Calling in an HVAC technician tends to be a costly exercise, and repeat visits to your building to fix a problem or provide a quotation can be even more so.
If you’re looking to get information, an estimate, a repair or anything else from your commercial HVAC provider, then there are a few steps you can take to ensure that you’re communicating what you need as clearly as possible to help your HVAC technician and provider to do their best work.
If You Need a Repair
If something has failed on your HVAC system and you need to call an HVAC company to get a mobile technician on site, make sure that you mention the following:
- Describe the issue – save time for your technician by describing in detail the remedy needed so that the technician can focus on trouble shooting and resolving the problem quickly when arriving on site. This may seem elementary, however, building occupants are acutely aware of any comfort issues and building problems well before the technician receives the service call.
- Ideally, the HVAC technician assigned to perform your routine maintenance agreement tasks will be the same that responds to your service call. In an emergency, however, you’re best served having a technician with applicable experience address your needs immediately. It’s a good idea to not only mention the make, model and identifier if your equipment is uniquely numbered, but also the specific equipment location in your building. This will help the technician setup quickly to take care of the repair right away.
- If there’s a strange smell or another ‘invisible’ problem such as an electrical issue, odors, noise – or the problem comes and goes, take note of what the issue seems to be and share details as to where it might be coming from.
- Mention if the repair is an emergency or not – but remember that emergency repairs can cost extra for overtime with additional travel expenses, so exercise discretion and consider delaying the repair. Deferred repairs can sometimes be performed at a lower cost during your next routine maintenance or during regular work hours.
The more information you can provide upfront about an HVAC system repair, the more likely it is that the company you contact will be prepared when they arrive, thus lowering your cost for each repair.
If You Need an Upgrade
If you are considering upgrading some or all of your HVAC equipment, then more information will be required by the company you’ve contacted. It’s unlikely that you will be able to provide enough information to your HVAC provider over the phone; and chances are that you’ll miss something to get an accurate quote that won’t cost you more in the long run. In most cases, if you do want to modernize your building with major work to upgrade or retrofit, it will require a site visit from a design professional to assess your current system and equipment, and to consider other factors.
There are still things you can do to make sure that your commercial HVAC provider knows what you expect from your upgrade though:
- List the equipment and systems you are thinking of replacing.
- Ask for the design professional’s assistance in reviewing your goal for the project as a secondary goal may become a primary one. For example, comfort improvements can lead to increased employee productivity or improve energy efficiency allowing to decrease utility spend.
- Take note of other factors that may play a role, like future uses you may desire for the space that would affect your renovations project. Many times the orignal building can be thoughtfully redesigned to make better use of spaces for its occupants. This may require HVAC building controls updates as well.
- Create a wish list. Do you want to cut operational costs by a specific amount? Do you need special funding? If yes, many projects can be funded through incentives and savings versus using operating or capital dollars.
- What is your budget driven by; lowest first cost or life cycle cost? Ask our design build professional to provide you with options taking into consideration the NPV (Net Present Value.) This will allow you to make the right investment decision when replacing versus repairing HVAC equipment and upgrading your building controls.
- Decide on a budget, but remember that sometimes your budget and your wish list may not align, so you may need to be flexible.
The more information you can give your HVAC company upfront about what you want and need, the better. Take some time to list as many factors as you can, in as much detail as you can. Be prepared to share your operating costs for repairs, maintenance and capital improvements to allow your provider to assist you in selecting the maintenance program that’s right for you. This will help you to make repairs quickly and efficiently or designing the right HVAC system for your building upgrades. It pays to do your homework and team up with the right professional to do it right.
