By Rick Stehmeyer

Facilities leaders across K–12 school districts and higher education campuses��often��face a familiar challenge: how to best��allocate��maintenance dollars before��a��fiscal year resets.��The pressure of “use it or lose it” budgeting often collides with limited time, staffing constraints, and the need to avoid disruption to students,��faculty��and campus operations.��

Fortunately, not all improvements require long timelines or major construction. In fact, several targeted investments can be executed quickly while delivering immediate and long-term value. When thoughtfully applied, year-end maintenance funds can improve building performance, enhance occupant comfort, strengthen��security��and position institutions for future growth.��

Four areas offer a fast and effective path to maximizing budgets: building automation system updates,��HVAC retro-commissioning and system finetuning, critical alarm management, and cybersecurity enhancements.��

Building Automation System Updates: Modernizing Campuses While Reducing Costs��

For many K–12 schools and college campuses, building automation systems (BAS) are the backbone of daily operations, controlling HVAC,��lighting��and other essential building functions. Yet many systems��remain��outdated, underutilized, or��unsupported��—��which��drive up��maintenance costs and energy use.��

Year-end budgets present an ideal opportunity to complete BAS upgrades��that��may have been deferred. Modern BAS platforms enable smarter, centralized control of multiple building systems, improving efficiency while simplifying operations across entire campuses or districts.��

Energy savings are often the most immediate benefit. Research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that modern BAS upgrades can reduce energy consumption by 10%–30%��through improved scheduling, optimized equipment��performance��and advanced analytics. For education institutions managing tight operating budgets, these reductions can translate into meaningful utility savings that support academic priorities.��

Modern BAS platforms also reduce maintenance burdens. Real-time monitoring and predictive diagnostics help facilities teams��identify��equipment issues before they become failures, minimizing downtime and costly emergency repairs. This is especially valuable for schools and universities��operating��with lean maintenance staff and aging infrastructure.��

Beyond near-term gains, BAS modernization prepares institutions for future initiatives such as electrification, sustainability programs, indoor air quality��monitoring��and smart campus technologies. Updated systems are typically compatible with Internet of Things (IoT) devices and��evolving regulatory requirements, making them a foundational investment rather than a stopgap solution.��

Retro-Commissioning and Finetuning: Aligning Building Performance��with��Academic Needs��

In both K–12 and higher education environments, how spaces are used can change rapidly. Classrooms may be��repurposed,��occupancy patterns shift between semesters, and new health, safety or accessibility standards��emerge.��Retro-commissioning and finetuning help ensure building systems keep pace with those changes.��

Year-end is an ideal time to revisit system performance across HVAC, lighting, electrical, and access control systems. Through targeted testing and review, facilities teams can��identify��inefficiencies, correct control sequences, and ensure systems are��operating��as originally designed—or better.��For��primary��schools, this process directly affects student comfort and learning outcomes. Properly commissioned systems improve temperature consistency, ventilation, and lighting quality, creating healthier and more productive learning environments. For universities, finetuning supports diverse spaces ranging from lecture halls and labs to residence halls and athletic facilities.��

Commissioning also helps institutions address deferred maintenance before it becomes disruptive.��Often findings in one building��are applicable��to the entire campus.��Early identification of failing components or performance gaps allows repairs to be scheduled during academic breaks rather than instructional time. In addition, reviewing dashboards and control interfaces ensures facilities staff have clear, actionable data to support ongoing optimization.��

Ultimately, commissioning��and finetuning protect capital investments, extend equipment life, and reduce operational risk while making better use of existing infrastructure.��

Critical Alarm Management: Reducing Noise While Improving Reliability��

Facilities teams are often inundated with alarms��—��many of which are low priority, redundant or false. In educational settings, alarm fatigue can lead to missed alerts, delayed responses, and unnecessary after-hours��callouts, particularly during holidays and academic breaks.��

Implementing a critical alarm management strategy allows schools and campuses to focus attention where it matters most. By prioritizing alarms that pose��real��operational or safety risks, facilities teams can ensure faster response times and better use of limited personnel.��

Effective alarm management systems route alerts to the��appropriate staff��member, confirm acknowledgment and escalate issues if no response occurs within a defined��timeframe. They also provide historical and real-time data that help��school��facilities leaders��identify��recurring issues, equipment��failures��or operational patterns that require attention.��

For education institutions, the benefits extend beyond efficiency. Improved alarm management supports compliance with safety regulations, protects critical assets such as data centers and laboratories, and reduces system downtime that could disrupt instruction or research.��

Cybersecurity: Protecting Campus Infrastructure��from��Growing Threats��

As school and campus buildings become more connected, cybersecurity has��emerged��as a top concern for facilities leaders. Building management systems, once isolated��due to their��largely non-IP networks, are now��frequently��connected to��academic��networks,����

Recent studies��indicate��that a significant percentage of building management devices��remain��vulnerable due to outdated software, weak authentication��practices��or insufficient network segmentation. For schools and universities, a breach can have��serious consequences, including system outages, data��loss��and safety risks.������

Year-end maintenance funds can be strategically applied to strengthen cybersecurity posture. Key steps include conducting security audits to��identify��vulnerabilities, applying firmware and software updates, implementing multi-factor��authentication��and enforcing role-based access controls.��

One increasingly effective strategy is separating operational technology (OT), such as BAS and other building systems, from traditional IT networks. Moving OT systems to a secure private cloud environment reduces exposure while simplifying management and updates.��

Private cloud environments offer greater control over security policies, encryption protocols, and user access, making them well suited for institutions managing sensitive infrastructure across multiple facilities. Centralized monitoring also allows for faster deployment of security patches and threat detection tools.��

Making the Most of Remaining Maintenance Dollars��

With careful planning, year-end maintenance budgets can do far more than simply��check��a box��before fiscal deadlines. Strategic investments in automation, commissioning, alarm management, and cybersecurity deliver immediate operational improvements while positioning K–12 schools and higher education institutions for long-term success.��

As facilities leaders prepare for the year ahead, the question is no longer whether remaining funds should be spent — but how to spend them wisely.��By focusing��on high-impact, fast-to-deploy improvements, schools and campuses can enhance reliability, efficiency, and safety without disrupting academic missions.��

The end of the year may be approaching quickly, but there is still time to make investments that pay dividends well into the future.��

Rick Stehmeyer is a Solutions Architect with Albireo Energy.

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Winter can be a difficult time of year for school populations. Subfreezing temperatures, snow and ice, and extended periods of darkness all challenge students, teachers and staff alike. School facility managers play a critical role, because their efforts are essential to keeping maintenance costs under control and maintaining a high level of safety and morale for everyone in the school all winter long.

Here are some top maintenance tips to keep your school safe and welcoming this winter:

Create a Slip-Prevention Plan

If your school is in a cold climate, dealing with icy conditions is critical. However, even southern states get snow and freezing weather from time to time. Especially if icy weather is not the norm in your area, you’ll want to think ahead and prepare for the worst. Some things to consider include:

• Snow removal: Be sure to have a plan in place for how to deal with snow. What equipment will you use, and where will you put snow removed from sidewalks and parking lots? If you expect heavy snow, mark the edges of your property with light-reflective poles so plow drivers know their boundaries. Also, plan to remove any accumulated snow promptly to prevent accidents.
• De-icers: Chemical de-icers are virtually essential in slippery conditions. Rock salt is the most cost-effective, but it can harm landscape plantings, damage concrete and create a mess when it is tracked inside. Alternatives are available, but you will need to research cost effectiveness. Regardless of what you use, have a plan in place for storage, and be sure to use as directed to prevent waste.
• Entry mats: Snow, slush and salt wreak havoc on floors and can create dangerous, slippery conditions. Entry mats can significantly reduce mess and accidents. Use both exterior and interior mats at every entrance, sized to encourage three full paces on the mat before and after the threshold.
• Roofs and awnings: Check roofs and eaves for snow load and ice buildup, and take steps to prevent hazardous conditions and a potential roof collapse. Falling icicles in particular can be hazardous to passersby — and they also indicate energy loss in a building.

Maintain for Energy Efficiency

The greater the difference between inside and outside temperatures, the better the potential for energy savings. Here are some strategies to consider:

• Air seal and weatherize your building: Do this before cold weather arrives to reduce heat loss and improve occupant comfort.
• Use : Adjusting set points to 68 degrees during occupied hours, and 7 to 10 degrees lower when the building is unoccupied will save you approximately 1 percent on your heating bill per degree per 8-hour period.
• Maintain the HVAC system properly: Before cold weather hits, inspect and service your entire HVAC system, including changing air filters.
• Inspect water pipes: Install insulation on any un-insulated hot water pipes to save energy. Cold water pipes should be protected from potential freezing conditions.

Focus on Visibility

During the winter, students often arrive at and/or leave school in the dark. The following tips will help keep everyone safe at these times:

• Inspect and replace: Inspect outdoor lighting and replace failing bulbs and/or fixtures. Add additional outdoor lighting if necessary.
• Trim overgrown shrubbery: This discourages lurkers and enables clear visibility for drivers. This can be done any time during the dormant season.
• Mark snow-covered crosswalks: Do this with signs —��or use crossing guards.
• Practice outdoor safety: Encourage students to wear reflective outdoor clothing. Also educate them on safe conduct through parking lots and when crossing streets after dark.

Prevention is a huge part of winter school maintenance. This is true not only when school is in session, but during breaks as well. It’s a good idea to schedule daily walk-throughs during school breaks to make sure the heat remains on; refrigerators, freezers and other equipment are still working; and to keep an eye out for frozen pipes and other pending crisis situations.

In session or not, forethought will go a long way toward keeping your school facility safe, energy-efficient and welcoming throughout the winter and beyond.

Steve Fountaine is owner of , which serves the Washington, D.C., southern Maryland and northern Virginia areas.

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