There are many reasons for system failure: aging and unreliable equipment, sudden increases in demand, extreme weather conditions, power failures to name but a few. Reliable heating/cooling and hot water is vital to the safety and smooth-running of most businesses. If your business/organisation suffered a sudden loss of heating, hot water or air conditioning, what would the consequences be? In the case of health-care providers and other critical settings, the results could be fatal. The resultant loss of business can cost many thousands of pounds but the damage to reputations with customers and stakeholders can be insurmountable.
Why does your business need a contingency plan?
Putting a solid contingency plan in place will save costs and provide security for your operation. More businesses are now realising the benefits of creating a contingency plan and more insurance companies require a formal contingency plan before providing business continuity insurance. Whatever form of disaster, when it strikes you will be in one of two positions:
- Contingency plan in place – the process from here is smooth, quick and will cause very little stress or disruption.
- No contingency plan – Where to start? What’s the priority? Who to call? A stressful and more costly route for all involved.
Power and HVAC are an essential part of the crisis response planning for your business; they are relatively straightforward and cost-effective to implement. Imagine you have spent the time and effort before disaster a strikes and are secure in the knowledge that if you experience a system failure, everybody involved will know who to contact and what actions to take. A temporary boiler plant system could be up and running within hours of your call.
How to create a good power & HVAC contingency plan
The focus of your contingency plan needs to be on what would have the greatest impact to the smooth-running of the business. What system failures would cause most disruption to productivity and profitability? A good contingency plan is a great investment, saving a business far more money than it costs to implement.
- Identify all possible causes of system failure – Prioritise each with specific reference to your business in terms of likelihood of occurrence as well as disruption and cost implications to the business.
- Analyse the financial impact of each type of failure – Include ongoing effects such as loss of productivity and revenue.
- Source an accredited, experienced provider of temporary plant – Establish contact and develop a working relationship so they are aware of the exact needs of your site. Your chosen service provider should carry out a free site survey and advise you on the best course of action for your business.
- Identify all essential equipment – All power and HVAC equipment that are crucial to your business operations. In critical settings, such as health-care providers, a back-up generator should be permanently installed and ready in case of power failure.
- Assess health and condition of equipment – A qualified engineer can service equipment and report on its condition.
- Ascertain if current power will cope with additional equipment – Equipment can be installed quickly but the electricity supply needs to cope with it without interruption.
- Run through each scenario and optimise solutions – If those solutions involve the installation of temporary HVAC equipment, consider the logistics of this, where and how would temporary equipment fit? If additional connections are required to allow temporary equipment to be installed quickly, install them.
- Provide training to all involved – Rehearse the procedures and make any improvements/recommendations.
- Your completed contingency report should include detailed costings – Costs should be allocated with consideration to the scale of the impact on the business.
- Update and modify regularly – There is always room for improvement and a need to factor in any changes in the operation or equipment.
“Plans need to be simple but effective, comprehensive but tailored to the needs of the organisation.”
- Choosing the right provider of temporary HVAC equipment
- Choose an accredited company who have been established for a good length of time. An experienced company will have encountered a wider variety of scenarios and have a working understanding of the best solutions in any given circumstance. They are also far more likely to have a track record of providing good customer service. The primary consideration is, does the heating, cooling and ventilation equipment provider have sufficient quantity and a wide enough range of equipment to suit your needs? In case of a disaster or unplanned plant failure, you need to know that your chosen provider will have the right equipment available for you immediately. Every hour lost will be having an increasingly damaging impact.
- Developing an alliance with a reputable service provider may also allow you to agree fixed rental costs which helps your cash-flow predictions. Having the relationship set up in advance with all partners informed of requirements will greatly reduce lead time for installation.
Benefits to your business
✓Quicker disaster recovery
✓Reduced impact on productivity and service
✓Minimised financial loss
✓Health and Safety risks diminished
✓Peace of mind for all members of the business
✓Increased confidence of stakeholders
✓Start to finish solution
If you would like to discuss implementing a robust, boiler contingency plan for your company, contact a member of our team today on 01622 632 918
