The jobs of facilities managers and facility capital planners have risen to the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, the condition and maintenance of our facilities has been critical. Many facilities managers have implemented new daily inspection and sanitation routines, while also focusing on space planning to safely accommodate individuals returning to work and educational spaces. Within these new practices, HVAC systems have become a major area of concern.
Public health experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Canadian Public Health Agency have all noted the critical importance of well-maintained ventilation systems in preventing the spread of the virus indoors. In fact, studies have shown that fresh air circulation can reduce the risk of infection by 70% (see NIH, Dept of Health and Social Care). That means deferred maintenance on HVAC systems is a greater hazard than ever before, particularly during colder months when keeping windows open or spending time outdoors is less of an option.
At the same time, many organizations are experiencing increased budgetary strains due to the unexpected costs of responding to the pandemic. Facilities planners are facing their usual challenge of carefully allocating budget for capital improvements with a new, unique urgency. It’s with these issues in mind that we have developed new resources for Accruent Capital Planning customers to better identify and plan their ventilation system improvement strategy.
Introducing the System Vulnerability Index
The System Vulnerability Index is a new metric created to help users of VFA Capital Planning Software identify and prioritize which ventilation systems need their immediate attention. Using newly created reports, the index returns a value between one and 10 for each included system, with four and above considered “High Vulnerability.” The index considers specific industry standards around ventilation system age and condition, and it can be modified by users with appropriate permissions to accommodate organization-specific variables.
These reports are designed to help VFA customers gain insight into the condition of ventilation systems across their region, campus or facility and pull from available data in the VFA database. Using this data and the specially calculated System Vulnerability Index metric, users can gain an objective perspective on the readiness of their organization’s ventilation systems to support reopening.
Using Your Facility Data to Empower Your Building Strategy
Capital planners and building operations professionals are often challenged to effectively prioritize needs from a vast set of facilities information. VFA is designed to organize and centralize asset and facility information, so facilities professionals can gain insights for budgetary planning. VFA Capital Planning Software already helps hundreds of organizations efficiently gather and maintain facility condition data and leverage that data to optimize decisions about capital investments.
Facilities planning and operations teams play a critical role in keeping communities and families safe. VFA Capital Planning Software can help your organization safely, efficiently and compliantly reopen your office or educational campus. Contact us today to get started.
