Does Alarm Fatigue have you on constant alert?
What if you could quickly move to proactive facility operations while reducing alarm fatigue?
Facility Managers share the common problem with thinking they need to react in their Operations and Maintenance (O&M) activities. Facility Teams are familiar with the standard alarming that Building Automation Systems (BAS) provide. In most cases, BAS alarms are nuisances that are generally ignored. We’ve all been there; we sit down in front of our BAS to check a piece of equipment or tweak a set-point and we’re immediately met with dozens of alarms that must be “acknowledged” (or more likely ignored) before you can proceed.
More often than not, alarms are providing information after it’s too late, or just before something bad happens. This gives us just enough time to respond before another alarm pops up. In order to quickly address the problem and avoid further issues, “band-aid” fixes are typically applied. Unfortunately, these rarely solve the “root cause” of the issues and can lead to recurring problems and inefficient, reactive operational maintenance.
The US Department of Energy’s Operations & Maintenance Best Practices Guide has calculated the impacts of proactive maintenance such as:
- Reduction in maintenance costs
- Elimination of breakdowns
- Reduction in downtime
- Increase in production
- Return on Investment (ROI)
By properly applying Analytics and Fault Detection & Diagnostics (AFDD) systems and Monitoring-Based Commissioning (MBCx) solutions, Synergy has helped clients move from costly reactive operational maintenance to a process where potential problems are detected before they cause a larger issue. By performing in-depth root cause analysis, Synergy helps customers pinpoint the true cause of issues, which allows clients to properly direct their corrective actions.
If you’re tired of being fatigued by alarms, download this FREE PDF. You can also visit our Fault Detection page for more information.