Task 05-05. Proactive HVAC Maintenance Practices Outreach Program

Objective

Standard equipment maintenance practice for commercial building operators, owners and service contractors is to perform equipment maintenance as outlined in service manuals and repair or replace failed equipment as needed. In addition, standard maintenance practices are centered on equipment operation and do not usually address pertinent energy conservation opportunities related to system operations. Overall, this philosophy is reactive in nature. Recent studies show that implementation of an effective SM program can reduce energy bills by five to twenty percent in commercial buildings. Given that over $81 billion was spent on providing energy for commercial buildings in 1999, widespread implementation of PM programs has the potential to create significant energy cost savings for commercial building operators.

During the FY2004 program year, NCEMBT funded Task 10, Energy Reduction Through Practical Scheduled Maintenance. This pilot program addressed best practices for schedule maintenance (SM) programs and developed a set of training materials designed to transform the market’s opinion of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment maintenance practices. The pilot program was rolled out in California and Illinois. NCEMBT program funding for 2005 will be used for a SM program implementation phase nationwide. The purpose is to implement the pilot program to a larger population to further penetrate the market with the SM best practices knowledge.

The best practices material will be updated by conducting a supplementary literature search using references identified during FY2004 allowing the training course material to be updated. Then, through a robust outreach effort and marketing through professional and trade societies, the SM trainings will be given through a series of seminars, formal trainings and webcasts. Working with organizations such as the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) will ensure maximum penetration of the SM trainings into the market. In addition, a multimedia course presentation will be created using the Microsoft PowerPoint software package with a voice track so the SM materials can be used as a self-directed learning course. This course will reside as a downloadable course available on the NCEMBT website.

Major Sub-awardees

This project is being executed by the Energy Resources Center (ERC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The Principal Investigator is Michael Chimack.
This project will be initiated January 1, 2006 and is scheduled to be completed in 18 months.