(Updated Feb. 20, 2021)
As the general manager of a commercial business or a business owner, profit margins can be razor-thin. Whether you’re leasing the facility that houses your business or own it outright, any problems with the operation can lead to downtime. And any downtime can affect the bottom line.
Just like making your lease payments, paying for utilities, and other monthly costs, preventative maintenance checklists should be worked into the budget. Does the building maintenance need to happen monthly? Not necessarily. But there are certain times of the year when it’s important to perform maintenance checks on specific areas of the building.
For example, it’s good to check the HVAC system every Spring, especially if ventilation is super important to your business. Having consistent cooling and heating makes for a comfortable work environment. But if chemical vapors aren’t dissipating as they should, it could cause injury to your workers.
Checking safety protocols and equipment every month should also be on your to-do list. Fire extinguishers, eye-cleaning stations (if applicable), and other equipment or processes may be the most important preventative maintenance you perform. Not only will it help save your crews, but your overall investment as well.
In other cases, the annual maintenance of your equipment or machines will save you money. Just as energy-efficiency is important in the home, commercial appliances should be maintained as often as the manufacturer recommends. Depending on the size of your operation, it could be worth thousands of dollars every year.
Electrical System Maintenance
Just because your electrical system lacks moving parts is no reason to let it run until it breaks down (and it will break down, with hazardous consequences). The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has reported that electrical component failure is up to three times higher in systems that lack preventative maintenance programs.
In addition, the top two causes of electrical distribution failures are exposure to moisture and loose connections. Both of which can be easily identified and corrected with proper electrical maintenance. If you own or manage a commercial property, now is the time to have your electrical system assessed.
Especially if you haven’t done so in a while. The following checks are essential to keeping your system safe and running efficiently:
- Call the right professionals: Accurate assessments can only be performed by the right professionals. Be sure that the team you call is qualified to perform your electrical maintenance and has a thorough understanding of electrical safety procedures and practices. Our highly-trained team at Prairie Electric is happy to provide a thorough inspection and any necessary repairs, helping to ensure that your commercial property runs safely and efficiently.
- Good decisions: Keeping up your commercial property requires informed decisions regarding any electrical problems that arise. However, the first step to knowledge is learning, and you can only learn from qualified personnel that truly know best. Prairie Electric is ready to walk you through every step of your property maintenance plan, so you are informed for the present as well as the future.
- Equipment: Service equipment should be inspected, tested, and serviced at least once every three years or more, in the case of critical components.
- Getting the work done: Once inspections are completed, it’s time to begin the work. In most cases, a scheduled outage is necessary in order to perform the work. For this reason, planning ahead to have your system inspected and then repaired is essential.
- Keeping a record: All businesses thrive on accurate record-keeping. Tracking your results over time is essential for determining where your resources are being spent. Prairie Electric will help you keep a record of your results over time to help identify and correct potential failures in the future.
If you own or manage your own business, preventative maintenance is essential to ensuring that your building remains hazard-free. Maintaining your building is cost-effective, allowing you to eliminate crises from the equation before they happen. Ready for an assessment and possible repairs? Contact Prairie Electric today!
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