New IFMA Operations and Maintenance Benchmarks report sheds light on utility costs in facilities

IFMA’s eagerly anticipated report, Operations and Maintenance Benchmarks, was recently published and is now available for purchase. The report includes dollar per square foot averages for housekeeping, maintenance and utilities costs along with practices and staffing ratios.

More than 650 facilities participated in the study, encompassing approximately 420 million square feet. The study provides data for office facilities, headquarters and other types of facilities including research, museums, hospitals, clinics, call centers, factories, courthouses, airports and correctional facilities.

“Recognizing that our members oversee a variety of space in their real estate portfolio, we expanded the scope of facilities represented,” said Shari Epstein, IFMA’s associate director of research. “Most of the costs we examined stayed the same as the previous study; however, we saw a large swing in utility costs,” said Epstein.

The cost of natural gas increased more than 40 percent whereas electricity cost increased by 4 percent. Natural gas prices shot up in the past year due to a colder than average winter, tighter supplies and increased growth in the economy. Utility costs vary by market and that is reflected in the report.

As in the 2001 Operations and Maintenance benchmarking study, the report explores how often common janitorial tasks such as cleaning, dusting, polishing, vacuuming and waxing are performed. One of the interesting findings regarding janitorial contracts is that 45 percent are based upon performance and 55 percent are based upon task and frequency.

The new report devotes a section to utility cost, consumption and practices such as winter and summer temperature standards and common load shedding tactics used to reduce electricity consumption. Adjusting the operations of HVAC systems and replacing and retrofitting light fixtures are some of the more common energy conservation practices that have been implemented during the previous year.

To order your copy of this new report click here, or contact the IFMA Bookstore at bookstore@ifma.org or call 713-623-4362 x101. The cost of the report is $60 (U.S.) for members and $120 (U.S.) for nonmembers. Study participants will be receiving a free copy by mail.