PMADV Admin | Charles Hart, PMADV Articles
By Charles Hart | SELECT Commercial Services
In today’s commercial real estate world everyone is trying to find new ways to cut costs and save money. It seems, however, that we are running short on ideas that effectively reduce the bottom line cost. Consider something so new, so cutting edge that it may just get you excited about cleaning: Cleaning that can save you money.
Commercial cleaning has traditionally been done at night, for reasons we all know and which, in the context of their day, may have made sense. But, in the context of today, what if your building were to embark upon the revolutionary course of day cleaning? You might be asking, “What is day cleaning?” Simply stated it is the process of having your building cleaned during regular business hours rather than at night. The initial benefit of day cleaning is reduced energy costs.
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PMADV Admin | PMADV Articles, Sonya York
By Sonya York | Summit Energy
Wow, what a difference two years can make in electricity prices in competitive markets in Texas. As most are aware, electricity prices are highly correlated to natural gas futures contracts. In the fall of 2005 and again in the summer of 2008, monthly natural gas prices hit highs of over $13/MMBTU (million BTU, or British Thermal Units, ed.), compared to the low’s we have seen in 2009 and 2010 below $4/MMBTU. These dynamics demand a strategic and disciplined approach to managing your energy spend! At the core of this strategy are four components:
(1) Competitive Pricing Strategy,
(2) Benchmarking Tools – EnergyStar / LEED
(3) Energy Management System Audit, and
(4) Building Systems Assessment/Energy Audit.
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PMADV Admin | Mark Condry, PMADV Articles
By Mark Condry, LEED GA | FSG Lighting
While there may be some of you out there who like things in constant flux, many of us like the status quo. We like a routine. We like to know what or who we can depend on for certain things. For those of you who like the status quo and consistency, the lighting world has been a place where you could feel at home. We have used the same basic technologies for many years.
The only real choices you had to make were what company made the incandescent, fluorescent, or HID lighting you chose and what “flavor” of that lighting you liked the best. Well, that is all changing very quickly. With the emergence of LED (light emitting diode) technology and a renewed nation-wide emphasis on energy efficiency, many of the standard lighting technologies that have been the workhorses in your buildings for years are being rendered obsolete by new government regulations.
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PMADV Admin | Linda Jackson, PMADV Articles
By Linda Jackson | Texas Roof Management
When I think of “comfort”, I think of chocolate. But that’s just me. What does NOT give me “comfort” is the clerk who has just spent 45 minutes selling me on the attributes of my intended purchase, now asking me if I want an “extended warranty”. What? I thought this thing I’m buying was THE best! Why would I need any ‘extended warranty?’
So, when it comes to the major expense of putting on a new roof, are you faced with the same dilemma? Do you buy a 10, 15 or 20 year warranty? We’re not going to come to any definitive decision here, BUT you’ll have some interesting issues to think about, review and discuss when the time comes to decide on the length of the manufacturer’s warranty you are going to purchase.
IF you use a roofing system from an established, reputable manufacturer, rarely will you experience an actual material failure. The roof will certainly experience wear through those first 8 to 10 years. But IF you properly maintain it, will it fail? Likely not! The cost of a roof warranty will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and will depend on the quality of the roof system you purchased. But on average, a roof warranty will costs from 5 to 15 cents per square foot, with a minimum cost of about $1,000. Once again, this is dependent upon the length of the warranty and the roofing system you’ve chosen.
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PMADV Admin | PMADV Articles, Sandra Heffernan
By Sandra Heffernan | Sustainable Partners
LEED for Existing Buildings has risen to the top as the most pursued certification offered by the United States Green Building Council’s LEED Programs. As corporations continue to pursue sustainable programs to incorporate into the new green culture of America, LEED is still the most recognizable program in the market. As a result, corporations look to buildings owners and managers to assist in developing their sustainability programs by pursuing the LEED EB certification.
LEED EB is truly the nuts and bolts of operating a green building on a day to day basis. Every aspect of the daily oversight and management of a building are reviewed and new policies and programs are written and implemented for green operations. LEED EB focuses on operations and as a result, the cost to pursue LEED EB is affordable for the majority of office buildings. The most important factors in any sustainability program are electricity and potable water usage, materials purchasing and diversion, and indoor air quality.
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PMADV Admin | PMADV Articles, Steve Broom
By Steve Broom | Fujitec
(1) Invest in a preventative maintenance approach by specifying hours. Don’t compromise long-term performance and safety for short-term, low price contracts. As is the case in any investment, a long-term view often pays dividends. Oftentimes, lowest prices create short-term satisfaction, but long-term frustration. Elevators have not changed. The hours of maintenance needed per month for each unit has remained unchanged, if not increased as the elevators have aged. To ensure your building receives the needed maintenance hours per unit to keep entrapments and shutdowns to a minimum, specify the minimum number of preventative maintenance hours per unit in your elevator contract.
(2) Make certain that your technician’s route is not overloaded. Industry standards state that 80-100 units per route are acceptable depending on equipment type, condition, and usage. Overloaded routes can lead to low service levels and poor long-term performance. (Source: Elevator World)
(3) Ensure that your elevators/escalators are being thoroughly examined at least once a month. It’s not right to get a “drive by” elevator/escalator inspection. Since elevators/escalators are complicated mechanical devices, make sure your service team does a thorough job inspecting and servicing every unit at least once a month.
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PMADV Admin | PMADV Articles, Scott Young
By Scott Young | Certified Pest Control
When most people think of Pest Control, they think of the “exterminator” who applies big clouds of toxic chemicals. While this image was fairly accurate many years ago, the Pest Control industry has changed dramatically: The 1st major change was through regulation and the banning of the most “toxic” and “harmful” chemicals. Products such as DDT, diazinon and dursban.
The 2nd major change was a movement within the industry to the principals of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). There are several key elements to IPM: Minimize the use of chemicals through targeted chemical application (focusing on crack and crevices where insects live and breed). Focusing regular service on the exterior of structures where most pest originate, which will pro-actively keep them out of the structure and minimize the required use of chemicals inside.
Utilize non-chemical treatments such as sealing up entry points, utilize monitoring devises like glue traps and reducing food & water sources. The latest change is the creation of “effective” green and organic products. The products vary widely. Some are truly “organic” and are made of things like orange peel oil extract while others are more “green” in nature like baits that minimize chemical exposure. Many pest control companies have created Green pest control programs by utilizing the above changes.
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