In the realm of education, schools serve as the foundation for young minds to learn, grow and succeed. But behind the scenes, there is a crucial aspect that plays the most important role – Facility Management. Ensuring the smooth running of the school’s operations, safety and cleanliness is a task that falls on the shoulders of administrators. Efficient facilities management takes the guesswork and chaos out of running a school and creates a conducive learning environment. This blog offers a comprehensive set of tips for administrators to optimize their facility management practices to benefit both students and staff.

1. Comprehensive Maintenance Schedule

A well-planned maintenance schedule is essential to ensure that a school’s infrastructure remains in top condition. HVAC, water coolers, classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, restrooms etc. should undergo regular inspection to identify issues that require attention. Scheduled maintenance can help prevent minor problems from snowballing, ensuring the learning environment remains uninterrupted.

2. Prioritize Safety

Safety should be the foremost concern for school administrators. Conducting fire drills, establishing clear evacuation routes and ensuring emergency equipment is readily available are essential safety measures. Adequate training should be provided to staff on safety protocols including First Aid and CPR. Its crucial to keep emergency response plans up-to-date and to ensure the well-being of both students and staff.

3. Energy-efficient Initiatives

Embracing energy-efficient practices not only reduces operating costs but also contributes to a more sustainable and eco-friendly school environment. School administrators should invest in energy-efficient Lighting (LED and Solar Panels), Heating and Cooling solutions to minimize their energy consumption. Regular inspection and maintenance of these systems are vital to ensure optimal performance.

4. Leveraging Technology

Integrated Software for maintenance, IoT sensors for real-time monitoring, digital request systems and energy management tools streamline operations and improve resource allocation. Implementing these solutions enhance efficiency, promotes sustainability and ensures a conducive learning environment.

5. Creating a Conducive Learning Environment

In recent years, an array of environmental quality concerns have emerged, encompassing classroom acoustics, indoor air quality, water quality, energy efficiency etc. Addressing these issues demands a multifaceted approach by facility managers. Their efforts center on optimizing classroom environments for better acoustics, ensuring clean indoor air through regular maintenance, vigilantly monitoring and upholding stringent water quality standards, and implementing energy-saving strategies. By conducting regular checks and fostering a culture of sustainability, facility managers work towards creating a healthier and more conducive learning environment for students and staff alike.

6. Promoting Sustainability Initiatives

In today’s era, instilling eco-conscious practices within school premises is paramount. Facility managers can spearhead sustainable initiatives among students and staff. Implementing recycling programs, organizing environmental awareness campaigns and incorporating lessons on sustainability into the curriculum foster a culture of environmental stewardship. Moreover, undertaking green building initiatives, such as installing rainwater harvesting systems not only reduces the environmental impact but also provides practical lessons in sustainability.

Conclusion

Facility Management in Schools is a linchpin for success. These tips serve as a guide, empowering the custodians in the mission to uphold safety, sustainability and efficiency. From meticulous maintenance schedules that prevent disruptions to embracing technology and sustainability initiatives for streamlined operations, these strategies fortify the pillars of a conducive learning environment. By integrating these practices, facility managers only manage spaces but nurture values that transcend the physical realm of schools, shaping the future of education and the minds of tomorrow.

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Every organization is on the lookout for ways to minimize its expenditure while maximizing its revenues. The amount that goes into energy bills on an annual basis has been declared to be highly alarming which has prompted organizations, companies and even residential properties’ owners to opt for Maintenance services for the primary motive of achieving a means to chalk down energy consumption, the costs associated with it and harness its resources towards other productive means.

More than 60 percent of the total energy usage in a typical office building is used for temperature control and lighting, making the system a basic consideration when it comes to managing or reducing the energy consumption in the building.

Building maintenance services help in laying out the methods and effective means to run an energy efficient building which not only goes beyond solely reducing the energy consumption, but also effectively monitoring the same such that an optimum control level is maintained at all times.

Building Design:

In managing and reducing the amount of energy to be used in an office building, building management services plan the building design with the organization’s management such that it ensures little use of artificial lightning during the day.

These energy efficient offices are laid out in a way that the daylight could have enough illumination, without having to opt for blinding artificial lights within the building infrastructure, resulting in lower energy consumption, and more savage.

Building Insulation:

Integrated facility management proposes and affects an energy efficient building with advanced insulations which helps in maintaining the heat loss or heat gain within the building. This will help maintain the temperature in the offices at all seasons with a little need to use cooling or heating systems.

 Energy Efficient Lighting

Installation of LED and fluorescent lighting will greatly reduce energy consumption and heat emission from the system, which will translate the building infrastructure into a cooler environment with cool rooms and work halls. This will save energy on two fronts i.e. lightening and temperature control systems.

Upgrade HVAC System

An upgrade of the HVAC system to the more modern ones that are energy efficient could seem expensive at first, but remains the cheapest means of managing energy consumption especially considering the bill that goes into it in the long run.

Automated Control System

An automated system that generally switches off the entire electric circuit pertaining to the different parts of the office building when it’s not in use should be implemented. This will greatly help in monitoring the energy wastage at conference rooms, store rooms, etc when not in use.

Shutdown and Unplug Unused Appliances

This manual means of reducing energy consumption is as effective as any, if not more. This can be put in practice by all employees at any business employing which, it can bring about great changes in the energy consumption of that building which can be an asset to an organization’s expenditure and safety.

Beyond simply managing the consumption of energy and the reflection on the annual bill at a business, the work place environment becomes a safer and comfortable place because the possibility of risk occurrence that may arise from electric usage also decreases, while the environment is more comfortable as the heat from lighting and energy burning is greatly reduced.

This process also helps save the costs of running the facility and business since there’ll be a reduced amount of power usage which will reflect in the electrical bills.

The saved cost can then be applied in other critical areas of the business such as employee health care, workplace renovations and luxury and comfort management which will help any business draw more attention towards retaining its employees while they contribute at their best taking the business to the pinnacles of success.

The post How To Maintain Energy Efficiency In Buildings first appeared on Facility Management Company.

We at Enviro are super proud to have integrated our facility management services with eco-friendly methods to bring out a revolutionary change in the way facility management operates in the country.

Enviro’s green initiatives include Sewage Treatment Plant, Rainwater Harvesting, Solar Panel, and Vermicomposting in all its residential and commercial complexes.

Harnessing the Power of Sun

Well, they say, “The future for solar energy is quite bright” & we couldn’t agree more! Solar panels have been installed at commercial and residential properties managed by Enviro, which significantly contributes in reducing the cost of energy consumption by producing substantial energy of over 15000 units kW of energy per month.

Solar energy is an investment for both present and future. #WeAreGreen

Harvesting the Heavens

Conserving rainwater is the most sustainable solution to deal with water scarcity.

We can recycle and reuse water for multiple purposes like gardening and car washing. We’re super proud to be using the rain water harvesting route to give back to nature. By using rainwater for toilet flushing, laundry and garden use alone, it can reduce mains water requirements of a typical household by 70%.

Treating the Sewage Right

It is amazing to see how recycled water can do wonders in our day-to-day lives. Our Sewage Treatment Plants transforms drops of water into drops of miracles. We’ve maintained Sewage Treatment Plants at 20 sites – 10 internal & 10 external sites having a maximum working capacity of 1200 KLD and 650 KLD respectively.
The recycled water is used for several purposes such as horticulture and construction purposes.

Vermicomposting – Healthy Soil & Healthy Food

Soil pollution is often ignored but we at Enviro make sure that regular practicing of vermicomposting is maintained at our residential complexes helps in the production of high quality humus that can fulfill the nutritional needs of plants by making soil more fertile.

We’re stoked to have integrated our facility management services with eco-friendly methods to bring a revolutionary change in the way facility management operates in the country. Here’s the Green living!

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The importance of emergency evacuation plan cannot be stressed more. Natural disasters or unnatural disasters can occur at anytime and therefore it is extremely important for everyone to know what to do when such disasters occur.

Here’s a list of 5 things to make your evacuation plan efficient:

1. Staff Training Staff training includes training of everyone who works in the company. From low level to top level, everyone should know how to react during disasters. They should be aware of all the emergency exits and how to use fire extinguishers if required. Lack of knowledge and training among staff members can cause chaos which furthermore could result in more harm.
2. Effective emergency management teamOther than the training of the staff, it is important that the emergency management department is also well-prepared to handle disastrous situations. Mock drill sessions should be organized by
   Facility management to polish their skills. They should be aware of the recent methodologies that could help them to save more lives. A proper recovery plan should also be prepared by the team. Emergency aid includes in medical aid kit among other things. It is important that basic medical treatment is given to the injured ones before the arrival of the ambulance to mitigate the harm. Emergency contact numbers of ambulance services, fire protection services, and disaster management should be kept handy so that they can be easily and quickly reached out to.
3. Installation of security devices
   A company should install branded security devices in the building that can help people in time of emergencies. These devices include fire alarms, fire extinguishers, cameras, security alarms, etc. Technology has helped significantly in the area of disaster management and therefore it should be used to its full potential.
4. Assessment of the buildingRegular assessment of the building is necessary. If the construction is extremely old then either it should be demolished or should be renovated accordingly. One of the most common unnatural disasters is when the building collapses down. Property maintenance methods should be implemented regularly. NOC from fire service department should also be given to the building before it becomes operational.

The post Is Your Emergency Evacuation Plan Efficient Enough? first appeared on Facility Management Company.

Facility management services are necessary for the efficient property management. Facility management services are commonly divided into 2 categories – hard services and soft services. Hard facilities management services are basically mechanical services that are structured within the building and cannot be removed.
Let us have a look at some of the services that come under hard facility management services.
Electrical Maintenance
Electrical maintenance is a facility management service that is important for both residential and commercial property. It includes dealing with any power issues and installation and inspection of electrical appliances like heating, air conditioning and compression systems. This is important not just for the comfort people but also their safety.  
Building Fabric & Repairs
Building fabric looks after the fabric aspects of the building. It includes carpeting, wallpapers, curtains, etc. Repairing broken furniture like drawers and chairs and making sure that all cabinets have their locks and keys is extremely important for property maintenance. These things should be both planned and reactive.
Elevator & Door Maintenance

Maintenance of automatic doors, regular doors, elevators is necessary for residential as well as commercial building. If doors and elevators are not working efficiently then they can cause chaos among people.  Maintenance of elevators is necessary from safety perspective as well.
Plumbing & Drainage Maintenance
Blockage of drains or leaking taps can cause convenience to people. Therefore, it is important that plumbing and drainage issues are fixed as soon as they occur. Clogged drains are the most common issue that causes trouble thus plans to fix them should be pre-planned by the concerned staff.
Car Parking Systems

Parking lot management requires resources like video surveillance, barrier controls, access control system, etc. An infallible security system is necessary to ensure the security of all automobiles.

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A facility management company ensures that day-to-day activities in a business function without any disturbance. A business needs different services – big or small for its smooth operation and services such as property maintenance and luxury facility management forms an integral part of a business. The regular and smooth operation of these services is necessary for all the employees and the company. As the needs and demands of a company and employees grow, expectations from facility management companies also grow. Most businesses are heavily dependent on facilities management companies for their efficient performance. Let’s have a look at some of these services that help a business every day.

Different types of facility management services that are important for your business:

Technical Services

Technical services comprise of access control system, electrical system, DG operation and maintenance, elevator maintenance, gate barrier system, etc. Technical issues are often hard to resolve by common staff as they are not technically proficient to manage technical issues. Therefore, it is important to have a technical maintenance team in a company.

Housekeeping Services

Housekeeping services is extremely important for a company. Work stations, floors, cafeteria and washrooms should be regularly cleaned from health and hygiene’s perspective. There should be an efficient janitorial staff to maintain these services.

Security Services

When it comes to security, a committed security team should be positioned at the main entrance.  CCTV cameras should be installed at entry and exit areas of each floor. Other important areas should also come under CCTV surveillance.  Other factors such as fire alarm system should also be regularly checked for safety and security services.

Energy Management Services

Energy management services include energy consultancy and energy management. The team helps to implement methods that help to save energy.  Energy management team has to provide energy efficiency solutions, cost-competitive energy commodities and services, and installation of efficient energy infrastructure that is beneficial for the company.

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Whether you own or lease an office space, the need for lighting, heating, air conditioning, power for office equipment, and other services are mandatory to stay in business. It thus becomes important to adopt practices that besides maximizing energy efficiency would be friendly on the environment. Have a glimpse at some of the energy saving tips that can help to improve the bottom line of your business.

These simple low cost steps can possibly save you 10-25% on your monthly energy bill.

• Make sure all the equipment’s such as lights, air-conditioning, extraction, compression or ventilation units are switched off at overnight and weekends.
• Get all heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system tuned up annually with an annual maintenance contract. This would ensure that before each cooling and heating season proper tune-up is accomplished.
• Install energy efficient exit signs, which can reduce maintenance cost to a large extent. This is made possible by removing lamp replacement.
• When the chargers are not in use or when the battery is fully charged, unplug the chargers from the switch.
• Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps can also preserve energy.
• Control direct sunlight to illuminate interior space during daytime.
• Install programmable thermostats so that the temperature could be adjusted as per the change in season. This too would help save lot of energy.
• Avoid using screen savers as they prevent the CPU from going to power saver mode.
• Make sure that lamps, fixtures, bulbs, or other reflective surfaces are cleaned regularly. By cleaning away grease, dirt and dust, the output these fittings can be increased.

Besides the aforesaid tips there are loads of things you can do to reduce your organisation’s energy consumption. You can outsource this task to Building Management Companies or Building and Property Maintenance firms. These firms offer efficient services at highly affordable prices.

Visit: http://www.enviroindia.in/our-experience.php

The post Improve the Bottom Line of Your Company with Energy Saving Tips first appeared on Facility Management Company.