Data collection and information management can work for your business and improve your facility’s efficiency on multiple fronts. Like all other support services, the facility management service needs to be agile, flexible and aligned to the dynamic changes in the organisation they operate in.Changes, whether they occur from building infrastructure upgrades, or within the model of care or service profile, the FM team is required to promptly respond and replicate these changes in reliable, sustainable, continuous and available building services and associated practices.
How electronically managed building systems provide facility operators with valuable insight on building performance are outlined below.
Critical information within harvested data
Applications and systems attached to building services amass a significant amount of data which can be synthesised into useful information. Facility management professionals recognise that data serves as an important decision support tool, especially in managing infrastructure and ensuring service continuity. Efficiency of services such as HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) lighting, and access control can be monitored, analysed and enhanced when data collected is put to use appropriately – it also enhances performance benchmarking processes.
Leverage on technology
Challenges like downtime risk, infrastructure failure, rising maintenance costs and the biggest pain point for facility managers – resource and budget constraints, can no longer be contained without the aid of technology. Control systems are tools that assist the FM industry in managing these complexities.
Areas where control systems lend support are: operations, maintenance, performance, risk management and cost-effective optimisation of resource allocation.
Actionable intelligence and expert guidance with clear, prioritised asset optimisation recommendations based on statistical analysis, performance trending, and automated diagnostics improve performance, compliance, energy, comfort and financial well-being of facilities.
Results-driven approach
Information gleaned from analysed data provides transparency into a building’s behaviour, enabling fact-based decisions and confidence in capital and sustainment investments. A proactive and results-driven approach based on data analysis assist C-suite executives in making financial decisions. This results in meaningful spend on operational activities and sustained savings. Managing information from building systems translates data into actionable results and illustrate cause and effect scenarios on the most costly issues in managing a facility.
Maximise energy efficiency
In Australia, energy prices have increased 19 percent over the last three years. Considering the current and projected cost increase for energy and knowing that commercial facilities and those in healthcare and education are among the most aggressive consumers, it is time to look into possibilities for energy savings. This can help in meeting sustainability targets, including greenhouse gas and peak energy reduction. But most importantly, it can assist in managing an already tight operating budget by optimising consumption while retaining service continuity.
Building services information management is the common denominator for visualising and analysing potential solutions for better-informed decisions.
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This article is based on a white paper written by Irina Lindquist, Healthcare Solution Architect from Schneider Electric, titled: ‘Managing information from building systems for efficiency, productivity, compliance and continuity of service’.
About the author: Irina Lindquist is Schneider Electric’s Healthcare Solution Architect in Australia and is currently leading the healthcare solutions development and imprementation for the Healthcare and Life Sciences segment.
