Keeping residents warm this winter

The demand on boiler plant and district heating rises as outside temperatures drop. Small faults can become big problems and older plant can struggle to cope. Yet residents in apartment blocks need reliable heating and hot water. So how can expectations be achieved?

The most important step is to put in place a regular maintenance schedule, tailored to the building. This planned maintenance helps prevent problems arising and prolong the life of assets such as boiler plant. By identifying and resolving issues before they happen, fewer call-outs are required which in turn cuts down costs, reducing residents’ bills.

Much of the older blocks have their original distribution systems. These are infrastructure items that need careful monitoring but are often forgotten.

Companies that specialise in block maintenance can ensure that there are no surprises when it comes to winter heating. When problems are identified, their fully-qualified and equipped engineers should be able to fix them first time in the majority of cases. This saves Managing Agents the time, hassle and cost of second and third visits.

As well as ensuring effective heating, buildings must comply with increasingly complex regulations. It’s critical that sites are serviced by fully compliant gas engineers, authorised to complete the necessary checks and issue the all important paperwork that shows that Managing Agents have met their legal obligations. With this kind of back-up, you have the reassurance that your engineers will know the latest rules, no matter how often they change.

While technical excellence is a vital aspect of a high-performing maintenance service, of equal importance is the provision of a friendly help desk. Does your help desk really know you and your building, and provide a maintenance service that exactly matches your needs?

Even with the best preventative work, problems can arise with heating and boiler plant. A 24 hour emergency support should be a feature of all maintenance contracts, and an engineer should be generally on site within a two-hour timeframe. Such a rapid response is necessary because when it comes to heating, Managing Agents and their residents shouldn’t have to wait a moment longer.

Not every firm can react that quickly, so make sure you check your maintenance company’s approach and key performance indicators.