Author: MaintenX

As a hospital facilities management professional, it can be easy to let budgetary concerns fall by the wayside in the name of efficiency. When something is broken or dirty, it must be cleaned or fixed.

Keep reading for key tips on finding cost savings and budgetary efficiency.

Look at the Bigger Picture

The facilities management budget for any organization cannot be looked at in a vacuum. Rather, your budget is directly related to the performance and needs of all the other departments at your facility.

Warranty Database

Facility equipment repair can be a huge cost for hospital facility management. While essential pieces of healthcare equipment cannot go unrepaired, it is important that your department keep track of what is currently under warranty. That way, any repairs or maintenance that are covered by a product warranty do not end up cutting into your budget. Before any repair or maintenance is ordered, check the warranty database and verify whether or not that equipment is covered.

Pricing Agreements with Vendors

Vendor pricing agreements can be a very effective way to maintain your facility’s efficiency without going over your budget. If you lay out what you expect and are willing to spend on repairs over the course of the life of a piece of equipment, and get that amount in writing, you will not be subject to unexpected charges when maintenance or repairs are required.

Environmental sustainability is having a moment. It’s hard to find an aisle at Home Depot or Target that isn’t packed with products that claim to have environmentally sound ingredients, energy-saving technology or more responsibility sourcing.

But beyond marketing, what’s the benefit to business owners of going green? Can a company improve its bottom line while helping to save the environment?

Money

The answer is yes. Better insulation, after all, translates into lower heating and cooling bills, and devices like energy-efficient lighting and low-flow toilets can slash utility expenditures.

Lighting

For many businesses, changing lighting is more complex than turning out the lights after work. Most offices are equipped with old-fashioned fluorescent lights, which are more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs but less energy-efficient than LEDs. Old fluorescents tend to flicker, and often produce a cold, unpleasant light. In addition, their bulbs can be expensive and difficult to replace.

Sunshine

Another way to cut electrical bills is by taking advantage of a free, limitless lighting resource that’s available to most businesses: the sun. In addition to lowering lighting costs, sunlight also improves the feel of an office and the morale of workers. Daylight gives employees a connection to the changing weather and the patterns of the day and reinforces their circadian rhythms.

Facility managers know that budgets for owner-occupied buildings are tight, and commercial real estate can face economic strain even after a recovery is underway.

The tips below will help you cut energy costs.

Depending upon how your site lighting is operated and circuited, you can create an “economize mode” for overnight when the site is at its lowest occupancy.

Involve the Entire Community to Trim Energy Costs

Team up with our custodians, security officers, maintenance personnel and the staff and faculty to keep lights off, power usage down and waste down. Most custodians on night shift clean rooms in a sequence where they finish a room, turn off all equipment and then move to the next area. Security watches the buildings and makes sure all equipment is off after personnel leaves. This is a great way to ensure you cut costs effectively.

Turn Off Vending Machine Lights

Remove light bulbs from all vending machines as an energy-savings initiative. Each machine with the lighting removed was posted with a notice that the machine was in operating condition and the light bulbs had been removed to reduce electric energy consumption.

Use Process Improvement to Reduce Kitchen Energy Use

If you have a commercial kitchen in your facility, then it’s likely to be your most energy intensive operation. In fact it’s probably using five times more energy than any other area. Here are a few thoughts on cutting kitchen energy use.

When you’re appraising your elevator maintenance plan options, you might have a general idea of what you need. However, since elevators are very complicated pieces of equipment, there are certain things many people miss in the research phase. Unfortunately, this often results in an elevator owner locked into a long-term contract with an unreliable service provider.

Our checklist will help you.

Benefits

The right elevator maintenance contract will ensure that your elevators:

• Operate in accordance with applicable codes
• Pass required state inspections
• Keep your passengers safe
• Avoid costly repairs

Each elevator service company includes and excludes different services in their own versions of these maintenance plans.

Coverage

The coverage level will determine how much financial risk you are taking with your elevator — basically what you’re getting for your money.

Pricing

Cost will likely be one of your deciding factors when selecting a service provider, but it’s important to realize that the cheapest option isn’t always the most affordable in the long run.

Safety

There is no “one-size-fits-all” elevator maintenance checklist. The safety checks will be contingent on the specific type of elevator you have, so the operator will have an elevator maintenance checklist that is designed to the specifications of your equipment’s exact make and model. Some of the basics that a technician will assess include:

• Safety circuits
• Foot pound pressure on door closing
• Door protection
• Oil levels
• Ride comfort
• Leveling at landings

Ask your maintenance provider for a checklist of safety tests specific to your elevators that are guaranteed to be performed at every visit.

For many companies, outsourcing facility services is a good way to reduce prices, improve the occupant experience, and free up time to focus on business growth. Cost is a significant factor in the decision to outsource, but many businesses make the mistake of choosing a facility services provider based on cost alone. Doing that might seem to help your bottom line, but it can have serious downsides.

Getting Value from Your Facility Services Program

A quality-oriented facility services provider will deliver value through expertise, effectiveness, customer service, innovation, and smooth operation.

Expertise

Even though many facility services tasks are simple, when they’re delivered by an expert, it makes a difference.

Efficiency

The least costly option frequently ends up being the least efficient. Low-cost providers tend to cut corners on training, equipment, and safety procedures in order to squeeze a profit out of their low prices.

Customer Service

Your building occupants’ interactions with maintenance workers reflects directly on you.

Innovation

Every company wants to modernize. Working with a quality provider allows you to benefit from their tactical expertise.

Anytime you outsource a business function, you have to address administrative issues. Low-cost providers may not have established procedures to make administration as hassle-free as possible for you. Quality-oriented providers maintain established protocols for administration and quality control, making it easier to do business with them.

Want to know more? Call MaintenX today!

Walking into a public restroom with sparkling floors, streak-free mirrors, and fresh aromas is what every guest hopes for. However, even the cleanest restrooms can be a germ danger zone due to an often-overlooked restroom process: hand drying.

Most restrooms offer at least one of three hand-drying options: paper towels, air dryers, or jet dryers. When air or jet dryers are the only option, facility costs may be lower, but customers are often left with wet or damp hands after leaving the restroom if the air pressure is too low.

Facility managers should understand how different hand drying methods can impact cleanliness and health beyond the restroom.

Hot Air Problems

Hot air dryers remove water by evaporation and direct air movement mainly downwards. In contrast, jet air dryers remove water through forces in opposite directions and dispersion into the air, Jet dryers, due to their speed and construction, spread more viruses than the warm air dryer, and much more than paper towels.

The Benefits of Paper

Paper towels are popular among restroom guests. Given the choice, most people prefer paper towels to hot air dryers. By providing paper towels in public restrooms, facility managers give customers their desired hand drying method, and get a cleaner, healthier environment in return.

While it may sound like a myth, paper towels can be a sustainable and cost-friendly hand drying option.

No Longer a Debate

The choice of whether to provide paper towels or air dryers within restrooms is no longer an equal sided debate; research shows that paper towels take the hygiene crown. If you’re skeptical, it’s worth asking yourself where the air that the dryers blow actually comes from – inside the bathroom!

Unless you live in a big city, the extent to which facilities maintain their properties is usually obvious from the street. We may think it’s only for aesthetic appeal, but there are more unexpected reasons facility managers may choose to designate budget dollars to that purpose.

When greenery is replaced by buildings in urban areas, cities can’t absorb the chemicals from cars and buildings as effectively, and air quality suffers.

Trees and plants also have an incredible ability to cool down cities by fighting the urban heat island effect. They reflect sunlight and heat unlike pavement, which absorbs it. 

You may have noticed some facilities surround their buildings with trees. There’s a reason for that: the foliage blocks out a lot of noise. Sound bounces off hard surfaces, but is scattered and absorbed by plants. 

How Do Trees Benefit Your Facility?

• Improved air quality
• Improved water quality
• Improved wildlife habitats
• Cooled air temperatures

What Can You Do?

• Plant trees on your property. Plant about 20 feet away from your building on western exposures for optimum energy conservation.
• Plant at least one tree per car in your building to reduce your carbon footprint.
• Advocate for tree planting in public spaces in your community.
• Remember that all trees need to be maintained after they are planted.

For more information about planting trees, contact MaintenX today!

Can you envision the cleaning process in your office or facility? Do you see the team vacuuming, wiping glass doors, emptying the trash, and dusting?

We’ve rounded up a list of the places people often forget to clean:

Stairs

You’d think dirt, debris, and salt would only accumulate on the main path of the stairs. Surprisingly, buildup can happen just as quickly in the corners and edges, too; it’s easy for our shoes to kick particles into those areas.

Chairs

Upholstery and other office furniture easily attract dust. If your facility has a waiting room or lots of visitors coming and going in a seating area, odors and stains are unavoidable.

Drying Racks

Do people in your office wash their dishes after lunch? If so, it’s doubtful they also take the initiative to clean the drying rack once in a while. Many might think clean dishes are going on there, so how can it be dirty? But water accumulation can be a breeding ground for mildew.

Trash

The liners may be changed every day, but when was the last time the cans were given a good washing?

Break Room Fridge

It’s one of the most dreaded places to clean, but grime, dirt, mold, and dust can accumulate quickly there.

Want to know more? Call MaintenX today!

The advantages of smart landscape construction are many, varied, and long-lasting for both the land and its owner. Some of the most notable effects reflect upon your investment, your bills, and the environment.

Beautiful Landscapes Increase Property Value

Landscape construction doesn’t just bring beauty and shade to your property. It increases its value and curb appeal, drawing in buyers if or when you plan to put it on the market. We aren’t talking about pennies; quality landscaping can contribute to up to 28% of your home’s total value.

Good Landscaping Can Reduce Energy Costs

Strategic tree placement can impact your bills in a positive way. Natural shade reduces a building’s internal temperature, lessening the strain on your air conditioner and reducing your energy bill while giving you a reprieve from the Florida sun!

Landscaping Construction Provides Environmental Benefits

One of the most important advantages of hiring a professional to provide landscaping construction services is that we know what plants and trees are best for your property. Behind the aesthetics, trees recycle air into clean oxygen and capture runoff during Florida’s frequent storms. This impacts the health of your property and your air quality!

Give Your Landscape a Revolutionary Touch

If your landscape needs a refreshing change of scenery, give MaintenX a call today! We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and schedule an appointment to give your land a new look.

The EPA recommends cleaning air ducts whenever there is a rodent/insect infestation, mold growth, or if the ducts are clogged with dust and debris.

Airborne particles can be released from dirty ducts and contaminate a HVAC system, or if moisture gets into the system mold can grow, and mold spores may be released into the air. In those situations, it’s crucial to have your facility’s ducts cleaned.

Dirty ducts can become a breeding ground for mold spores, bacteria and other particles, which can lead to poor indoor air quality.

If your facility is faced with a dirty duct problem and you have to hire an air duct cleaning service, what should you expect from the company?

The duct cleaning service provider should:

1. Open all ports and doors to ensure the entire system is thoroughly cleaned and inspected.
2. Be sure to inspect the system before cleaning to look for asbestos-containing materials. Materials should not be disturbed and should only be removed by contractors who are specially trained in asbestos removal.
3. Use a vacuum that will vent particles outside of the building.
4. Protect furnishings and carpeting throughout the cleaning procedure.
5. Brush duct surfaces as well as use contact vacuum cleaning to remove all dust and particles.
6. Protect the ductwork by sealing and re-insulating access holes and use soft-bristled brushes to clean fiberglass duct board or metal ducts lined with fiberglass.

Facility managers may also choose to use their own crews to handle air duct cleaning. Want to know more about this topic? Call MaintenX today!