Getting the most from your building’s water system, from design to condition-based maintenance
Sector: Building Services
Challenge: Maximising asset life
For facilities managers aiming to deliver operational objectives and maintain a safe and efficient environment, maximising the life of assets within a building's water systems is crucial.
From HVAC to water supply, wastewater removal and fire suppression, each depends on assets that are developed, operated, maintained, upgraded and disposed of "using the most efficient and effective means", according to the 2020 RIBA Plan of Work. Facilities and asset managers today face the challenge of how to prolong the life of a building’s assets with often limited maintenance capacity – and with remote management increasingly the norm.
Digital solutions - layering intelligent equipment capable of sensing environmental conditions with smart networks and systems that capture data, alongside advanced data analytics to convert that data into information to drive decisions - can cut costs and prolong the lifespan of assets.
And the process can begin at the drawing board, with the selection of the correct equipment at the first stage of the asset’s life cycle: design and specification.
Everybody is talking about Building Information Modelling (BIM). Most say they are doing it now, but only a few are doing it right.
BIM is a process. It is not a tool or solution: it is a holistic approach to the design, construction and management of the facilities used in the built environment.
And it’s just one option available to optimise asset management and maintenance planning within the lifetime of plant and machinery.
Moving to condition-based HVAC maintenance
The importance of HVAC within building systems means that maintenance is critical. Prevention is the method most widely adopted – but the result is that most activity is carried out prematurely.
Asset managers have the option of scheduling maintenance based on the actual condition of assets, helping maintenance teams work more effectively. Smart Asset Monitoring (SAM) uses electrical waveform analysis to detect upcoming failures of motors and pumps months before they occur and offers insights into performance and energy consumption of connected assets.
Using data and machine learning in this way can cut the costs of maintenance by up to 30% and reduce unplanned downtime by more than 90%. It can boost availability and reliability by extending maintenance intervals, while the resulting robust data can be used to further optimise the system.
Robustly testing water supply systems – in the virtual world
For core building systems like clean water supply, technology exists to select and design each asset as part of initial in-depth modelling to promote efficiency, reliability and availability at the lowest possible life cycle costs. By using BIM, outcomes from energy consumption to operational effectiveness can all be evaluated in the planning and design phase of a project.
The process has the power to change the way the construction industry operates by offering the opportunity to create a digital twin of a building’s system, like water supply and pressure, to allow operators and owners to make better decisions for continuous system optimisation. By creating a virtual representation of assets with live links to performance of its systems, processes and functions, project teams can interrogate the digital twin and quickly access details on the location or performance of assets.
With BIM-designed assets, there are no unpleasant surprises during the construction and commissioning phase. And storing reliable information about an asset’s performance and construction allows building systems to be operated more cost-effectively and safely when planning maintenance and future renovations.
Managing wastewater assets remotely
Like the provision of clean water, the wastewater system is a vital function of any building where failures would result in costly and unpleasant consequences.
Xylem Digital Maintenance (XDM) is a powerful asset management tool that offers a complete overview of all assets with real-time status reporting of installations, reports of malfunctions and insight into their functioning.
It provides a full overview of data in installations, including equipment data, performed and planned maintenance and relationships between assets, meaning maintenance costs can be reduced by up to 27% by only taking action when required.
Choosing right for fire suppression
Though not in regular operation like other building systems, it is imperative the assets within any fire protection system be well maintained to meet stringent regulations and ensure no malfunctions can occur.
Selecting the right equipment at the design stage, with Xylect, for example, can allow planners to find products designed according to the demands. Digital services like Avensor and XDM can monitor conditions for any asset - improving its lifespan by alerting building managers when assets need service and maintenance.
Increasing resilience for future-proof buildings
Making the right decisions at the design stage, and harnessing digital tools to proactively maintain assets, are two key steps in getting the most from our buildings’ water system assets.
Whether in a new build or retrofitting, installing new technology solutions that can monitor and manage assets remotely, as well as create alerts to critical issues or raise alarms, can have significant impact on the bottom line. Every building is different with different needs to meet, so each management tool can be customised for the right solution.
For facilities and asset managers required to maximise the life of assets within a number of complex building systems, often remotely, these solutions can increase accessibility, resilience, and affordability to make buildings that are fit for the future.
By combining efficient products, networks to connect them, and analysis of the available data in this way, it is possible to move towards a system of anticipating and predicting maintenance, instead of facing a costly failure.