Keeping the HVAC humming Dan Forgacs, vice president of market intel- ligence and analytics for APPI Energy, notes that utility costs have risen dramatically in the past year, driven by factors such as a rebounding economy and a transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy. In this climate, good, regular maintenance and efficiency measures are more important than ever for senior living communities. Best practices in maintenance start from
the ground up, says Randall Towb, senior manager, business development senior living for Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US. Good maintenance “requires knowledge of the installed equipment and accurate ‘as-built’ documents from the general con- tractor and mechanical contractor. I would say good maintenance starts during the con- struction of the building, and for HVAC, during the installation of the equipment.” Skimping on preventative maintenance
of large equipment in an attempt to limit costs is a mistake, says Michael Lewis, senior client advisor, energy solutions, for APPI. Strong maintenance habits and preventive equipment maintenance help identify po- tential or existing unknown issues that could prove troublesome. “It is quite common to see equipment lose efficiencies, or older equipment kept running long past usable lifespans due to perceived budgetary constraints,” Lewis says. “While the upfront cost to replace older equipment is sometimes daunting, the true cost to main- tain old equipment is often much higher than understood when high utility costs are not factored into the cost-benefit analysis.” Lewis says a core challenge senior living
operators face is weighing a cost-benefit analysis to older equipment or when to upgrade older maintained equipment. “This is the typical chicken or the egg de-
bate,” Lewis says. “Because of increases in utility costs, operators will see cost benefits to updating older and aging equipment as a cost-benefit in the current market.” New, more sophisticated utility-related
equipment often provides more automation and controls that can help reduce down time, help reduce demand charges for electricity, and reduce the volume of gas necessary to operate. “These will be cost-saving measures
that save operators money,” Lewis says. “Additionally, automation ensures facility
It’s crucial to consider the impact on employees when adopting new equipment or maintenance procedures, because those staff members will be doing the work, says Amanda Bakken, lead chemist at Ecolab. “Emerging solutions such as ergonomic cleaning tools or high efficiency applicators can come with a learning curve, so it’s important to pay special attention to manufacturer’s instructions for use as they may be new tools for the staff or present unforeseen safety considerations.”
maintenance technicians can operate equip- ment without years of training or loss of knowledge when employees leave or retire.”
Indoor air quality factor “Similar to our bodies, when a building is exposed to pathogens and chemicals in the air, if you don't properly maintain the airspace, then the building becomes sick,” says Larry Sloan, CEO of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). For that reason, improving indoor air
quality is being viewed as an essential component of maintenance in senior living. Commit to C.A.R.E., an initiative launched last year by the AIHA and the In- tegrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium (IBEC), is focused on indoor environmental mitigation strategies. “There's just so much that can be done
to enhance the quality of the air, and we haven't focused enough attention on it yet,” Sloan says. It’s not about one cure-all technique
but “layer over layer of protections…a combination of strategies on top of each other,” Sloan says. “We talk about a holistic approach.” Ken Martinez, chief science officer for
IBEC, agreed. “It's an all-of-the-above phi- losophy,” he says. “You need to look at your HVAC system, you need to get air filtration, you need to look at the amount of fresh air that's coming in from the outside.” For instance, Martinez says, dilution tech- niques and technologies can help reduce the
risk of exposure to airborne viruses such as COVID. “You don’t have to be an expert in ventilation or HVAC systems to adopt these strategies,” he says. Mitsubishi’s Towb says HVAC system
maintenance is critical to the air qual- ity and internal comfort of a senior living community. “Typically, the two most important
HVAC maintenance items are cleaning/re- placing the indoor unit, or air handling unit, filters and cleaning and protecting outside condenser coils from dirt and dust buildup, saltwater corrosion, and damage from hail, ice, or snow accumulation,” Towb says. Aspects unique to senior living can get
special attention, Martinez says—using negative pressure ventilation, for instance, to keep pathogens from migrating from hall- ways into the rooms and putting vulnerable people at additional risk. “Even if you can’t upgrade the ventilation
system with more filtration, it is plausible to put a portable air cleaner in there to help bring down the concentration of what might be in that space,” Martinez says.
New maintenance methods Breneman says rapidly evolving viruses require a response that evolves with them. Smart devices and other technologies can help senior living communities improve workflow efficiency in cleaning and reduce the use of harsh chemicals, he says. For instance, Juniper Village at Brookline Skilled Nursing in State College, Penn.,
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