Budgeting: Avoid Surprises with the Right Partner

Budgeting can be a bore if you haven’t considered how to use it to plan for growth. Budgeting for HVAC maintenance and repair? Let’s just say, we understand that there are more exciting ways to spend your money. Still, a good mechanical services company will fix what’s broken, and a great one will become your trusted partner in budgeting for next year and beyond. Here are a few things to consider when laying out your budget for the next fiscal year:

Track, Report, and Analyze Expenses

Before you begin budgeting for next year take a step back and take a look at the last year. Here are a few useful questions to ask yourself:

• Did we do a good job tracking and categorizing expenses? If this is an issue, you may want to start budgeting by cleaning up your record-keeping process.
• Are we utilizing a system that makes reporting easy? Excel sheets or worse yet, a paper ledger, don’t make for the smartest budgeting tools.
• Can we gather insight from last year? If you’re doing things right, your previous year will help guide decisions for the upcoming year.

Having your budgeting system honed is the best way to help with the next fiscal year’s budget. The good news? When it comes to tracking your HVAC expenses, Trimark Mechanical keeps a detailed history of all activity from installation and one-time repairs to ongoing maintenance costs.

Make Sure You’re Budgeting for One Time and Ongoing Costs

Ongoing costs such as maintenance and cleaning are relatively easy to budget for as long as you take into account any business changes. For example, growth or a change in workforce can make an impact on ongoing costs. If you’re growing, more than likely you’re using more space or using your space differently than before. You may need to increase budget for ongoing HVAC system repairs.

On the other hand, one-time expenses like repairs or replacement costs for obsolete equipment, can be a little trickier to estimate.

Here’s how Trimark Mechanical can help plan for 2018:

	Budget maintenance expenses.
	Avoid surprise equipment replacement.
	Find the smartest way to use this year’s remaining budget.

Don’t hesitate to call in an expert to assess one-time expenses. Firms looking to develop a long-term relationship will help you price out repairs and replacements at little to no cost to you.

Don’t Let Emergencies Catch You Off-Guard

Inevitably, emergencies happen. If you don’t have a contingency fund for unanticipated expenses it’s time to start one.

Make Friends with Technology

The right technology can streamline the budgeting process. There are a variety of budgeting tools that can help you track, report, and analyze expenses, in turn helping you make smarter decisions for your facility.

Technology That Brings You to the Site

Trimark Mechanical uses technology to bring you to the site. We show you what needs to be done, what was done, and what should be done to keep systems running well. This means that you can:

Easily verify repairs are complete. Through before, during, and after images, we keep you fully informed, right from your inbox.

Safeguard your valuable time. Unexpected repairs can take your attention away from other pressing matters. Our predictive maintenance and account history tools work to reduce the risk of costly surprises and prolonged equipment downtime.

Have it your way. Notifications aren’t one-size fits all. Do you prefer receiving emails, phone calls, or both? We work with your preferences and not the other way around.

Our goal is to create a comfortable environment in your building through a seamless, thoughtful, technology-driven process.

Plan for Growth and Competitive Advantages

The savviest of asset managers combine goals for growth with the budgeting process. Here are a few things to consider if your business is in a growth phase or you’re investing in competitive advantages:

• Taxes
  Obviously, as your business grows, so will your tax liability.
• Insurance
  It’s likely that your liability will increase as your business expands.
• Capital Expenditures
  Growth is often accompanied by more capital investments.

Additionally, businesses looking to create a competitive advantage should budget for it. Those advantages don’t just crop up out of thin air!

How High-Performance HVAC Affects Your Competitive Edge

• Comfort and Control Over Environment
• Cost Savings From Increased Energy Efficiency
• Less Downtime During Repairs
• Reduced Risk System Failure

Are you ready to start budgeting for the next fiscal year? It’s easy to let fall go by without thinking about the upcoming year. Have a qualified mechanical services firm assess your maintenance costs and estimate the life of your existing equipment. Give us a call at 703.891.4600. You may qualify for a no-cost site inspection.