%20(1920%20x%201080%20px)%20(4).png)
Episode Description:
Facility operations teams face growing pressure to improve performance and reduce costs. But too often, the building automation system is underutilized.
In this episode, you'll explore how to turn your BAS into a strategic tool, not just for monitoring, but for elevating your entire operations program.
Whether you’re mid-fiscal year and trying to course-correct or you're looking to build stronger maintenance workflows, this episode breaks down real, actionable habits that can shift the trajectory of your facility’s performance.
Topics Covered
- Building a living inventory of your HVAC and control systems
- How to approach preventive maintenance with real impact
- Using work order systems for accountability and insight
- Setting up alarms, trends, and reports that matter
- Why cross-training across trades boosts operational agility
These aren't silver bullets. They are foundational habits that drive sustainable success. Ready to rethink how you use your BAS?
Click here to download or listen to this episode now.Podcast Video
5 Building Automation Habits to Improve Facility Operations
Many facility teams have a building automation system in place, but rarely use it to its full potential. In this episode, we explore how to change that by establishing five core operational habits that drive real results.
Each of these habits is focused on creating repeatable practices that improve clarity, efficiency, and long-term performance. They are not one-time fixes. They are building blocks for a sustainable facilities strategy.
1. Document Your HVAC and Controls Systems
It begins with understanding what you have. Without clear documentation of your HVAC and control systems, everything from troubleshooting to upgrades becomes more difficult and more expensive. Start with mechanical drawings and control diagrams. Capture what equipment is installed, how it’s controlled, and where the sensors and actuators are located. Put this into an electronic format so it can be referenced and updated as changes are made.
2. Implement a Preventive Maintenance Program
Reactive maintenance leads to higher costs and shorter equipment life. A basic preventive maintenance plan changes that. Rank your systems by impact and develop task schedules around critical components like fans, actuators, and sensors. Use trends and runtime data to prioritize inspections and identify early signs of failure.
3. Use a Work Order System
A digital work order system helps organize both reactive and scheduled maintenance. It tracks what was done, by whom, and when. It also connects to your existing equipment documentation and preventive maintenance records. This creates visibility and accountability across the entire team. Integrating it with your BAS enables automatic ticket generation for alarms or faults.
4. Set Up Alarms, Trends, and Reports
Alarms tell you when something is wrong. Trends show how systems change over time. Reports help you identify patterns. These tools must be set up with intention. Choose parameters that align with your facility’s mission. Prioritize critical environments such as surgical suites or imaging rooms, then build out from there. Use reports to guide your PM priorities and spot chronic issues.
5. Cross-Train Your Team
Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and operators should all have a baseline understanding of each other’s work. Cross-training helps with quicker diagnosis, better collaboration, and fewer miscommunications. It can be as simple as job shadowing or sharing brief overviews during team meetings. The goal is not to make everyone a generalist, but to create operational awareness across roles.
Start with One Habit
You do not need to implement all five habits at once. Start with documentation or preventive maintenance and build from there. The important part is taking the first step and sticking with it. Your building automation system is a powerful tool. These habits unlock its potential.
For a deeper discussion and insights from the field, listen to this episode on the Smart Buildings Academy podcast.
%20(1920%20x%201080%20px)%20(3).png)
