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A simple and often overlooked strategy for success: figure out what is working and do more of it. A more sophisticated version of this strategy- called standardization-has been around for decades in various forms.

Standardization, or selecting one single provider for a type of equipment, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, can be used strategically to offer schools and hospitals a way to improve the life and value of their facilities while cutting costs and improving service.

Standardization of HVAC systems can help schools and hospitals operate more efficiently and economically.

Standardization in virtually any industry creates efficiencies and reduces costs. This applies across the board, whether you are standardizing information technology in schools or medical technology systems in hospitals.

By focusing on the cost savings and less tangible benefits of standardization-such as the value of higher performance and lower maintenance costs-facilities can begin to take advantage of standardization’s most valuable benefits.

One of the most basic and vital decisions in facility planning and management is how to regulate and control HVAC systems. These systems have tremendous impact on the cost of running the building as well as the health and productivity of those who work, learn and heal inside these facilities.

The benefits of strategic standardization in educational and healthcare institutions are clear-creating service, performance and economic benefits for the facility taking advantage of it. These benefits stem directly from the improved performance, ease of use, serviceability and reduced training costs that stem from standardizing on one platform.

Facilities Are Assets
Considerations for the health of building users are particularly critical in hospitals. But recent research, such as “Greening America’s Schools, “ an October 2006 study conducted by Capital E (and sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the Federation of American Scientists, and the American Lung Association, among others) shows that indoor air quality is critical for students as well. In addition, hospitals and schools both house personnel, such as teachers, doctors and nurses, who are under intense and increasing pressure to perform at their peak.

As long-term owners of these buildings, school districts and hospitals need to select systems that deliver the best value over the lifetime of the building. Schools and hospitals are long-term capital investments that have an enormous impact on our communities and need to be considered assets to be maintained.

Some facilities, committed to taking their facility-stewardship to a more advanced level, have gone beyond this faster/cheaper mentality to discover a way to achieve a higher quality facility at a lower cost-premium-even using the long-term savings from strategic standardization to pay for the initial higher price of the facility.

The Bryant School District in Arkansas wanted to make its new Bethel Middle School a high-performance school, eligible for the U.S. Green Building’s Council’s Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification, one of several guidelines for green facilities, but the budget had no room for selecting high-performance equipment.

Through a performance contract, which is a service guaranteeing a level of performance and energy savings, the district used future operating and maintenance savings resulting from the high-performance design to finance additional building costs. The financed amount included the cost of standardized,

high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; a direct digital building automation system; lighting and daylight harvesting control systems; green power credits; and additional fees associated with required commissioning and LEED certification.

Standardization allows schools and hospitals to replicate the success exemplified by Bethel Middle School. By selecting one source provider for HVAC needs including equipment integrated with controls, applications expertise and long-term service, maintenance and parts, schools and hospitals can ensure that the savings extend throughout all their facilities, present and future.

Standardization’s Role
One of the great advantages of standardization is that buildings in a school or healthcare system can share information and communicate. Owners and operators can remotely monitor their facilities and often remotely diagnose and repair problems.

Standardization, particularly with regard to facilities planning, may be new to schools and public hospitals because of their use of public funds. The requirement to submit open public bids and select the lowest first-cost bid makes standardization difficult, as first-costs are often slightly higher for standardized systems. Taking into account lifecycle and operational costs, the overall savings are significant.

Because these savings are so significant, it is important that schools and hospitals take advantage of them, as well as the performance and operating advantages that are also the results of standardizing. This can be accomplished by adjusting the bidding structure to include estimated lifecycle and maintenance costs as part of the final figure for consideration. By working closely with a HVAC and controls partner, organizations can analyze and take into account other benefits such as decreased maintenance, system down-time and facility maintenance training as well.

Additionally, hospitals often purchase facilities products and services under their Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) contracts. These contracts allow hospitals to standardize on products and services and receive price and quality protection. Due to the fact that most of the GPO contracts are competitively bid, this often satisfies any bidding or competitive requirements, yet saves money on both first cost and throughout the life cycle of the equipment.

Why Schools and Hospitals?
School systems consist of many buildings spread across many miles with various ages, types and uses. They usually have a number of issues easily managed by a standardized HVAC system, making them ideal candidates for standardization. However, they are less likely to have standardized on one provider. Schools are built on a wide-ranging, as-needed basis by the lowest first-cost bidder, so it is less common for schools to employ a strategic facilities plan like standardization.

Conversely, hospitals typically have large, connected facilities with HVAC systems in a central location. They tend to have a mix of old and new equipment from different suppliers because they renovate, rearrange and expand their buildings. These systems are not likely to perform optimally and do not offer reliable interoperability. Healthcare professionals and patients depend on the efficiency of building systems, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A sophisticated HVAC system is a must.

Standardization can help school districts and hospitals achieve their missions successfully, while saving time and money, in a number of ways.

• Reduces training costs for maintenance staff, which are increasingly limited because of budget constraints.

• Increases utilization and efficiency of facility staff by only needing to understand one system brand.

• Reduces down-time and provides a faster maintenance response time because you can stock commonly used parts, which in some cases can be housed at local parts providers.

• Streamlines service process by allowing school and hospital facility managers to work with one account manager (or team, depending on system size), who knows and understands the facility’s history, systems and needs.

• Creates significant cost savings, realized over the life of the system from reduced expense of parts, service and resource use.

For example: Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the center-piece of a new healthcare complex and wanted to integrate all building systems including HVAC systems in one standardized package. The goal would be to create a high-performance healthcare environment that raises the standard of patient care, increase staff efficiency and realize significant cost-savings through energy efficiency, reduced maintenance costs and overall system performance.

Like New Bethel Middle School, Metro Health is realizing significant savings and all signs point to even more over the life of the building due to the slight up-front premium from standardizing on a single provider.

How to Standardize
• Select an HVAC system provider. Ideally, a company offering the right range and types of systems and services to meet facility needs. Fortunately, the decision can be weighed carefully because standardization is a lengthy process. Potential providers must earn your trust with exceptional service and systems.

• Take a step-by-step approach as you remodel, make additions or build new buildings. In some cases, facilities have equipment that ranges from 30 years old to new. If the equipment is all one brand, upgrades are faster and easier, even reducing the time taken to implement upgrades.

• For facilities with tight budget constraints, begin with new controls and then replace HVAC equipment in subsequent projects. New controls can be retrofitted onto existing equipment. This allows facilities to immediately reap a significant part of the benefits of standardized, fully interoperable systems.

Standardization could potentially relieve budget pressures on schools and hospitals and help them be more successful. Standardize with a company that has deep expertise and can provide support on building control issues that may arise. Providers should be partners in helping facilities fully realize their missions, whether that is curing patients or educating America’s future.

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