With beach season just around the corner (or in our case here in Florida, it’s pretty much already arrived), thermostats are making the switch from ‘heating’ to ‘cooling’, and AC units are dusting off the winter cobwebs and preparing for their time to shine. But of course, with increased HVAC equipment usage comes a greater risk for potential maintenance problems – and as property managers know, maintenance and repair bills can be detrimental to NOI. So what steps can be taken to ensure HVAC equipment is fit to last the summer season? Routine maintenance may optimize unit performance levels on even the hottest of days, but there’s something else you should be keeping an eye on – a simple, yet very common tenant mistake that can wreak havoc on a running AC unit.

An open window.

Even when closed, a single window has a significant effect on the internal temperature of any residence. A considerable amount of heat can enter into a room through sealed glass – so imagine the intensity of that heat when the window is actually open. Pair that with a running AC unit that is actively trying to bring down the temperature in the residence, and you’ve got a maintenance manager’s worst nightmare.

In apartments that contain multiple residents, oftentimes each person tends to make temperature adjustments based on their own individual comfort needs. For instance – imagine it’s 92 degrees outside, roommate Joe turns the thermostat down to 67 degrees because he’s planning to be at home all day and wants the apartment to be nice and cool. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Joe, roommate Andy has been airing his bedroom with the window open all morning. Andy leaves to go to class for the day and forgets to close it. Throughout the course of the day, hot air is continuously filtering into the apartment through Andy’s open bedroom window, while the AC unit is simultaneously working extra hard to try to cool the apartment to 67 – which will never quite happen, because the infiltration of heat will constantly be counteracting the cooling that the AC unit is attempting to do. Joe, frustrated that the apartment doesn’t seem to be getting any cooler, proceeds to turn the thermostat down a further 5 degrees in an attempt to get rid of the heat. By this point, the AC unit has been running continuously for the entire day, straining to reach 67 degrees – all to no avail. Needless to say, this damaging, prolonged equipment run-time results in wasted energy, a higher utility bill, and an overworked AC unit – all of which could have easily been avoided had someone been aware the window was open.

With there being hundreds of windows in every student housing community, it’s inefficient for a property manager to physically go around to each apartment and ensure the windows have been closed where necessary. A Facilities IoT (Internet of Things) Solution, however, leverages window sensor technology to enable property managers to effortlessly detect when a window has been left open in a residence – all from one dashboard. This then allows them to notify the resident to close the window. A very inexpensive, easy fix that if left undetected, could have resulted in a drastically different outcome.

Contact us now to learn more about TrustHab – A Facilities IoT (Internet of Things) Solution, purpose-built for Student Housing. Reduce Costs. Increase NOI.

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