It’s nice to be the hero, but, just as medicine is transforming from an expensive and reactionary model to a predictive and cost-effective one, so will HVAC. The result will be fewer high-margin jobs in the wake of catastrophes but more low-margin, predictive tuneups.

Humans simply can’t absorb new processes as fast as they become available. And newer recruits have even less time to learn old procedures and new techniques at the same time. Machines, however, have that capability.

The DOE reports that predictive maintenance may reduce maintenance costs up to 30 percent, eliminate breakdowns 70-75 percent of the time, minimize downtime, and increase production. Yet, despite the clear benefits of predictive maintenance, only 12 percent of commercial buildings are using it.

Discovery Sound Technology (DST) has announced the availability of the latest version of its field-tested Discovery Platform ((dp))™. DST said it combines advanced new audio diagnostics, structured processes, analytics software, and a data-driven approach to enable HVAC service companies to provide proactive predictive maintenance.