Cooling Contingency Planning

What is Contingency PlanningAt its core contingency planning is about identifying risk and finding ways to mitigate it…

Contingency planning is the process by which an organization assesses the risks to its business systems and develops strategies to mitigate these risks either by preventing them or finding ways to overcome them when they occur.

Contingency Planning Defined

…Trane’s Cooling Contingency Planning service aims to deliver on this promise.

Factors that could cause disruption in a facility’s HVAC system:

• Natural• Manmade• Accidental• Deliberate• Internal• External

The potential for these types of interruptions makes the development of a Cooling Contingency Plan very

important.

ReevaluationDocumentation

Contingency Planning CycleTrane’s Cooling Contingency Planning service is designed to support the distinct stages of the contingency planning cycle.

A business recognizes that there is a potential business risk from a failure in a business critical system that could cause serious harm to that business’ fortune.

What if scenarios are evaluated and mitigation strategies are developed to help reduce the risk of failure and in the event of a failure overcome it.

The mitigation strategies are documented in the form of a plan and vendors are contracted to provide for the various contingencies described in the plan.

The plan is filed away and key personnel are trained on how to use it in the event of a failure with key contact numbers readily available to all who need it.

The plan is revaluated at predefined intervals to ensure that as the business changes it evolves to meet any new and emerging risks.

Recognition Mitigation1 2 3 4 5

Plan in Place

Case StudyLarge hospital had an electrical fire that destroyed five of seven electrical distribution systems...

…Trane saves the day and patients were comfortably cooled.

Situation:

• Facility loses air conditioning with heat index topping 105 degrees.

• No cooling contingency plan in place and valuable time is lost determining what to do next.

Solution:

• Trane brought on board as the lead repair contractor.

• 60 technicians work around the clock to bring the systems on line within 48 hours.

• 5,200 tons of temporary cooling brought on site within 24 hours – 22 trailer loads.

Case StudyNursing care home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina…

…TRS provided fast response and a comfortable, clean indoor environment during renovations.

Situation:

• Facility was flooded with up to six feet of standing water for two weeks.

• Residents are moved to new home at a former hospital.

• Facility needed total renovation of the HVAC system that would require many months of work.

Solution:

• While the Trane engineers went to work on designing a permanent HVAC system for the building, TRS leased a 60-ton portable air-cooled chiller, chilled water pump and vertical piping.

Case StudyUniversity had a catastrophic failure in the chilled water system at a critical time…

…TRS chillers keep hockey tournament on schedule.

Situation:

• Facility suffered major breakdowns on two of the three 26-year-old reciprocating chillers used for ice-making.

• Unless repairs could be made in a few days or another solution found, a popular hockey tournament would have to be cancelled.

Solution:

• TRS was able to deliver a temporary air-cooled chiller equipped for glycol operation within 24 hours.

• Technicians isolated the failed chillers and installed piping connections for chilled water lines from the temporary machine.

Why Should Clients CareThere are many instances where catastrophic losses to HVAC and power lead to significant financial losses…

…but a properly constructed plan could reduce the magnitude of these situations saving time and money.

Eliminate spending valuable employee time hunting for a solution (piece of equipment)

Eliminate significant emergency labor costs

Avoid unnecessary delays when the equipment arrives

Quickened time to operation

How CCP Helps

• Critical Component Failure

• Process Cooling Equipment Failure

• Natural Disaster (Hurricane, Flood, Earthquake)

• Hospital Outage

Emergency Application

• Equipment Replacement or Maintenance

• Standby Cooling for Critical Processes

• Pilot Production Runs

• Temporary Expanded Capacity

Planned Outage Application

The Contingency Planning ProcessTo more effectively deliver these plans Trane Rentals has developed and documented a process that can be used in creating these plans.

Goal Deliverables

To understand how the client’s cooling system is constructed and begin to establish what the minimum requirements are to maintain these systems in an emergency.

To use the information gathered in the evaluation phase to form a picture of what risks there are to the client, to quantify those risks and create strategies to mitigate them.

To work with the client to create a plan that will help to mitigate the risks identified in the process, and ensure that proper resources can be allocated to make the plan effective.

To take the plan as defined in previous stages and put it into place. This involves making all necessary modifications to the client’s system as well as training the client on how to activate.

• Completed Equipment Worksheets• Customer Side Risk Assessment• Customer Side Financial Analysis

• Completed Risk Assessment• Completed Financial Analysis• Initial Draft CCP

• Necessary modifications to system • Customer Approved CCP• Signed Rental Agreement

• Completed modifications to client’s system• Completed CCP Binder• Completed Training Session with Client’s team

Evaluation

Analysis

Creation

Implementation

The first step in the process is documenting the financial impact that an HVAC system failure could have on a business operation.

Step 1: Financial Analysis

The costs due to an interruption in cooling are recorded in the CCP Risk Assessment and Financial Considerations Worksheet.

Questions to Answer

What are the associated cost due to:

• Lost production/inventory

• Lost productivity

• Lost business

• Lost tenants/patients

Cooling Contingency Process

The second step in the process is identifying the potential causes of a loss of cooling capacity.

Step 2: Risk Assessment

The potential causes for an interruption are identified and documented and then are ranked based on cost impact, probability of occurrence, and system down-time.

Questions to Answer

What are the various failure scenarios that could occur? May include:

• 100% or partial loss of cooling capacity• Fire• Flood• Storm• Power outage• Mechanical failure• Sabotage/Terrorist

Cooling Contingency Process

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe third step in the process is the beginning of determining how to mitigate risks.

Step 3: ID Equipment

The HVAC equipment in use are recorded in the Cooling Contingency Planning Equipment Worksheet .

Questions to Answer

• What are the operating conditions of the HVAC equipment?

• What are the system weaknesses that need to be addresses as part of plan implementation?

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe fourth step in the process evaluates the critical building loads and compares them against the failure scenarios.

Step 4: Prioritization

Evaluate the most critical building loads and process needs for essential operations, and those with the highest financial implications.

Questions to Answer

• What are the critical loads during peak season?

• What are the critical loads during off season?

• What is the acceptable leaving chilled-water or air temperature?

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe fifth step in the process considers where the connections of the temporary equipment will be made.

Step 5: System Connection

HVAC system connections are outlined based on closest location to keep cost to a minimum.

Questions to Answer

• Length and size of hose needed for water connections?

• What is the system pressure?

• Will a pump be needed?

• Will a cooling tower be needed?

• Will air duct connections be needed?

• Routing?

Step 6: Power Availability

Determine if the power in the facility is capable of running the required temporary equipment.

Questions to Answer

• Available voltage?

• Total amperage?

• Available panels?

• Utility limitations?

• Impact on rates such as demand charges?

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe sixth step in the process determines if the existing electrical service in the building is adequate.

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe seventh step in the process determines where and how the electrical connections will be made.

Step 7: Electrical Connection

Once it has been determined whether the existing service can handle the temporary equipment, electrical connections are specked out.

Questions to Answer• What is the location of the electrical panel?• How will the electrical connection be made?• Will a transformer be needed? If so, KVA?• Length and routing of electrical cable?• What size of lugs are needed? • Interface to BAS?• Will a generator be needed?• Maintenance and fueling for generator?

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe eight step in the process identifies location and requirements for the temporary equipment.

Step 8: Temporary Equipment Location

In conjunction with determining the location of the water, duct, and electrical connections, location of the temporary equipment must be identified.

Questions to Answer• What effect will it have on traffic and pedestrians?• Are permits required?• How accessible will it be for maintenance?• Will trucking be needed? • Will rigging be needed?• Does the location cause any safety concerns?• What will the public perception be?• How secure will it be?• Will there be noise and/or emissions problem?

Cooling Contingency ProcessThe ninth step outlines all the data that has been collected in a formalized report.

Step 9: Plan Creation

The data gathered is documented in the Cooling Contingency Report and it is filed in a designated area.

Questions to Answer• What are the roles and responsibilities?• What will the cost be for the temporary system?• What preparations need to be made to the facility?• Where and how will cost be allocated? • Are there any incentives from insurance provider?

Cooling Contingency ProcessLast step to success.

Step 10: Implement and Review

Leadership reviews the plan so that the recommended investments can be prioritized, resources allotted, a plan of action established, and the plan formalized.

Highlights of a Successful Plan

• Assign responsibilities and provide training to personnel (to include communication team).

• Identify vendors and contractors.

• To reduce the emergency reaction time, make the recommended building modifications.

• Perform a cooling contingency drill to verify the execution process.

• Update the plan at least annually or whenever there is a change in the facility.

Next Steps

Get buy-in from leadership team.

Work with HVAC provider to develop a plan.

Gather data accurately.

Identify internal team.

Approve and implement plan.

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Take the next step to develop a Cooling Contingency Plan.