At around 9am I have a meeting with the site engineer. We’ve met before so we’re already on friendly terms. We chat about the issues he’s having and how I can assist. We also talk about his impressive tool collection. He’s always buying more tools for work; walking into his office is like entering Screwfix.
The engineering manager always keeps the building operating at a high standard. His knowledge of BEMS engineering is pretty good, which helps. It means we can have detailed, productive chats about what needs to be done to improve site operation – whether that’s a fix or a project – and come to an appropriate solution together.
That’s why this is one of my favourite sites. There’s nothing more deflating than writing the same report with the same issues and adding to it every visit. It’s nice when people heed your guidance and take action. It will, after all, help keep their buildings operational, save energy and even make employees feel more comfortable at work.
Afternoon update: Today I’m working on the air handling units (AHU’s) and checking them for any obvious mechanical issues. I carry out checks on the main panel and tests with the BEMS strategy (aka the ‘control philosophy ’ governing plant operation). For example, if we want to heat or cool air going to a certain area, I can check whether the setpoint is being achieved and make sure heating and cooling is not letting by and wasting energy. Or if the fan was to stop running, I can check whether the BEMS would flag this and trigger an alarm to the main head end PC.
I fine tune the air and temperature controls, improving the overall efficiency of the plant. We’re always reviewing temperature setpoints on sites because we often find setpoints have been increased for fan coil units serving meeting rooms. Once changed, they are usually forgotten about. Changing it back down to 21°C can be a quick win for the client when it comes to energy savings.
No seat today, which keeps me moving around. I don’t tend to stop for lunch anymore. I do drink a lot of water, though, which means a fair few toilet breaks throughout the day.
Sometimes in the afternoon, my amazingly efficient BEMS Service Team Coordinator rings to let me know about any last-minute changes to my diary. We usually discuss up and coming parts deliveries if we haven’t already noted it in my diary.
