FMJ.CO.UK CAFM FOCUS
OCTOBER 2021 33
now notified with an exact pinpoint of the
location, without any manual exertion.
Likewise, IOT sensors can accurately inform
customers how many spaces are available
and where. This improves customer
experience and prevents them aimlessly
circling facilities to find a spot.
We expect to see companies invest
even further into CAFM, IOT and AI in
the immediate future and coming years.
Further advancements in AI, such as
Machine Learning and Deep
Learning, will help to
improve the trends and
insight we interpret
from the data, assets
will become even
easier to manage,
life cycles will be
extended. The
list goes on. This
powerful data will
help organisations
understand their
environment better
than ever before and
continually improve their
carbon footprint long into the
future.
Gary Watkins, CEO
of Service Works
Global (SWG),
believes CAFM
provides the means
to control and
understand buildings and assets like
never before.
A 20 per cent cut in energy costs
represents the same bottom line benefit for
many businesses, according to the Carbon
Trust, but ‘quick wins’ are being missed due
to lack of understanding of where energy
is used and wasted. Responsibility is falling
to the facilities management team to form
strategies to reduce energy consumption
whilst still maintaining high levels of service
provision and workplace productivity.
MOBILE ADVANTAGE
One of the simplest ways to improve
sustainability is by switching to a CAFM
mobile app. Aside from the productivity
gains achieved by instant access to work
orders, asset history and documentation,
managing work electronically saves reams
of paper each year. Take for example,
our client Curtin University in Australia.
They were awarded Australia’s first 5-star
‘Green Star-Communities’ rating from
the Green Building Council of Australia
(GBCA), using QFM soŽ ware from Service
Works Global (SWG) to help maintain their
green credentials. Curtin averages over
25,000 reactive jobs raised per year and used
the QFM app to replace paper job sheets.
Creating 60 digital maintenance forms on
the mobile app has enabled the team to
go paper-free, helping to create a more
sustainable organisation.
Well maintained assets draw less energy
so e“ ective asset management is a key area
of focus when looking at sustainability.
CAFM soŽ ware can be used to calculate the
most e“ ective scheduling for maintaining
an asset, reducing unnecessary servicing,
unscheduled call outs and keeping energy
costs low.
The soŽ ware can monitor energy
use and costs, helping to identify
where the greatest costs lie
to inform new strategies.
Across large organisations,
small ine“ iciencies can
combine to create substantial
performance issues, damaging
the environment as well as
reducing productivity across the
organisation. Even small changes
such as switching to LED lighting have
played a substantial part in reducing
energy demand, consuming 80 per cent
less energy than traditional incandescent
luminaires and have a lifespan around 10
times longer – meaning less maintenance
resource is required in addition to the energy
savings generated.
Combined with smart technology,
CAFM gives an unprecedented level of
data and automation which is essential
in this fight against waste. Sensors placed
around buildings can detect occupation
and identify activity patterns allowing
lighting, air conditioning or even cleaning
to specific areas to be reduced. Or, using
more widespread applications, CAFM can
be integrated with BMS and a room booking
system, enabling meeting rooms and
o“ ices to be powered, heated or cooled,
only when in use. In this way responsibility
DATA IS ENCOURAGING ACCOUNTABILITY
CAFM gives teams accurate data in realtime
and allows them to make more educated
decisions because of this. Monitoring energy
consumption, compliance obligations and
the wider asset network gives management
complete accountability and ownership over
what’s happening inside a building. Intuitive
BI dashboards and dedicated contractor
apps give teams total visibility of their
portfolio’s compliance obligations, energy
usage, and much more.
They can control air quality, track CO˜
levels, humidity and room temperatures to
ensure optimal comfort levels and prevent
unnecessary energy waste, such as the
automatic opening of windows, or outside
air dampers to circulate more fresh air.
Systems themselves can be monitored and
regular maintenance checks can be booked
automatically based on usage. Considered
maintenance task scheduling helps improve
asset lifecycles and reduces the need to
replace units unnecessarily.
Having this data at your fingertips allows
decisions about energy usage to be made
and prevents lots of in-person checking,
tweaking and maintenance from needing to
happen.
POWER OF THE BMS
Many clients are waking up to the power of
the data that their Building Management
System holds. We can save a lot of energy
simply by monitoring the BMS and building
controls themselves. For example, if we
identify that an air handling unit is expending
a lot of heat in one area but less so in others,
wireless IoT sensors can then be used at a
very granular level to troubleshoot these
problematic areas to indicate exactly where
thermal loss is occurring. Alone, a BMS would
not be able to pick up on this issue, but they
can provide the initial insight that informs
the wider FM strategy.
Quite simply, just knowing when
equipment is running, at what rate and for
how long can provide important clues as to
where energy is consumed unnecessarily.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND
ENERGY SAVINGS
Whether it’s identifying a leak or optimising
temperatures, CAFM aims to help teams
reduce their environmental impact without
compromising on customer experience – in
many cases, it works to enhance it.
Let’s take a shopping centre car park for
example. Historically, an engineer would
have to physically walk around to learn
a lighting fixture has failed, or wait for a
customer to complain.
With CAFM technology, engineers are
CAFM gives teams accurate
data in realtime and allows them to
make more educated decisions because
of this. Monitoring energy consumption,
compliance obligations and the wider asset
network gives management complete
accountability and ownership over
what’s happening inside a
building.”