Our Operations & Maintenance and Janitorial Experts Share Insights
Conversations with members of Team UG2 reveal broad expertise in sustainability practices— a perspective and approach that goes beyond jargon and buzzwords. For many who have been in the industry for decades, “green” is simply a new way to describe the sensible, creative problem-solving that has always been a demand of successful facilities management (FM).
That perspective, combined with UG2’s commitment to embrace innovation and data-informed practices, makes for an approach to sustainability that is both a longstanding core value and an area where we are continuously working on the forefront of change.
Sustainability can be accessible, practical, and impactful. Aspects of technical expertise, such as in the operation of electric motor controls, have been a core contributor to sustainability efforts since long before the language of sustainability entered mainstream lexicon. For example, regularly scheduled retro commissioning—fine-tuning a building’s systems to ensure they are running at optimal performance—is a vital part of an ongoing operations and maintenance strategy that delivers continuous return-on-investment.
Headaches and hassles can reveal new solutions. Battery load shedding and rolling blackouts can often wreak havoc on building and business operations—but these hassles have also yielded important innovations. From a technology and infrastructure standpoint, load shedding has pushed businesses to advance more efficient solutions which will benefit their bottom line in the long term. FM teams have found success by introducing battery backup systems and redundant power sources such as solar power and generators.
Advanced water conservation strategies are going mainstream. Facility engineers are well aware that a seemingly basic shift to auto faucets and auto flush can have a tremendous impact—for example, one high rise facility saw their water consumption reduced by half by introducing auto technology throughout the building. Now the industry is striving toembrace strategies like water saves, which recycle the water used every time you clean a cooling tower.
The COVID-19 pandemic elevated the importance of facility services. We all experienced firsthand how facility services led the way in making spaces safer during the pandemic, from ensuring cleaner surfaces to enabling fresh air exchanges. The importance of partnering with skilled FM teams was underscored in a report from the consulting company Deloitte. It analyzed the impact of COVID on FM and identified a major shift in focus to performance over speed, resulting in an increasing number of key performance indicators related to operational excellence, quality, and overall outcomes. The same study found that the facility manager’s contributions and importance have gained prominence as the role shifted from an operational to a strategic position.
Getting tenant buy-in can take some creativity. The return to in-person work and the effort to strike a balance with remote work has had a tremendous impact on how built spaces are used, and facilities managers are key sages when it comes to introducing efficiencies in line with those adversities. Essential to success is a proactive facility services approach that includes a strong communications plan that allows managers to work hand-in-hand with tenants on smart energy practices—especially when buildings are at lower occupancy.