It's Time for End of Winter Inspections 

This winter has been a particularly rough one. Persistent cold temperatures and incessant snowfall and precipitation have been rough on buildings. As a result, property managers need to take extra precautions and consider the best repairs to make at the end of the winter.  

Perform Roof and Gutter inspections. Snow, water and wind have been wreaking havoc on roofs and gutters for months. Now is the time to assess the condition of roofs and gutters. If any roof gutter damage is present you could be looking at costly restoration and water mitigation repairs down the road.  Leaky roofs and gutters can go unnoticed until it's too late, often times improper drainage leads to costly water damage and repairs.  

Look for any Parking lot or Curb damage. Snow plows can leave their mark on properties in a hurry.  If curb stakes are not used, or if unseasonable snowfall amounts occur, plows can break curbs, cause pot holes, damage buildings or tear up sod.  Know what damage is new and what isn't by comparing a post-season inspection to your pre-season walk-through notes.  The key is understanding who is responsible for what damages and make necessary repairs promptly.  

Caulk any leaks.  Look for any leaks that have been caused by winter weather. Whether it's the roof, siding, windows or doors filling in leaks with caulk will keep water, bugs and mold out. It can also make heating and cooling systems more energy efficient. 

Recap - World Water Day - March 22, 2014

Making a Difference

At Springwise we have become an industry leader in water conservation. We estimate our direct impact on water savings through partnerships with many leading manufacturers and customers to top 215,570,000 gallons of water. That's enough water to meet the demand for 2,300 American families for an entire year.  

Additionally, we pledged to donate $25 for every maintenance request we received on Friday March 21 in observation of World Water Day.  These funds will help establish new wells and well rehabilitations at schools, medical clinics, and churches and community centers in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda. We are happy to announce that we raised $2,725.00 to help bring clean water to those in need. We will continue to advocate water conservation and through participation of our suppliers, we hope to achieve our goal of funding an entire rehabilitation project.  For more information visit our fundraising campaign via The Water Project.

CALL US TODAY 

Call: 1-800-227-3016

Fax: 1-800-659-2279

Visit: www.springwisefm.com

See our other tips and information in our Knowledge Base

Interested in of our water conservation series?  It's available online: 

Part 1 | Part 2

 | Part 3

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SPRINGWISE FACILITY MANAGEMENT

1822 South Bend Avenue, South Bend, IN 46637

Water Conservation and the Role it plays in Sustainable Facility Management 

There is a strong business case for improving water efficiency in commercial buildings, beyond the direct savings, that is often times overlooked. Reducing water use can lower the costs associated with operating and maintaining equipment, as well as the energy needed to heat, treat, store, and deliver water.

Over the past ten years, the costs of water and wastewater services have risen at a rate well above the CPI (consumer price index). Facility managers can expect these and other utility costs to continue to increase in order to offset the costs of replacing aging water supply systems.

Carrying out and communicating water efficiency efforts can position companies and facility managers as leaders in their community who are helping to improve sustainability. It can also help them pursue recognition in the green marketplace.

By implementing water-efficient best management practices, commercial and institutional facilities have an opportunity to:

• Achieve cost savings
• Increase competitive advantage
• Reduce risks associated with water scarcity
• Demonstrate leadership
• Access opportunities in the green building marketplace

Steps to Establish a Water Conservation Program

Audit Current water use:

• Install or upgrade water meters in strategic locations of your facilities portfolio.
• Read and record water usage and analyze the data. Look for high water usage buildings or areas, trends, unusual occurrences etc. Understand your water usage picture and what is driving it.

Identify water conservation opportunities. Pick the low hanging fruit.  Take the top 10% of water use locations and identify what is driving the usage up.  Here are some of the easiest places to start looking for opportunities:

• Irrigation
• Kitchen/break room usage
• Restrooms 
• Laundry facilities
• Processing equipment
• Car wash facilities
• Garden Centers 
• Continuous flow / timed regeneration equipment
• Leaks, breaks or outdated equipment

Determine cost and potential ROI.

Prioritize Water conservation opportunities. 

Develop a phased plan that fits your budget and obtain funding.

Implement, execute and measure pilot programs.

Evaluate pilot programs for wider adoption. 

Awareness can be Half the Battle 

Simply creating a formal plan, communicating it and continuing to reinforce it can lead to dramatic water usage reductions.  

 Increase employee awareness of water usage and conservation efforts.  Communicating your sustainable practices to your customers can capture additional savings.  Post signs.  Increase visibility.  Publicize your plan and the impact it is having on reducing water usage. 

CALL US TODAY 

Call: 1-800-227-3016

Fax: 1-800-659-2279

Visit: www.springwisefm.com

See our other tips and information in our Knowledge Base

SPRINGWISE FACILITY MANAGEMENT

1822 South Bend Avenue, South Bend, IN 46637

5 Year-End Maintenance Tips for your Facility

With winter upon us, and as we race through the holiday season, we have compiled 5 useful tips to help optimize maintenance and costs around the end of the year. These are all practical items that you can use in your facilities and at home.

• Reduce your set point on your thermostat.  For each degree you lower your thermostat (for heat), you will lower your energy bill by an average of 1%. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce energy consumption and operating costs.                                 

• Use ice.  This time of year many facilities have plants and decorations that need regular watering. Take an alternative approach and use an ice/water mix.  Potting soil dries out quickly due to heat by absorbing water in the air, wood, and anywhere else that inherently holds moisture.  By using an ice mix, you allow the ice to melt and continue to water plants over a longer period of time.  This also has the hidden benefit of helping keep a little humidity in the air.                                     

• Make sure you have the right floor mats.  The right floor mats are the first line of defense to keeping dirt, sand, snow, salt, ice-melt, water etc. out of your facilities.  Approximately 80% of all dirt enters your facilities through the front door.                  

• Inspect exterior doors and windows.  Check to make sure the caulk is still flexible and is sealing any gaps between window/door frames and exterior walls.  This ensures the warm air stays inside the building during the winter and seals the exterior building envelope from water penetration.  For added energy savings, check the weather stripping at all exterior door frames to make sure it's still in place and serving its intended purpose.  Remember windows and doors with bad weather stripping are the #1 cause of drafts in the winter.                           

• Perform a roof inspection.  Inspect low-sloped built-up and membrane roofs as well as the higher sloped shingled roofs.  Look for areas where ice dams may have formed.  These prevent roof drains and scuppers from working properly and can lead to dangerously heavy roof loads and create hazardous falling ice as dams melt and break up.  Identifying these areas early and removing ice dams can save costly repairs or worse down the road.             

Still scrambling with last minute preparation? 

Call our sales and operations team at (800) 227-3016,  and get on the schedule before it's too late.  At Springwise, we have the expertise to deliver proactive and strategic snow removal services that decrease liability, improve wintertime curb appeal, save time and money, free up resources and manpower, and ensure safe traversing for all customers, employees, guests, and visitors of your facility.

No matter the size of your property or number of locations, we will produce a strategic plan for snow removal that will deliver business continuity and distance your customers from any and all forms of inconvenience. And, because we use technology to stay ahead of the storm, your business can operate, undisturbed, even through the most inclement and snowy weather.

CALL US TODAY 

Call: 1-800-227-3016

Fax: 1-800-659-2279

Visit: www.springwisefm.com

SPRINGWISE FACILITY MANAGEMENT

1822 South Bend Avenue, South Bend, IN 46637

Storm to Cause Major Travel and Shopping chaos Wednesday through Friday in Northeast

A major storm with snow and high winds will hit the Northeast hard on Wednesday with ripple potential effects throughout the weekend.

The timing of the storm could not come at a worst time with AAA projecting 43.4 million travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

"The Wednesday before Thanksgiving will be the busiest single day of travel with 37 percent of travelers departing for trips Nov. 27," AAA stated in a press release.

Local snowfall totals expected to peak at 12" in some areas 

While the majority of the Northeast will be spared from major snowfall accumulations, some areas of New York, Pennsylvania possibly the Virginia's are expected to have snowfall totaling 6"-12."

Lake effect snow machine to follow

For those with stores in the lake effect snow bands, the outlook could be even more grim for holiday shopping.  These areas are expected to continue to get hit with snow through Thursday and into Friday.    

Current customers rest easy

If you are a current Springwise customer you can rest easy as we are prepared for the worst and hoping for minimal impact on the shopping season.   

• All crews are on standby with equipment and manpower ready to mobilize, and in some cases already have.
• Snow Operations Command protocols in effect for this major event.
• Many of the same crews and equipment that handled the Halloween blizzard of 2012 are in place with enhancements made as identified from this major storm last year.
• Tried and True crews, dispatchers, triage coordinators and managers working this storm.  Snow is our largest service line, it's what we have done since 1969 and being located in South Bend, IN we get our fair share of it (averaging nearly 80" a year).

Still scrambling with last minute preparation? 

Call our sales and operations team at (800) 227-3016,  and get on the schedule before it's too late.  At Springwise, we have the expertise to deliver proactive and strategic snow removal services that decrease liability, improve wintertime curb appeal, save time and money, free up resources and manpower, and ensure safe traversing for all customers, employees, guests, and visitors of your facility.

No matter the size of your property or number of locations, we will produce a strategic plan for snow removal that will deliver business continuity and distance your customers from any and all forms of inconvenience. And, because we use technology to stay ahead of the storm, your business can operate, undisturbed, even through the most inclement and snowy weather.

CALL US TODAY 

Call: 1-800-227-3016

Fax: 1-800-659-2279

Visit: www.springwisefm.com

SPRINGWISE FACILITY MANAGEMENT

1822 South Bend Avenue, South Bend, IN 46637

The Holiday Shopping season is officially upon us.

The holiday season, defined by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as sales in the months of November and December, is the biggest time of year for retailers of all shapes and sizes, and can account for as much as 20-40%of a retailer's annual sales. This year, the NRF estimates that holiday sales will increase 3.9% to $602.1 billion. 

Holiday sales estimates are often viewed as a solid indication of the overall health of consumers' financial stability - decreasing during times of economic uncertainty and increasing during a thriving economy. The average increase in holiday sales for the past 10 years is 3.3%. 

The Early Start to Holiday Shopping 

Though many shoppers wait until the last minute to complete their holiday shopping, a large number of Americans say they prefer to shop for holiday merchandise while simultaneously picking out pumpkins and costumes. According to NRF research, about 40% of shoppers begin shopping before Halloween each year.   

For more information from the NRF about the 2013 Holiday season, click here.  To download a copy of their 2013 Retail Holiday Survival Kit, click here.

Know what your customers will see when they set foot in your stores this Holiday Season 

Let us help you mitigate the risks and liabilities that come along with increased customer traffic, cold weather and ramped up operations, by entrusting our expert field inspectors with the task of evaluating your property and highlighting areas requiring attention. Our field inspectors do all the work in compiling information regarding the existing status and future needs of your properties, facilities, and assets.  They can also assist in evaluating the crews performing the maintenance and repairs across all trades in your stores.

This due diligence results in specific recommendations toward right outcomes that keep your properties and facilities safe, save your organization larger out-of-pocket costs, and allow for forecasted, evenly balanced resource allocation.

How important is it for you to have the peace of mind of knowing what your stores look like during peak shopping season?  Will you have the answers when your CEO or Vice-President gets the call that not everything is as you thought it was at a high volume store? If on-going field inspection is a current need, or you are less than 

satisfied with your current provider's stewardship in this area, put our technology, integrity, and expertise to work for your organization. Call Springwise today at 1-800-227-3016.

Protect your assets against cold weather risks 

A few small steps will produce peace of mind all winter long.  Don't forget to inspect or have our team inspect the following items to ensure a safe and optimal winter season for your facilities:

• Inspect roof drains and clean to prevent ice dams. 
• Assess roof capacity for snow load and develop an action plan to monitor and potentially remove excess snow.
• Winterize any irrigation or other water filled pipes to prevent freeze damage.
• Physical damage to roof that will lead to leaks during repeated freeze and thaws of winter months.
• Any other health and safety or brand image issues  

CALL US TODAY 

Call: 1-800-227-3016

Fax: 1-800-659-2279

Visit: www.springwisefm.com

SPRINGWISE FACILITY MANAGEMENT

1822 South Bend Avenue, South Bend, IN 46637