Facilities Management articles for the week of 1/23/2022 - 1/29/2022

Is Your Facility Ready for Winter?

Proper maintenance and preparation are the key to being ready for even the worst winter storms.

Read This » What You Need to Know About Economizers

For facility managers looking to save on cooling costs and be more energy efficient, using an economizer on their rooftop unit (RTU) should be a no-brainer.   One of the biggest benefits to an economizer is sensing outside air temperature and humidity, and if the outside air temperature is favorable, switching the compressor off to cool the facility only with outside air.

Read This » Roofing Projects Face Complex Challenges

Roofing projects are among the most complex projects maintenance and engineering managers will undertake in their careers.

Read This » How to Implement a Successful Outsourcing Program

Outsourcing maintenance services is playing a necessary role in business operations right now as the pandemic continues.

Read This » Best Practices for Mission-Critical Infrastructure in Server Rooms and Data Closets

Matthew Schwartz, director of technology at Parallel Technologies, often consults with clients about what kinds of mission-critical infrastructure they need to support the onsite servers and network equipment that operate "smart buildings." He gives the following best practices for maintaining critical infrastructure in server rooms and data closets.  Make sure both IT and Facilities teams are involved.  "The IT team determines what IT equipment each location needs to have on-site, in terms of production servers, storage, etc.," says Schwartz.

Read This » The Pandemic, Resilience, and Lessons from Healthcare

The pandemic keeps changing the rules in institutional and commercial facilities, where maintenance and engineering managers and their teams are trying to figure out how, how fast, or even whether to allow workers back into offices.

Read This » 4 HVAC Strategies to Still Protect Against COVID-19

Building owners and facility managers are looking to respected sources for guidance on protocols and approaches to improve the operation and effectiveness of their heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to mitigate transmission of the COVID-19 virus and its variants.  As we have learned collectively during the pandemic, the virus can dwell in ambient air, suspended in aerosols exhaled by infected people.

Read This » How to Create Sustainable, Water Efficient Restrooms

As occupants return to buildings, making sure restrooms are water efficient should be a high priority for facility managers looking to focus on health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

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