October 12, 2009

2009 MCAC conference

‘There is green in green,’ Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada hears

‘Existing building market is huge’ says contractor

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

SAN FRANCISCO

As far as Michigan-based mechanical service contractor Russ Borst is concerned, green means business. “There is money to be made,” he told the 68th national conference of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada. “There is green in green.”

Borst, vice-president of service at Hurst Mechanical in Belmont, Mich., said opportunities have never been better for savvy mechanical service contractors to position themselves as experts in the areas of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.

“The existing building market is huge,” said Borst, whose firm’s service department has 34 field employees and five support staff. “Owners are looking to us as the experts. Enhanced energy efficiency and green go together.”

Borst, a past chairman of the board of managers of the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA), said heating, ventilation and air-conditioning contractors are well positioned to offer customers a range of services that will not only assure peak performance of building systems but pay dividends in other areas as well.

Potential benefits of greening existing buildings include increased energy efficiency, reduced operating costs, increased property values and even enhanced employee productivity and decreased absenteeism, he said.

“We should be selling these benefits to building owners.”

Borst advised contractors interested in tapping into this market to evaluate their company’s “green meter” by reviewing the needs of their customer base, looking at current services offered to customers and then investigating potential new opportunities.

During the session presented by the Mechanical Service Contractors of Canada, Borst briefed contractors on the range of opportunities that exist to enhance their “green” offerings.

These include preventative maintenance programs, which Borst described as the backbone of his firm’s service business and “retro-commissioning” of buildings. This is a process that ensures systems are operating as designed. If not, remedial action can be taken.

Other potential services are: benchmarking, which Borst described as “a quick and easy way to determine how a building is shaping up” compared with similar facilities in terms of its energy performance; and energy audits, which provide an overview of how energy is being utilized in a building.

“The simplest type is a walk-through analysis, which is sufficient to identify low-lying fruit in existing buildings.”

Other services that can be marketed are equipment upgrades and payback analysis, installing meters on a building automation system, recommending alternative energy solutions and educating customers on the value of taking a proactive approach to energy efficiency and building maintenance.

“An educated consumer is a smart consumer,” said Borst who has a degree in HVAC engineering technology and been involved in the mechanical contracting industry for 20 years.

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