component failure, that trend can be identified early, and action can be taken to prevent a more costly fix down the road.

With sophisticated programs, tracking reports are used that allow FMs to see firsthand what is happening in their facilities. For instance, simple graphs can be used to show what equipment in the building is performing well, and which may require some expert attention. Knowing where to look at a glance, and armed with more specific fault information, a technician can arrive on site ready to go directly to a problem area and fix it. This allows more time to address or search out other potential – and perhaps less obvious – problems or opportunities.

Looking at two extra things every visit to a job can really add up. Buildings do not break down all at once. Components fail one or two at a time over a long period. Performance degrades because FMs may not notice the many small problems that accumulate and weaken building performance. A facility partner with a total view of the building, who can fix a few additional problems each visit, turns the tide in favor of a more performant, more comfortable building.

If a centralized set of analytics is used, rules can be constantly added and enhanced and capabilities perpetually grow, which means deeper insights can be delivered to customers. Traditional analytics approaches that run in a building’s BAS are often rewritten from scratch for each building. This limits their complexity, drives up implementation costs, and is the reason these packages remain out of reach for much of the marketplace. With a centralized approach, implementation time can be spent making algorithms smarter, not reinventing the wheel each time, which can simultaneously benefit all current and future customers. The algorithms provide insights at scale.

How does this technology help? If an FM has 100 pieces of equipment in the ceilings of campus classrooms, how often do they check each one to ensure it is working properly in every mode? That can be costly, time intensive and sometimes difficult to lay eyes on. With today’s technology, equipment can be watched 24/7 to make sure it is meeting its obligations, and when it is not, it will alert the FM team and technicians. Detailed fault information can quickly indicate the root cause.

Constant surveillance of coil temperatures may reveal when equipment is not getting all the heat it needs from the hot water loop, and that the loop is working harder to maintain pressure. A technician or FM who knows the building well may realize immediately that the sediment filter needs to be cleaned out – ahead of schedule. In an instance like this, analytics removes much of the guesswork from the equation and acts as a force-multiplier on human skill and expertise. This pairing is essential. While advanced analytics will convey what the problem is and when it occurs, it takes experience and knowledge of a building’s operation to understand the why, and how to correct the issue.

With the right team and data offering the ability to home in on a problem or opportunity, FM teams can better understand their buildings in no time.