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Develop a Rental Plan for Emergency Disasters
Advanced planning for emergency situations is critical. With severe storms on the rise and hurricane season, unexpected equipment failure presents a need for emergency or supplemental cooling.
These disruptions can occur for many reasons high winds, hurricanes, or tornadoes; blackouts due to an overly strained utility grid; or even equipment within the building that’s past its life expectancy.
How can facilities managers determine whether to repair, replace or rent to reduce downtime and costs?
Partnering with a rental equipment provider who can deliver supplemental equipment during peak season is key. Through the OMNIA Partners and Sunbelt Rentals cooperative purchasing program, we will work hand-in-hand with you to create an emergency cooling rental plan that best fits your needs with a cost-savings approach in mind.
The 3Rs: Repair, Replace, or Rent
Repair versus Replace
Age of equipment
Most units are built to last approximately 15 to 20 years, but environmental factors such as heat, rain, and dust can shorten those lifespans. A unit that has been properly maintained will operate more efficiently and have a longer lifecycle. In this scenario, repairing will most-likely save you time and money.
Capacity
Capacity is another significant factor. Replacement with a higher-capacity unit that can adequately perform in more extreme temperatures might be the long-term savings approach.
Ease of repair and timeliness
In addition, it’s important to assess how quickly you can repair or replace. Do you need to order a new unit for replacement or a spare part for repair? Three days of downtime could turn into three weeks. This makes it vital to be prepared to leverage the third R — rental.
Developing a Rental Plan
A rental plan is a roadmap to help you navigate most any emergency situation. Not every job is the same, and having an extra partner to provide a wide range of flexible solutions and equipment will help you mitigate risk and create customized solutions for every application.
There are several items included in an emergency rental plan that help you and your rental partner respond quickly to minimize downtime and costs:
- Risk assessment. Identifies the potential causes for an interruption and ranks them based on cost impact, probability of occurrence, and system downtime.
- Equipment identification. Documents all the HVAC systems and their operating conditions to help uncover system weaknesses that can be proactively addressed with maintenance or repair.
- Temporary equipment location. Identifies equipment location in order to determine how much electrical cable, chilled water hose, and/or flex duct will be required.
- Electrical connection. Establishes the location of the temporary electrical connection(s) and how they will be made.
- System connection. Determines how and where connections are made to help save time and money. It’s important to choose a location that’s easily accessible and requires the least amount of temporary installation material.
- Power availability. Documents the available voltage(s) and amperage in case a transformer or generator is needed. Even if power has not been affected, some temporary units may require more power than your customers’ existing units.
Whether you repair, replace, or rent, time is your most critical factor — quickly getting the system back up and running, while keeping costs in check, will help keep your customers happy and operational. Regardless of the solution you provide, staying prepared and being ready for emergency cooling situations will give you a competitive edge.
About Sunbelt Rentals & OMNIA Partners
Sunbelt Rentals is one of the largest equipment rental companies in North America. With a network of more than 1,025+ locations, Sunbelt Rentals offers a broad product mix and reliable service to customers in any market.
Sunbelt Rentals is the ultimate one-stop-shop for equipment rentals available through the OMNIA Partners cooperative contract. From temperature control to power generation, to scaffolding, get all of your equipment from one source and keep your project running smoothly. For more information about our cooperative contract, contact Natalia Welch, Director of Government Sales today at [email protected]
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