Building Management Systems | February 23, 2018
Ken Rackowski, Executive VP, Control’s Division, recently contributed to Commercial Property Executive’s viewpoints Section, which is their forum for guest columns and commentary. In the article titled “Retrocommissioning Reconsidered," Ken highlights how improving your facility's infrastructures, equipment, and energy systems can yield very significant returns.
Benefits of Retrocommissioning Facility Systems
Despite requiring a considerable investment of time and capital, retrocommissioning benefits are numerous. Besides the clear advantages of fixed and updated equipment specifically targeted to the facility’s needs, retrocommissioning can also yield the following:
- Lower maintenance costs
- Increased energy savings
- Better indoor air quality
- Longer equipment lifespans
- Improved equipment productivity
- Fewer change orders
- Financial savings
Building Managers are often hesitant to take this approach, due to the complexity it may bring. Because of this, Rackowski recommends consulting a qualified firm capable of performing an energy audit, in order to identify the benefits that retrocommissioning might bring to the table.
Excerpt from "Retrofitting Reconsidered"
Ken Rackowski writes for Commercial Property Executive:
"Whether it’s been a while since your “new” building opened or you’ve simply inherited aging infrastructure, retrocommissioning offers property owners and managers a unique opportunity to unlock new levels of control, efficiency, and savings.
Even when they take a proactive approach to managing existing or legacy equipment, facility and building managers are sometimes hesitant to undertake retrocommissioning. There’s no denying that, depending on the state of the facility or equipment, the task can be costly. Facility managers may have to return to square one with some systems, and depending on the scope, this prospect can be daunting from both a financial and scheduling standpoint.
And as with every renovation, you can never be sure of the extent of a project until work begins. In the course of upgrading fluorescent lighting to LEDs, for instance, you may discover that older wiring, components and control systems may also need to be replaced, whether to make the new scheme functional or for safety’s sake."
Next steps to improving facility energy efficiency
At Mantis Innovation, we offer a professional, no-cost energy analysis along with a report with initial findings and estimates of costs and savings.
If you would like to learn more about our free energy analysis, click the image below or reach out to us:
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