5 Preventative Maintenance Tips for Commercial Buildings

So, you’re operating a commercial office building, or maybe even an industrial plant, and you need to make sure it’s running efficiently. Omnia360, a comprehensive facility management company in Cincinnati, Ohio can give you five preventative maintenance tips for commercial buildings. 

FM services usually consist of some hard and soft maintenance: hard meaning any HVAC repairs or landscaping upkeep, and soft meaning janitorial or sanitization work throughout the office. Building repairs are costly. Solution? Prevent them from happening to begin with. 

One of the easiest things you can do to ensure your building stays in great shape is to monitor the interior and exterior components of your facility. 

1. Interior & Exterior Inspections 

Before you contact your facility manager, take a brief look at the interior and exterior portions of your building: roof tiles, gutters, landscaping layout, light bulbs, and windows. 

It’s not just the energy efficiency and functionality of your building that should be inspected, it’s the safety too. Both inside and out, you, your staff, or an FM company can check the facility for any red flags. 

Parking lots are notorious places for accidents between pedestrians and through traffic. Situations akin to this can be avoided with maintenance services spanning from asphalt repair, exterior pressure washing, landscaping, lot sweeping, and more. 

  • Check the entry and exit pathways to the building.
  • Are the emergency lights working?
  • Are electrical panels covered and properly marked?
  • Are your computer and electronic equipment placed in areas to avoid damage should an electrical surge occur? 

 

2. Pest Infestation Prevention

Do the little things, like not leaving food out in common break room areas or cleaning up spills on the carpet or tile flooring. Pests can chew up wiring, leave bad-smelling odors to travel through your building’s ductwork, and more. 

Rather than spend more of your FM budget on pest control and removal services, take preventative steps to avoid infestations altogether. One of the best ways is to invest in “soft” FM services like janitorial cleaning and sanitization services. 

Critters are drawn to food and water. Make sure employees or staff do not leave food out in the open for long periods of time. Nearly any facility management company will have a weekly cleaning service with their bundled package to help with this. 

There are a few other things you and your staff can do to prevent costly pest infestations: 

  • Set up mouse traps in key areas
  • Apply insect-killing dust to the foundation of the building
  • Seal any foundational cracks, leaks, or entry points 

 

3. Smart Use of Thermostat and Energy-Consuming Appliances 

Keeping your thermostat in a good shape by using it at optimal temperatures depending on foot traffic and time of year is an easy way to maintain an energy-efficient building.

A well-tuned commercial HVAC system will likely be a high-impact way to lower your energy cost. Do preventative maintenance to ensure it’s operating at maximum efficiency. If it’s low on refrigerant, has a clogged air filter, or is overheating from a stuck motor fan, your utility bill is bound to be higher at the end of the month. 

Look into installing some modern, LED lighting fixtures within your facility; these can lower energy consumption on the margins. Replacing some windows that see copious amounts of sunlight and heat with insulated, tempered glass can also do the trick. 

 

4. Implement Preventative Maintenance (Based on Seasonality)

Routine maintenance on the hardest working elements of your facility aren’t optional, they’re mandatory – especially if you want to cut your operational costs. 

Spring and Fall seasons are the BEST times to get your HVAC system checked. The summer and winter months are harsh and can mean you’re freezing with a broken heat pump or drenched in sweat with a damaged AC unit component. 

Take seasonality into account when creating your preventative maintenance plan for anything and everything:

  • Plumbing
  • Electrical 
  • Roofing
  • Garages
  • Access/security controls 
  • Parking lot & pavement

Preventative maintenance for certain sections of your building (individual assets & equipment included) will save you money in the long run, avoiding those costly emergency repairs. 

With a qualified facility management company, you’ll be able to diagnose cost-saving areas of your building and maximize its performance, turning it from a liability for your operations budget into a money-generating asset. 

Top Benefits: 
  • Decreases downtime 
  • Reduces costs 
  • Improves safety 
  • Increases equipment efficiency
  • Increases reliability 

 

5. Strategic Maintenance Deferment 

There’s only so much time and money to invest towards a building’s upkeep. Eventually, you’ll have to defer some issues to a later date. In the world of facility management, deferring maintenance is usually a no-go — but only if done incorrectly. 

Knowledgeable and experienced facility managers, like those at Omnia360 facility solutions, can identify which high-impact areas of your building need attention first. We strategically prioritize your maintenance plan based on several factors, including operational cost savings. 

Depending on the scope and scale of issues faced by your building, you may not be able to defer certain tasks. You may just need to expand your budget to manage them all.

 

Contract Facility Management Services at Omnia360

Save money and cut operational costs today. Get comprehensive facility maintenance for the interior and exterior parts of your commercial building. Contact us at (833) 360-6642 for a free assessment.