Engineering & Maintenance
How an infrastructure update can revitalise your facility’s future
With advancements in technology and energy efficiencies leading to reduced downtime and less reactive maintenance, upgraded facility systems can save your building money in the long run. Occupants will be looking for facilities that support their health, ease their safety concerns, and make them feel at home.
As the UK government plans to enhance the country's infrastructure to be more energy efficient, shift to more sustainable energy sources, and invest in the long-term wellbeing of people, your facility can do the same.
Introduction
Many of the UK and Ireland's buildings are in need of maintenance and upgrading, with hundreds relying on outdated and inefficient infrastructure.
These spaces and places will be expected to meet current standards of safety and wellbeing. To support this, the buildings with outdated and incompliant systems need a comprehensive overhaul.
Occupants cannot afford to rely on the original heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and lighting of a half-century-old building, for example. Neither can property owners. According to the Mortgage Advice Bureau, a reduced EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating can lower your property value.
As of 2023, fewer than 1 in 10 UK offices would meet proposed 2030 sustainability regulations.
Learn below how improved HVAC systems, updated plumbing systems, and cost-effective electricity can turn your building into a modern facility, no matter its age.
Creating comfort with upgraded HVAC systems
We rely on indoor spaces as an escape from unreasonable weather. But if the conditions inside a facility do not fare much better than the conditions outside, occupants will not feel the enjoyable environment your building could be. The only thing they will feel is uncomfortable. Efficient HVAC machines and routine filter replacements can greatly improve your facility's indoor air quality (IAQ), allowing your occupants to work comfortably and breathe easily. With intelligent HVAC system controls in place, your occupants will have one less distraction, and one more reason to think positively about your facility and culture.
An inefficient or poorly maintained HVAC system can create negative experiences, affecting both your occupants and your facility's reputation. Employee productivity, occupant health, and policy compliance may suffer as well. You can avoid these issues, and more, with a modern HVAC system.
Better temperatures for better occupant comfort
Employee productivity and safety can be greatly supported by effective temperature regulation. Similarly, poor ventilation, paired with uncomfortable temperatures, may create an unhealthy working environment.
The potential risk for mold growth and allergens, for example, is greater when buildings aren’t properly ventilated. These safety concerns can spell problems for your occupants, your team members, and your compliance needs.
Efficient HVAC machines and routine filter replacements can greatly improve your facility’s indoor air quality (IAQ), allowing your occupants to work comfortably and breathe easily. With intelligent HVAC system controls in place, your occupants will have one less distraction, and one more reason to think positively about your culture.
More efficiencies mean more savings
Routine maintenance is standard practice for all HVAC systems, yet older and increasingly inefficient systems can require additional servicing to prevent downtime. While reactive maintenance of this nature may seem less expensive than the cost of a replacement HVAC system, these small fixes can add up to large sunken costs over time. By upgrading your assets, you can welcome a more manageable heating and air conditioning system – one that will see cost savings from day one.
Automated controls and energy-efficient machines work to provide optimal levels of comfort without wasting excess electricity, making it easy to generate savings on your facility’s power usage. The same technology and efficiency breakthroughs seen in occupant-facing HVAC systems can create even larger savings for your facility’s high-volume chillers, mission-critical cooling systems, and more.
Conserving water and costs
Modern plumbing systems have the technology in place to prevent excess water usage. Your facility's bathrooms, HVAC machines, water heaters, and more can be optimized to use no more than the amount of water the job calls for. And with less water going down the drain, you will have less money following it.
Plumbing that focuses on water efficiency and conservation may help your building become more sustainable. Indeed, the right facility services provider can support you in achieving greater sustainability through efficient technology.
Plumbing that is safe, efficient, and built to last
Of all the areas we may take for granted in our buildings, adequate plumbing ranks high on too many lists. What is more out of sight than something in the walls? But if the pipes in your facility have not been touched in years, you might be unknowingly creating costly problems for yourself.
As a key component to your HVAC systems, care for your building’s plumbing is essential to creating a clean, safe, and efficient environment. If old pipes have slowly been corroding, a potential leak or pipe burst could suddenly leave your entire operation temporarily out of commission. While a leak in a bathroom can create an inconvenience to your occupants, a leak inside your walls could damage insulation, plastering, and electrical wiring. Ensuring your pipes are secure means the rest of your infrastructure, from your lighting to your water chiller, is out of harm's way as well.
By partnering with a facility services provider who understands sustainable practices and the value of a building's EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), your building can lower energy costs, enhance energy efficiency, and produce less waste. This can greatly help inform the public about your building’s transformation into a safe and modern facility.
Put safety first with efficient electricity
Electricity has grown significantly in its share of workplace dependency. In today’s modern facility, it is the resource that powers much of what we do. But if the quality of your electrical infrastructure is declining, your workplace productivity and safety may suffer.
Years of deferred maintenance have forced some facilities to put off electrical repairs, even as the potential risk for unscheduled downtime and failure has increased.
For the safety of your occupants, putting your electricity back in compliance is essential. With high-efficiency solutions, you can generate more power, performance, and savings than ever before.
No more downtime
Just like any kind of infrastructure, the right maintenance is essential to getting the most out of your system and preventing any critical conditions again. With high-efficiency electricity in place, you can rely less on sudden reactive maintenance and experience more uninterrupted service. And with the right facility partner, your systems can even adopt a routine of preventative testing, analysis, and energy assessment to prevent any future downtime.
Compliance is key
Protecting your team from electrical hazards is critical. It is also a liability and a regulatory requirement in order to stay compliant and avoid hefty fines, thereby avoiding non-compliance and reducing the risk of onsite accidents.
A reliable power system, paired with routine proactive maintenance, can keep your electrical distribution safely operating for years to come.
Providing the necessary safety training to your team is an added step for compliance and peace of mind. Working with a knowledgeable partner can help keep all areas of your infrastructure in check.
Improved infrastructure, improved experience
Occupants prefer facilities with a strong reputation for health and safety. It will be up to the management of the buildings they visit to welcome them back. The right infrastructure will be key in making that welcome a warm one.
While many people might not be looking directly at a building’s infrastructure, they will feel its absence. Improved IAQ (indoor air quality), efficient water usage, and reliable lighting are just some of the necessities for building a comfortable environment and a better brand identity for your building.
The age of your building should signify how far your business has come, and the infrastructure should not make it seem outdated. Facilities like yours need to partner with a solutions provider who understands this. For a single provider who can help make it happen, see how ABM can help to revitalise your facility’s future by visiting [ABM.co.uk](https://www.abm.co.uk).
Revitalise our facility's technical infrastructure with ABM
Visit [ABM.co.uk](https://www.abm.co.uk) for more information
About ABM
ABM is a leading provider of facility solutions in the UK and Ireland. Our comprehensive services include electrical, HVAC & mechanical, energy management, fire prevention, and EV turnkey charger services, and many more. ABM provides tailored engineering & maintenance solutions to facilities of all sizes, from commercial real estate and hospitals to stadiums and manufacturing & distribution centres.
