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HVAC technicians are in high demand to build, install, and maintain our constantly evolving systems, and experts predict the demand of HVAC technicians will only rise.

Why are HVAC technicians so sought-after? We’ll explore the reasons below.

Problem Solving

This one’s a no-brainer. No one likes to feel like an automaton at work. We all want to be stimulated intellectually and be able to overcome problems.

That’s what HVAC professionals do every day: solve problems. Heating and air service technicians need to be able to look at a system, figure out what is wrong, and quickly make the repair. It takes mechanical skill, technical ability, and practical understanding.

Variety: The Spice of Life

The different types of service calls you get as an HVAC technician mean you’re not confined to an office. The different types of work available for HVAC professionals mean there’s plenty of variety for them to enjoy. Installation, maintenance, and repair of diverse HVAC systems are all part of the vocation.

Job Security

HVAC is a service-oriented career, but you’re not just serving other people by choosing a career in heating and air, you’re also doing a service to yourself.

The economy will always change. The market for construction jobs booms and busts along with it. Manufacturing jobs are constantly being outsourced overseas or automated. Heating and air conditioning jobs, on the other hand, will always be in demand; almost every building has a heating and air conditioning system, and maintenance is necessary no matter the state of the economy.

The people inside your building or leased space are responsible for the bulk of its energy use. After all, plug loads, lighting, and HVAC in tenant spaces often account for 50 percent or more of a building’s total energy use.

So since the actions of your employees and other occupants impact how the building’s systems run, by working with building occupants, you can empower and engage them to become part of the solution.

Here are some low-cost ideas to get your occupants on board and interested in saving energy.

Encourage them to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Ask building occupants to make a pledge to take the stairs at least once a week. Afterwards, post motivational signs in the stairwell to remind them that they’re doing their body, and your bottom line, good.

Give them energy “citations” to hand out.

Why not let your building’s occupants to be your eyes and ears? Your facility’s occupants will enjoy the experience, but it will also train them to keep an eye out for wasteful behaviors.

Give out prizes.

You’d be surprised what people will do for free stuff. You could host an ice cream social to tell tenants about energy-saving efforts, or give out gift cards to anyone who suggests a useful energy-saving idea.

Teach them how to enable power management settings.

Computer power management settings are a great idea to reduce energy consumption. But be sure to give your occupants step-by-step instructions. Helpful reminders like this one from Food Lion’s energy team can help reinforce the instructions.

Want to know more? Call MaintenX today!

Preventive maintenance is not only a requisite program for food safety professionals, it is also an area where a well-designed program can deliver cost savings as well as data that allows managers to optimize their facilities. Well-maintained equipment will ensure that your facility runs efficiently and documents performance.

There are many preventive maintenance activities that facility managers overlook. Here are some tips to follow so you don’t.

Starting Out

Perhaps the best way to develop your preventive maintenance program is to take inventory. Make a list of all equipment requiring maintenance. This list should include the following:

• Equipment name
• Location
• Serial number
• Description
• Maintenance schedule
• Responsibility
• Procedures

Maintenance Procedures

It is absolutely vital that your facility’s maintenance program includes procedures that describe in great detail how to do the work and properly document it. Your facility’s maintenance master list should consist of only one document. The following procedures are essential parts of any facility’s maintenance program:

• Maintenance procedures for all facility assets
• Tool reconciliation procedures for all relevant facility features
• Procedures for emergency and temporary repairs
• Spare parts inventory lists with product names and serial numbers
• Thoroughly laid-out and straightforward training procedures

Want to know more about this topic? Call MaintenX today!

As a property manager, you have many responsibilities; from changing smoke alarm batteries to painting and dealing with contractors, maintenance can be daunting.

Save yourself money and hassle by replacing or repairing equipment in a timely way, and focusing on preventative maintenance. Here are some helpful tips to help you keep track of your facility.

Change the batteries on your smoke detectors.

This problem could literally save your occupants’ lives. Because smoke alarms are always on, it’s easy to forget about them. That’s why it’s important to put in new batteries at least two times a year.

Test the HVAC system.

As long as you’re doing maintenance around your property, it’s also a great idea to test both the heating and the air-conditioning before your facility’s occupants need them.

Perform any needed pruning, trimming, or other yard work.

Remember to take care of your facility’s outdoor features by:

• Pruning
• Trimming
• Performing other outdoor maintenance as a preventative measure

Keeping up this maintenance of your facility’s landscape also helps with insect and pest control, protection of the property, proper plant growth, and occupant safety.

Check for water damage and leaks.

Fall is a perfect time to check your property for water damage and leaks. You’ll also need to look for soft spots on the roof, ceiling, and walls.

Want to know more maintenance tips? Call the experts at MaintenX today!

Environmental contamination can lead to costly fines from your waste company. And even worse, it can result in your recycling going straight to the landfill.

Below are some simple steps to get people using your recycling program:

Give people the details.

It’s vital that everyone inside your facility knows what can and what can’t be recycled. We suggest that you hold regular refresher meetings to update employees on any changes to your recycling program. This will help you ensure that everyone knows what is recyclable.

Use images, not text.

People only have a few seconds to spare as they approach a recycling bin to decide on where they will toss their waste. That’s why they’ll need images help them quickly identify the right container to put their waste in.

Use consistent colors.

A consistent color system can help people learn what’s recyclable and what isn’t. Right now there aren’t standardized colors for recycling, although many cities have adopted an informal color scheme.

Motivate facility occupants with easy-to-understand goals.

A little healthy competition is a great way to motivate people to reach their goals. Posting regular diversion rate updates will help people keep the recycling program top of mind.

Use compostable food service materials.

Using compostable plates and flatware can go a long way toward helping your facility divert a substantial amount of waste from landfills. This is because this process makes it easier for people to know how to do the right thing. For special events, facility occupants can just toss their leftover plates and food all in the same bin.

To learn more about getting people motivated to recycle call MaintenX today!

A large portion of a product’s environmental impact is determined by its design. That means that by the time the blueprints for your new washing machine, electronic device, or power washer have been completed, the amount of material that can be recovered from it for reuse, remanufacture, or repair has been set already.

Below, we’ll take a look at how design is being used to reduce waste. Here are some products that are currently putting the concept of eco-design into practice.

The Do chair

The Do chair was designed to be ergonomic and user-friendly while also being ecological. Made entirely from recyclable and recycled materials, the chair was designed for effortless disassembly.

The materials used to construct the Do chair were also reduced by using markings designed to easily identify the specific material type. This helps to facilitate stress-free and accurate recycling practices.

Kingfisher drill

A lot of power tools have components that are very durable, but they also tend to get thrown away with the rest of the tool when more sensitive parts break down. The makers of the Kingfisher drill have developed a cordless construction that can be disassembled in less than a minute to keep working parts and remove faulty parts, which can be shipped back to the manufacturer to be fixed.

Want to know more about the many benefits of using more sustainable, energy-efficient products? Call the experts at MaintenX today!

What is Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of the air inside facilities, as represented by concentrations of pollutants and thermal conditions. These conditions can affect the health, comfort, and performance of your building’s occupants.

What are the most common causes of indoor air quality problems?

The most common causes of indoor air quality problems in buildings include factors like:

• Not enough ventilation, lack of fresh outdoor air, or infiltration of contaminated air
• Poor upkeep of HVAC systems
• Dampness and moisture damage due to leaks, flooding, or high humidity

Why is indoor air quality important to building managers?

Buildings exist to protect people from the elements and support occupants’ activity. Buildings should never make people sick, cause them discomfort, or inhibit their ability to perform their duties. How efficiently a building functions is, in part, a measure of your building’s overall performance.

The growing spread of chemical pollutants in many commercial products, the inclination toward tighter building construction constraints, the bad habit of reduced ventilation to save on energy costs and management pressures to defer maintenance and other building services to reduce costs have all come together to cause air quality problems in countless buildings. Occupant complaints of odors, stale air and symptoms of illness or discomfort can also cause conflicts between occupants and building managers.

Want to know more about improving air quality? Call the experts at MaintenX today!

Every year, new equipment and facility development processes are restructured for more efficient energy consumption. Even with those tools, though, it can still be challenging for facility management to keep up with their comprehensive energy picture. Even if you’re meticulous about replacing your facility’s old equipment on time, you still might be missing out on many energy saving opportunities.

Energy Audit

An energy audit service can solve many of these problems, and often pays for itself over time. Setting one up is easy!

The process of an energy audit can include:

• Determining your facility’s average energy consumption over a set period as a benchmark
• Observing individual energy streams and how each of those streams contributes to your facility’s energy usage and costs
• Comparing your facility’s energy usage against that of similar facilities
• Exploring opportunities for more efficient facility asset investments

How to Schedule an Energy Audit

No matter your facility size or your particular energy goals, scheduling an energy audit is a simple process. You can contact MaintenX directly. Once you’ve submitted your audit request, a MaintenX representative will get back to you as soon as possible.

A thorough energy audit guarantees cost savings, but we can help you determine which level is best based on your facility profile. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have!

It can be easy to get frustrated by the many day-to-day tasks involved in maintaining a property. To succeed as a property manager, you’ll need to keep refining and modernizing your skillset. Here are some useful tips:

Make communication a key part of your strategy.

The first step in honing your maintenance game is to create templates. Templates simplify the communication process by decreasing the need to repeat the same steps over and over again.

Successful property managers do not drag their feet.

Effective property managers know how to get things done. They also need to be savvy and knowledgeable enough to know which parts of their work should take priority over other tasks. If you’re going into the industry, good work habits are essential.

Get up to speed.

Stay updated on changing rules and regulations, local rents, and other related trends. Property owners want to be sure that their property manager knows what they’re talking about.

Think towards the future.

Thanks to technology, the property management industry is changing rapidly. To keep up with the pace of change, make sure you adapt to and embrace these changes.

Have a long-term strategy.

Having a long-term strategy will help you stay focused and motivated.

Questions to ask yourself.

However you make a decision, stand by it. Any consequences should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Want to know more tips for property management? Call the experts at MaintenX today!

Add these helpful landscaping tips to your spring project plans to improve the appearance and health of your property while also increasing the value of your home or facility.

Clean Up, Clean Up!

The very first thing you can do to spruce up your property is to prepare for any spring landscaping project by first simply cleaning up the lawn, flower beds and garden area. Pick up all the branches that may have fallen around your lawn during the winter or a recent storm, rake any leaves and pick up debris that may be on the lawn, weed and declutter the garden or flower beds, and don’t forget to clean up the area you are preparing to work with.

Plant and Feed

For all your plants and garden vegetables, make sure that the soil is in tip-top condition for early spring planting. We advise a proper soil test before you begin planting anything to make sure you know what nutrients the soil lacks. Once you know what your soil needs, go to your local nursery and have a professional advise you on what to add to prime your lawn and garden for spring and summer success.

Weed the Garden

If you would like to use a natural non-selective weed control, then try using a vinegar or citrus oil-based product. Be very careful not to spray any desirable plants though.

Want to know more about proper lawn care? Call MaintenX today!