We all know that we need to get the oil changed on our vehicles long before we start to see smoke coming from the engine block. Of course, if you neglect your vehicle for that long, you’ll likely end up with a hefty repair bill from your mechanic that could easily have been avoided. That’s why we don’t bat an eye at regularly changing our vehicles’ engine oil.
Well, the same concept applies to your building automation system’s maintenance. While your BAS isn’t something you need to babysit or watch with an eagle eye at all times, it does require periodic maintenance appointments from your technician. That way, your BAS is well-equipped to do its job of serving you and your business.
But modern life is busy, and nobody wants to waste precious resources on anything that isn’t strictly necessary. So if everything appears to be running smoothly with your BAS, why does it need periodic preventive maintenance? What are the benefits of BAS maintenance, and what makes it so essential?
BAS Maintenance Benefits
Generally, the motivation for getting a BAS in the first place boils down to wanting your day-to-day to be easier, more enjoyable, and less expensive. After the initial BAS install, keeping up with your BAS maintenance is the single best way to ensure that you keep achieving those goals, year after year.
During your building’s periodic BAS maintenance appointments, your technician can complete a wide array of tasks. These can include changing your HVAC filters, running system diagnostics, updating your software, preventing system bugs from infiltrating your BAS’s IoT, verifying cross-systems communication, and more. Ultimately, that saves you trouble, money, and time — all while maximizing your enjoyment and use of your BAS. Here are four specific examples.
1. Sustained Optimum Performance
Has your BAS technician picked up on new data patterns since your last appointment? Has there been a spike in energy consumption in any of your building’s HVAC zones? These little golden nuggets of information can go a long way in maximizing the optimal use of your BAS.
For example, let’s say that the last time that your BAS was checked was in the winter, and now it’s spring. Perhaps your tenants are struggling with allergies — but not enough for you to really take note of it. Well, during a seasonal BAS maintenance appointment, your technician can check your air quality trends and tell you about a spike in your building’s air particle count.
Would a different air filter type help with the springtime allergens? Your tenants would surely appreciate that. Now that you’re using far less heating than you did in the winter, could updating your BAS’s HVAC sequence of operation improve your building’s energy efficiency? Benefits like these are easy to miss if you don’t have your technician out long before there’s a problem.
2. Smarter Smart Benefits
Your various building systems need seamless communication for you to get the most benefit from your BAS’s IoT and data analytics. There can be various programming updates, security patches, system upgrades, and more that you can receive during your BAS maintenance appointments.
Ultimately, you want your security system, IT system, lighting, HVAC, and more to be in constant communication with each other. It’s not uncommon for these systems’ connections to be disrupted without building managers noticing. And while that might not cause system downtime, it does mean that you’re missing out on those smart cross-system benefits.
Plus, smooth cross-system communication helps add more color to your existing data sets. That makes it easier for you to cash in on those smart benefits, minimizing operational error and maximizing human benefit. Data trends can change considerably from season to season, not to mention with any construction on your building. You purchased a smart building for a reason, so don’t miss out on all it can provide you.
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3. Catch Problems Before They Develop into a Disaster
It’s not uncommon for BAS companies like ours to get service calls from new clients in total crisis mode. It’s a common story. Their BAS has been down for days, they’ve had multiple companies come in to try to fix it with little success, and now they’re scratching their heads about whether or not their BAS is even fixable at this point. Meanwhile, their business is severely held back by this issue until they can find a solution.
This expensive problem occurs more frequently than you might think. It’s especially frustrating when building managers realize that the severity of this problem was avoidable. In fact, had the BAS maintenance been sufficient, the issue may have never occurred in the first place! What a very expensive mistake.
You can think of BAS maintenance like you think of check-ups with your doctor. If there’s something wrong with you medically, the sooner you catch it, the better your odds. It’s that simple.
4. Extend the Life of Your BAS for Added Savings
The upfront financial burden of installing a BAS can be sizable. BAS systems are a long-term investment in your business that can improve your day-to-day for years to come. Naturally, with the front-loaded cost of a BAS, you’ll want to extend its life for as long as possible. That’s how you get the most bang for your BAS buck.
Extending the usable life of your BAS is one of the greatest contributions that BAS maintenance can make to your business. By keeping your BAS running like a well-oiled machine, you can prevent small issues from becoming a big, hairy nightmare as mentioned earlier. That means you ultimately get more life from your initial BAS investment — and everyone can appreciate that.
Expert BAS Maintenance Service from Conexus
Conexus understands the importance of building automation system maintenance and can offer expert advice on the best way to maintain your system for the long haul. Let us create a building automation service plan that meets your needs.
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