Improved Maintenance Management for Army Central Energy Plants

One important way for the U.S. Army to reduce installation operating costs is to improve maintenance operations and management practices at central energy facilities. Significant monetary savings and improvements in overall operating efficiency can be achieved by implementing a preventive or predictive maintenance program. The benefits are realized in the form of improved plant efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and less downtime. When an improved maintenance program is properly established and supported, the benefits can continue indefinitely in the form of hard savings. This report provides an overview of methods and tools available to Army central energy plant managers for improving maintenance operations and management, and offers guidelines for comparing the cost-effectiveness of different approaches. It is shown that most Army central energy plants could meet a 5-year payback deadline by implementing a preventive maintenance program. Many Army facilities could also expect a 5- year payback on a predictive maintenance program, even though the startup costs are greater. Preventive maintenance, Central heating plants, Cost effectiveness.