The Bursar: An insiders guide to Australian school management - Issue 2

School walk-around energy checklist Use this walk around checklist to help identify key low or no cost energy saving opportunities within your school.

Conducting regular housekeeping walk-arounds will help form the basis of an action plan to reduce your energy use.

Energy Efficiency Checklist

Complete

Actions/Comments

Check temperature setpoints (optimum settings are 20° C for heating in winter and 24° C for cooling in summer).

Can a dead band be set around the temperature setpoint?

Do staff know how to control the air conditioning?

Do they override the controls? Why? Are temperature sensors located in areas that will accurately represent the room's temperature (i.e. Not blocked by furniture or next to entry ways)?

Are any empty areas being air conditioned?

Where can timers, occupancy sensors or open-window detectors be linked to the air conditioning?

An Insiders Guide to Australian School Management

Issue 2

Maintenance Paying Off Variable Repair Costs Slashed

If a centralised air conditioning system is used, does it use an outdoor air economy cycle, variable-speed drives or timers and controllers?

Ursula Frayne Catholic College, Perth’s 113 year old, dual campus private school, has effectively slashed ad hoc repair costs and lost time due to equipment failure.

Ensure that time controls take account of unoccupied periods so that heating and cooling does not operate when there is no one around. Are the air conditioning system controls set to minimise preheat times?

According to the College’s Business Manager, Jody Cabalzar, the cost and time savings are significant but did not come as a surprise.

Are any air conditioning units past their end of life? 7-10 years for a room unit up to 10 kW, or 10-15 years for a packaged air conditioning unit 10kW to 100kW. If so, investigations should be made into upgrading these.

Where applicable check that controls such as weather compensation, optimisation and seven day time control are set correctly to save energy and money.

Is a maintenance schedule followed for cleaning and replacing filters, and inspecting ducts and pipework for signs of damage or wear and tear?

If a centralised air conditioning system is used, is the supply and return ductwork and pipework insulated?

Source: Adapted from Carbon Trust (UK) and Office of Environment & Heritage (NSW).

Brisbane • Cairns • Gold Coast • Mackay • Melbourne • Perth • Sydney • Tasmania • Townsville 1300 313 313 email@aesmith.com.au www.aesmith.com.au

When Jody joined the college five years ago, he invited air conditioning specialist AE Smith to tender for a formal repair and maintenance contract on the basis of the company’s outstanding performance at his two previous schools.

“When I started here, the air conditioning program was more reactive than preventative,” Jody said. “Plus, a lot of the equipment was nearing the end of its useful life and running at far from optimum efficiency.

“Once AE Smith won the contract we went through the place, carrying out a stock take of all equipment and developing an action priority plan as part of putting in place the maintenance agreement.

Continued page 3

School Fire Timely Warning For All The dangers inherent in air conditioners and the importance of regular maintenance were highlighted in Victoria recently when a school’s roof mounted air conditioning unit caught fire, forcing the evacuation of 50 people including students.

Continued from page 1

“In the first 12 months we did not see an immediate improvement as a result of the legacy of the previous years. But by year two the cost reductions in terms of the money spent on ad hoc repairs were evident and today I can say we have saved money.”

Jody said that escalating electricity costs, a 25% increase in student numbers in the past six years and an increase in the school’s building footprint meant that his school’s energy bill was inevitably increasing.

Luckily the fire did not break out until 4.30pm. Had it occurred earlier, panic itself may have led to injuries as our Lady Help of Christians Catholic primary school in the outer northern Melbourne suburb of Eltham has an enrolment of 240 students.

The Country Fire Authority was alerted by a neighbour who saw smoke coming from the school’s roof. Nine fire trucks attended, taking 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control, but not before the building had sustained a large amount of damage.

AE Smith Perth General Manager, Graeme Stewart, said that there was a very real risk of familiarity breeding contempt with air conditioning units, particularly roof mounted units that tend to be out of site and out of mind.

“There’s an expectation that they will continue to operate and not deteriorate.

It’s easy to forget that these are powered by electric motors and where you’re talking electric motors there’s always a risk of fire, a risk that grows exponentially when the unit is exposed to the elements,” he said.

One of the first tasks AE Smith completes when appointed to look after a school’s air conditioning maintenance is a complete assessment of all units, starting with safety factors such as wiring.

Three Schools Same AC Firm However, AE Smith has been able to help keep the bills manageable while still delivering a practical solution and keeping students and teachers comfortable.

“Once this inspection is completed we prepare a report and then sit down with the school’s relevant executive to hear what is important to them. We also work through any urgent repairs and prepare an action timeline responsive to factors such as urgency, cost and access.

customer’s welfare, and hearing what is important to them.

“Our experience from implementing these contracts nationally is that nine times out of ten we will find work which, if left unattended, could cost the school a lot of money, if not in terms of damage, certainly in terms of high energy consumption.”

Graeme said AE Smith’s expertise has helped many schools to reduce operating costs, defer capital expenditure and minimise breakdowns and repairs.

Graeme said that the days of air conditioners being ignored until something goes wrong should be long gone. Schools today have to be proactive rather than reactive.

“Many principals use us as a single source solution to air conditioning and energy saving needs and we frequently find that our maintenance contract clients use us as a resource right at the design stage when they are considering a capital investment in new equipment.

“Implementing a scheduled maintenance program is not just about meeting a duty of care and avoiding accidents. In everything we do, we believe in helping people, protecting the

“Time and time again we have proved that a maintenance program more than pays for itself. Schools need to reduce energy consumption to help keep them abreast of the price rises.”

“In a nutshell, we keep abreast of risk - both financial and physical - and provide best practice solutions.

“Quite often they will use our expertise to prepare the specification before going to tender.”

Disclaimer Notice: Neither AE Smith & Son Pty Ltd, nor Newsletter House Pty Ltd, nor the publishers and editors of articles in this issue, accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortious or otherwise, for the contents of this newsletter or for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed upon it. All the information contained in this publication has been provided to us by various parties. We do not accept any responsibility to any person for its accuracy and do no more than pass it on. All interested parties should make and rely upon their own enquiries in order to determine whether or not this information is in fact accurate. Published for AE Smith by Newsletter House www.newsletterhouse.com

“I’m sure our 120 staff and 1300 children are glad there are nowhere near as many breakdowns on 40 degree days.”

Apart from maintenance, AE Smith has also won tenders to supply and install a significant amount of new equipment in recent years; going to great lengths to turn variable cost into fixed cost, and accept personal responsibility to use the right resources, to find the right outcome.

Jody says that although they are still contending with legacy issues, AE Smith are doing exactly what they said they would do. There are inherent problems when new and old buildings are mixed with new and old equipment.

“Our schools are on two separate campuses and both have buildings that are incredibly old.

“Some of the AC units, for example, may have been installed when funds were tight, put in to a budget rather than a specification, and have never been able to adequately serve the area.

“We certainly have areas where these units run at capacity in order to have an impact so it can be a challenge for the technicians.”

Jody, whose responsibilities extend

from the financial management of the two schools to human resources, property and equipment, said that one of the real benefits of having professional and trustworthy suppliers such as AE Smith is that air conditioning and heating issues no longer consume his time.

trades we deal with have trouble getting and keeping staff.

Other than regular meetings, or when a new technician is coming into the school, he rarely has to worry, one of the reasons why he has used the firm at three successive schools.

“Usually we get the same technician time and time again but if they have a staff change they will ring me in advance of the visit to let me know so that I can meet and brief the person.”

“The bottom line is that they provide a very good service, which is equally as important as pricing,” he said.

Jody said that particularly during the Building The Education Revolution period when a lot of different trades were on site, he would often have to speak to other service companies about language, dress, behavior or smoking.

Jody rates communication and high quality service as AE Smith’s top strengths. They take the time to hear what is important to him and Ursula Frayne.

“The attractions of the mining industry in the west are such there’s always a demand for good people so a lot of the

“AE Smith must be doing something right. The people that come here are pretty good, carry themselves well and know what’s required to be on a school site with kids.

“I can say with complete confidence I have never had to challenge any of the AE Smith people. They must have the right training processes in place,” he said.

School Fire Timely Warning For All The dangers inherent in air conditioners and the importance of regular maintenance were highlighted in Victoria recently when a school’s roof mounted air conditioning unit caught fire, forcing the evacuation of 50 people including students.

Continued from page 1

“In the first 12 months we did not see an immediate improvement as a result of the legacy of the previous years. But by year two the cost reductions in terms of the money spent on ad hoc repairs were evident and today I can say we have saved money.”

Jody said that escalating electricity costs, a 25% increase in student numbers in the past six years and an increase in the school’s building footprint meant that his school’s energy bill was inevitably increasing.

Luckily the fire did not break out until 4.30pm. Had it occurred earlier, panic itself may have led to injuries as our Lady Help of Christians Catholic primary school in the outer northern Melbourne suburb of Eltham has an enrolment of 240 students.

The Country Fire Authority was alerted by a neighbour who saw smoke coming from the school’s roof. Nine fire trucks attended, taking 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control, but not before the building had sustained a large amount of damage.

AE Smith Perth General Manager, Graeme Stewart, said that there was a very real risk of familiarity breeding contempt with air conditioning units, particularly roof mounted units that tend to be out of site and out of mind.

“There’s an expectation that they will continue to operate and not deteriorate.

It’s easy to forget that these are powered by electric motors and where you’re talking electric motors there’s always a risk of fire, a risk that grows exponentially when the unit is exposed to the elements,” he said.

One of the first tasks AE Smith completes when appointed to look after a school’s air conditioning maintenance is a complete assessment of all units, starting with safety factors such as wiring.

Three Schools Same AC Firm However, AE Smith has been able to help keep the bills manageable while still delivering a practical solution and keeping students and teachers comfortable.

“Once this inspection is completed we prepare a report and then sit down with the school’s relevant executive to hear what is important to them. We also work through any urgent repairs and prepare an action timeline responsive to factors such as urgency, cost and access.

customer’s welfare, and hearing what is important to them.

“Our experience from implementing these contracts nationally is that nine times out of ten we will find work which, if left unattended, could cost the school a lot of money, if not in terms of damage, certainly in terms of high energy consumption.”

Graeme said AE Smith’s expertise has helped many schools to reduce operating costs, defer capital expenditure and minimise breakdowns and repairs.

Graeme said that the days of air conditioners being ignored until something goes wrong should be long gone. Schools today have to be proactive rather than reactive.

“Many principals use us as a single source solution to air conditioning and energy saving needs and we frequently find that our maintenance contract clients use us as a resource right at the design stage when they are considering a capital investment in new equipment.

“Implementing a scheduled maintenance program is not just about meeting a duty of care and avoiding accidents. In everything we do, we believe in helping people, protecting the

“Time and time again we have proved that a maintenance program more than pays for itself. Schools need to reduce energy consumption to help keep them abreast of the price rises.”

“In a nutshell, we keep abreast of risk - both financial and physical - and provide best practice solutions.

“Quite often they will use our expertise to prepare the specification before going to tender.”

Disclaimer Notice: Neither AE Smith & Son Pty Ltd, nor Newsletter House Pty Ltd, nor the publishers and editors of articles in this issue, accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortious or otherwise, for the contents of this newsletter or for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed upon it. All the information contained in this publication has been provided to us by various parties. We do not accept any responsibility to any person for its accuracy and do no more than pass it on. All interested parties should make and rely upon their own enquiries in order to determine whether or not this information is in fact accurate. Published for AE Smith by Newsletter House www.newsletterhouse.com

“I’m sure our 120 staff and 1300 children are glad there are nowhere near as many breakdowns on 40 degree days.”

Apart from maintenance, AE Smith has also won tenders to supply and install a significant amount of new equipment in recent years; going to great lengths to turn variable cost into fixed cost, and accept personal responsibility to use the right resources, to find the right outcome.

Jody says that although they are still contending with legacy issues, AE Smith are doing exactly what they said they would do. There are inherent problems when new and old buildings are mixed with new and old equipment.

“Our schools are on two separate campuses and both have buildings that are incredibly old.

“Some of the AC units, for example, may have been installed when funds were tight, put in to a budget rather than a specification, and have never been able to adequately serve the area.

“We certainly have areas where these units run at capacity in order to have an impact so it can be a challenge for the technicians.”

Jody, whose responsibilities extend

from the financial management of the two schools to human resources, property and equipment, said that one of the real benefits of having professional and trustworthy suppliers such as AE Smith is that air conditioning and heating issues no longer consume his time.

trades we deal with have trouble getting and keeping staff.

Other than regular meetings, or when a new technician is coming into the school, he rarely has to worry, one of the reasons why he has used the firm at three successive schools.

“Usually we get the same technician time and time again but if they have a staff change they will ring me in advance of the visit to let me know so that I can meet and brief the person.”

“The bottom line is that they provide a very good service, which is equally as important as pricing,” he said.

Jody said that particularly during the Building The Education Revolution period when a lot of different trades were on site, he would often have to speak to other service companies about language, dress, behavior or smoking.

Jody rates communication and high quality service as AE Smith’s top strengths. They take the time to hear what is important to him and Ursula Frayne.

“The attractions of the mining industry in the west are such there’s always a demand for good people so a lot of the

“AE Smith must be doing something right. The people that come here are pretty good, carry themselves well and know what’s required to be on a school site with kids.

“I can say with complete confidence I have never had to challenge any of the AE Smith people. They must have the right training processes in place,” he said.

School walk-around energy checklist Use this walk around checklist to help identify key low or no cost energy saving opportunities within your school.

Conducting regular housekeeping walk-arounds will help form the basis of an action plan to reduce your energy use.

Energy Efficiency Checklist

Complete

Actions/Comments

Check temperature setpoints (optimum settings are 20° C for heating in winter and 24° C for cooling in summer).

Can a dead band be set around the temperature setpoint?

Do staff know how to control the air conditioning?

Do they override the controls? Why? Are temperature sensors located in areas that will accurately represent the room's temperature (i.e. Not blocked by furniture or next to entry ways)?

Are any empty areas being air conditioned?

Where can timers, occupancy sensors or open-window detectors be linked to the air conditioning?

An Insiders Guide to Australian School Management

Issue 2

Maintenance Paying Off Variable Repair Costs Slashed

If a centralised air conditioning system is used, does it use an outdoor air economy cycle, variable-speed drives or timers and controllers?

Ursula Frayne Catholic College, Perth’s 113 year old, dual campus private school, has effectively slashed ad hoc repair costs and lost time due to equipment failure.

Ensure that time controls take account of unoccupied periods so that heating and cooling does not operate when there is no one around. Are the air conditioning system controls set to minimise preheat times?

According to the College’s Business Manager, Jody Cabalzar, the cost and time savings are significant but did not come as a surprise.

Are any air conditioning units past their end of life? 7-10 years for a room unit up to 10 kW, or 10-15 years for a packaged air conditioning unit 10kW to 100kW. If so, investigations should be made into upgrading these.

Where applicable check that controls such as weather compensation, optimisation and seven day time control are set correctly to save energy and money.

Is a maintenance schedule followed for cleaning and replacing filters, and inspecting ducts and pipework for signs of damage or wear and tear?

If a centralised air conditioning system is used, is the supply and return ductwork and pipework insulated?

Source: Adapted from Carbon Trust (UK) and Office of Environment & Heritage (NSW).

Brisbane • Cairns • Gold Coast • Mackay • Melbourne • Perth • Sydney • Tasmania • Townsville 1300 313 313 email@aesmith.com.au www.aesmith.com.au

When Jody joined the college five years ago, he invited air conditioning specialist AE Smith to tender for a formal repair and maintenance contract on the basis of the company’s outstanding performance at his two previous schools.

“When I started here, the air conditioning program was more reactive than preventative,” Jody said. “Plus, a lot of the equipment was nearing the end of its useful life and running at far from optimum efficiency.

“Once AE Smith won the contract we went through the place, carrying out a stock take of all equipment and developing an action priority plan as part of putting in place the maintenance agreement.

Continued page 3