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As Zimmer’s Property Management team settled into their role, steps were taken to monitor and make adjustments during the initial months of operation. Zimmer’s efforts have saved the Church of the Nazarene more than $5,000 during winter 2009-2010. Zimmer’s team cut utility costs by 7 percent, despite a cost increase from Kansas City Power & Light. In addition, the Church’s utility consumption dropped by 15 percent during this time.
Solution: Since the building's opening in September 2008, the Zimmer team (which included Vice President and Director of Field Property Management Vern Walters; Chief Building Engineer Scott Slavens; and on-site Building Engineer Gary Tostenson) spent the first 12 months calibrating the external thermostats and sealing and insulating the junction boxes the thermostats were mounted on. After monitoring the individual zones during the first winter of use, Zimmer was able to identify and repair holes and breaks in insulation in time to improve conditions for winter 2009. While the average winter temperatures for 2010 were significantly colder than 2009 (3 degrees colder in December, 6 degrees colder in January and 11 degrees colder in February), Zimmer's efforts resulted in a 7 percent drop in utility costs from December 2009 - March 2010, despite a rate increase from Kansas City Power & Light, and a 15 percent drop in utility consumption. The Zimmer team will continue to monitor all energy management systems to ensure the facility is operating at maximum efficiency.
As the development project neared completion, Zimmer's Property Management division completed Systems Training and Documentation services with the prime contractor and subcontractors. This service provided the Global Ministry Center and on-site maintenance staff with a Facility Manual that addresses the essentials in operating the buildings mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems. |
Open floor plans offer an inviting ambiance and often foster strong working environments. However, there can be a drawback. Because of the open-air design of the Church of the Nazarene’s new headquarters and Global Ministry Center, some of the internal thermostat placements were forced to be on exterior walls, leading to improper temperature readings for the varying zones throughout the facility.
Challenge: The Global Ministry Center (GMC) is a 110,000 square-foot office building, technology and visitor center for the Church of the Nazarene. The two-story office building surrounds an atrium space to encourage interaction and communication among the 300 staff supporting the church's 1,500,000 multi-national members. The facility's open design required some of the thermostats to be placed on exterior walls or columns, resulting in improper temperature readings for the varying zones. As Zimmer's Property Management team settled into its role, this problem was identified and steps were taken to monitor and make adjustments during the initial months of operation.
Zimmer currently provides Property Management services to the GMC, including budgeting, management of vendor contracts, construction warranty administration, site security and emergency preparedness. In addition, Zimmer developed an on-site staffing plan which incorporated a combination of Zimmer and GMC staffing to meet daily maintenance needs.