Maintenance

Effective maintenance is fundamentally important to sustaining the performance of all building systems.

Student health and productivity can be affected when building systems fail to operate as designed. Sub-standard maintenance usually results from a combination of factors. First, maintenance budgets are often the first to be reduced or eliminated when money becomes tight. Second, minimal thought transfer from the designers and contractors to the building staff is typically completed. Finally, schools lose their institutional knowledge of the building systems as turnover and lack of communication occurs throughout the life of the building.

High Performance Schools are maintenance friendly.

Building systems are easy to maintain, and reduced operating costs from energy-efficient design frees money that could be directed to support maintenance efforts. Additionally, high performance design urges the clear identification of roles, responsibilities, and budget to ensure that important maintenance information is transferred to the building occupants and not lost in the rush between construction and occupancy.

For more detailed information please see CHPS Best Practices Manual Maintenance and Operation of High Performance Schools.