Ensuring Guest Comfort Through HVAC Predictive Maintenance Programs

Guest comfort is of the highest priorities in the lodging industry. Acoustics, humidity, temperature and other aspects of indoor air quality all affect traveler comfort, satisfaction and, ultimately, brand preference.

In order to satisfy these factors, hospitality professionals and lodging facility managers are advised to work with HVAC suppliers to align facility and business goals, to structure a predictive maintenance program and to implement new ways to keep HVAC system costs down. These programs are designed to prevent excessive depreciation, extend equipment life, and avoid unplanned downtime. HVAC predictive maintenance typically includes analysis, cleaning, adjusting, and minor component replacement to extend system life.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), commercial building owners, including lodging facility managers, can reduce energy bills by 5 to 20 percent with building operation and maintenance programs. A well-designed predictive maintenance program will not only save energy, but can also enhance the operating efficiency of HVAC and lighting systems.

Developing an effective predictive maintenance program starts with identifying facility performance goals, which may differ by building type and lodging brand. For example, goals may include:

• Increasing return on investment of building systems by more efficient operation of existing equipment and reducing premature capital outlay.
  
• Improving environmental responsibility by monitoring emissions, reducing energy consumption and replacing or modernizing old equipment and systems with new, efficient technologies.
  
• Optimizing system reliability to maximize facility operations and occupant comfort.

Ensuring guest comfort
Trendwatching.com, a consumer trend consulting firm, found that hotel guests "tend to demand an even nicer environment from their hotel, with a touch of luxury one would normally not find at home." This means that hotel owners and operators are under increasing pressure to provide superior IEQ, one free of high humidity, odors or excessive noise.

While staying in a hotel, if guest comfort levels are negatively impacted by poor IEQ, HVAC suppliers may by contacted to address the issue. The singular focus on guest comfort reinforces the significance of performing regular predictive maintenance to monitor and track air quality variables.

While many factors impact a guest's experience and influence his or her decision to return, IEQ is becoming more critically assessed as an important issue. This is confirmed by the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI). The Institute maintains that, "we will be required to provide better air treatment in tighter spaces. Health issues associated with the indoor environment will increase in importance." The hotel owner and operators' role in maintaining high IEQ while at the same time minimizing energy consumption and operating costs will continue to be challenging.

Maintenance: A strategic priority
With the potential for a significant reduction in energy costs through predictive maintenance, lodging facility managers and building owners are encouraged to outline and prioritize maintenance objectives that align clearly within their existing business strategies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DOE suggest that facility managers provide senior management, including financial officers, with written goals and objectives for operations and maintenance. Acceptable programs must demonstrate how system optimization and building performance strategies align with business growth plans.

Structuring a program
Once asset management goals are set, it is recommended that hotel owners and facility managers develop a maintenance program that considers all aspects of safety, security, profitability, reliability and energy savings.

The EPA and DOE recommend the following steps:

• Develop a master facility equipment list
  
• Determine the type and number of maintenance activities required by referencing:
  • Manufacturer technical manuals
    
  • Equipment operating history
• Conduct a complete system evaluation, or "needs audit," to determine if systems are adequate for existing and future operations.
  
• Prioritize needs based upon facility requirements and strategic goals
  
• Identify tasks needed to be performed by operations and maintenance personnel and assess size of maintenance team
  
• Create a documentation process which establishes baseline maintenance levels

The steps taken in an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) site assessment are used to identify immediate system needs and to propose cost-effective predictive maintenance actions. It is also used as a baseline or benchmark for management budgeting and decision-making.

Maintenance frequency, implementation and measurement
Several factors should be considered when determining the frequency of maintenance in lodging facilities. The timing of the assessment and implementation should be determined based upon the labor and material resources needed to accomplish the maintenance action compared to the building's goals, budget and maintenance priority.

Balance is important when determining this timing because more frequent maintenance has the potential to increase the probability that equipment will operate efficiently and that problems will be identified quickly or prevented. However, the more often a piece of equipment is maintained, the higher the cost of maintenance and, in fact, the greater the probability of accidental maladjustment.

Lodging facility managers are encouraged to work with their HVAC manufacturer to determine a maintenance schedule that will balance these factors and will best optimize their specific lodging facility conditions. Instead of simply defining a calendar time frequency for maintenance action, the ideal situation would call for maintenance to be performed based on system runtime, change in energy use, change in performance, or some other significant measurable parameter.

Implementation of low-cost operations and maintenance strategies that were identified during the assessment process is the only way facilities can actually realize significant energy savings and performance improvements. The DOE states that maintenance and improvements can be implemented within, "six months to three years, depending upon budgets and payback," and also advises that savings from improved performance can be used to fund future upgrades.

The progress of specific maintenance actions can be tracked by putting in place a system to evaluate maintenance goals, actions and outcomes. Lodging facility managers can accurately track and realize the value of the information gained through the reporting process. Key measurement tasks include documenting all maintenance actions, tracking system performance, and reporting of all repair activities, including a description of task, parts used and any irregularities encountered. Facility managers confirm that the value of the information gained through the reporting process regularly offsets the cost and time involved in documentation.

Reducing lifecycle costs of HVAC systems with predictive maintenance
Maximizing long-term investment and minimizing lifecycle costs in HVAC systems requires that they are maintained throughout their entire service life.

"Poor equipment operation can lead to premature equipment failure and an increase in maintenance requirements," explains the DOE. Regularly scheduled PdM measures consist of a variety of technology-based testing measures including:

• Infrared Thermography is used to identify heat loss, HVAC system "hot spots," distribution system problems and performance of devices such as steam traps as well as to validate the integrity of underground systems.
  
• Use of sound and lighting meters to validate industry standards and identify target areas for remediation measures.

For large retail outlets, additional testing measures can be used:

• Ultrasonic testing can be used to detect performance irregularities in high-speed and high frequency producing components such as fan bearings, compressors and even steam valves and traps.
  
• Vibration analysis provides a more analytical basis for establishing normal operating patterns and then testing against these to identify irregularities that could impact reliability and performance.
  
• Electromagnetism analysis frequently referred to as "Eddy Current" testing of heat exchanger tubes. This is used to detect unusual tube wear patterns, identify specific problem areas and determine conductivity (heat transfer performance).

Lifecycle cost analysis can be performed to assess the total cost of ownership for a particular system or an entire building.

Total costs include:

• Initial purchase price; initial installation costs
  
• Lifetime expected energy/utility consumption
  
• Planned operating expenses
  
• Repair and maintenance estimates; component upgrades
  
• Disposal costs.

Organizations, such as the Whole Building Council, ARI and DOE, provide tools to calculate facility lifecycle costs.

Reaping the benefits of predictive maintenance
Today's lodging facility managers and hotel owners are tasked with keeping building equipment and systems assets operating efficiently in order to save on energy and equipment-related costs through the entire life cycle of a system. Improved energy efficiency, lower operating costs and the elimination of unexpected downtime are all among the benefits that can be realized when implementing a preventive maintenance program.

The owners and operators of commercial buildings, such as hotels, are expected to capitalize on energy savings opportunities with the knowledge that buildings are the second largest consumer of energy in the U.S. Hotel building owners and lodging facility managers should recognize that achieving energy efficiency goals will not only lower operating costs but also contribute to environmental responsibility.

To ensure that the benefits of predictive maintenance programs are being realized, HVAC manufacturers, such as Trane, suggest complementing these programs with an energy audit. An energy audit can help hotel owners and lodging facility managers assess energy consumption patterns through the analysis of lighting, calculation of equipment energy consumption and evaluation of the HVAC system. Identifying potential improvements and opportunities for predictive maintenance, making the required changes and scheduling routine service will positively impact net profits and improve the bottom line.

Conclusion
Scheduled maintenance on HVAC systems allows facility maintenance professionals to reduce operating costs by extending the life of their systems, by reducing the risk of early equipment failure and avoiding unscheduled down time.

A holistic plan provides lodging facility managers and building owners a roadmap for maintaining and operating integrated systems to meet the brand specifications of every guest's microenvironment. Such a plan includes assessment, implementation and documentation that help hotel owners and lodging facility managers achieve the highest levels of building performance and positively contribute to achieving business goals.