FAQ

Green Solutions

hygreen Solutions

  1. What is hygreen?
  2. Is hygreen really “green”?
  3. How much does it cost?
  4. Does hygreen guarantee energy savings?
  5. Is this performance contracting?
  6. Is utiliVisor a control system?
  7. Does utiliVisor qualify for LEED credits for M&V and sub-metering?

Building Solutions

Maintenance Agreement

  1. What tasks do you perform as standard, and which do you charge extra for? (Like coil cleaning? Chiller condenser cleaning?)
  2. Will you send the same tech every time?
  3. What are the benefits of a maintenance agreement, versus just a service call when I need it?
  4. What is covered on a maintenance contract?
  5. How do you go about scheduling your PM inspections?

hygreen Solutions

  1. What is hygreen? hygreen is Hill York’s performance group that provides optimized and sustained building solutions for our customers.

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  2. Is hygreen really “green”? Hill York was the first mechanical contractor in the Southeast U.S. to achieve the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA) Green Star certification, recognized by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

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  3. How much does it cost? Like any other solution, the cost is dependent on the size, type and complexity of the project. However, hygreen solutions generally have a simple payback period of two years or less or a cost-to-benefit ratio (based on Capital Recovery Factor) of <0.70. In some cases, financing based on shared energy savings may be available, eliminating the need for any upfront investment by the owner.

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  4. Does hygreen guarantee energy savings? Although we’re not specifically guaranteeing the energy savings – actually, it’s energy cost avoidance – we are, if it’s a shared energy savings arrangement, taking the risk for achieving the anticipated savings.

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  5. Is this performance contracting? No, Hill York is not an ESCO and doesn’t do performance contracting.

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  6. Is utiliVisor a control system? No, it’s a real time, web-based, online observation resource. It’s independent of the building’s energy management system. It simply uses the information obtained by the energy management system and displays it in a useful webpage that includes real time energy cost dollars.

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  7. Does utiliVisor qualify for LEED credits for M&V and sub-metering? Yes, utiliVisor is fully adherent to the IPMVP, the referenced standard for M&V/sub-metering.

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Building Solutions

Maintenance Agreement

  1. What tasks do you perform as standard, and which do you charge extra for? (Like coil cleaning? Chiller condenser cleaning?) With HYMax, we can customize any PM program to meet the specific needs of each customer – many wish to self-perform some tasks. Our ‘standard’ PM agreement includes all of the necessary items required for a long, efficient equipment life, including filter changes, belt changes, drain pan cleaning & treatment, coil cleanings, chiller condenser cleaning, oil spectro-analysis and reporting on all chiller circuits (along with comparison to historical analysis reports as they are available). We typically charge extra for water treatment, as that work is sub-contracted out. Tell us what you want, and we will customize the program for you.

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  2. Will you send the same tech every time? Every PM account has one technician assigned as the lead-tech for that account Depending on the size and complexity of the maintenance account, at least one more tech is familiarized with the facility in case of an emergency while the lead-tech is out of town/on vacation/sick/etc. In large facilities, there will be several technicians familiarized with the account, but there will still be one tech-leader. As a rule, we send the same tech(s) for each maintenance inspection.

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  3. What are the benefits of a maintenance agreement, versus just a service call when I need it? The benefits are similar to those of maintaining your automobile by regularly changing the oil. Planned preventative service is much easier to manage than unplanned equipment failures.Having a maintenance agreement has many benefits:
    1. Lower hourly labor rates (preferred rates for PM customers)
    2. Priority response – we service our contract customers before non-contract customers.
    3. Safe & efficient equipment operation
    4. Reliable equipment operation (less equipment downtime due to failures.
    5. Minimizes costly repairs – many equipment failures can be prevented by thorough, regular maintenance.
    6. Extended life of equipment.
    7. Improved occupant comfort leads to higher productivity of your employees (commercial customers).
    8. Reduced life-cycle cost of the HVAC systems.

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  4. What is covered on a maintenance contract? As much or as little as the customers wishes. Some customers want filter changes only. Some customers want cradle to grave coverage on their equipment, including repairs and replacement cost on new equipment. Tell us what you would like covered and we will adjust your program accordingly.

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  5. How do you go about scheduling your PM inspections? Once we have tailored a program that best suits the needs of the customer, we provide tasking sheets that outline the scheduled maintenance items for the next 12 months so they know what to expect. When inspections come due, we contact the customer to coordinate the best time for them and schedule the work. We do not come out unannounced, unless that is what the customer prefers.

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