Planned vs Reactive Maintenance: Getting the Balance Right

Every building needs both. Reactive maintenance fixes things when they break. Planned preventative maintenance (PPM) services and tests equipment on a schedule so it breaks less often. The question is how to get the balance right.

The cost of running on reactive

• Breakdowns happen at the worst time, such as heating in January or cooling in a heatwave
• Emergency call-outs and rushed parts cost more
• Small faults become big repairs
• Compliance gaps open up when tests are missed

What a PPM programme covers

A typical programme schedules servicing and statutory testing across all your building services: boilers and gas, air conditioning and F-gas, water hygiene, fixed wire testing, emergency lighting, fire alarms and passive fire protection. Each task has a frequency, an owner and a record.

Building a plan

1. Start with an asset register, so you know what you have and where it is.
2. Set frequencies by legal requirement first, then by manufacturer and risk.
3. Group visits by site and trade to cut travel and disruption.
4. Feed findings into a remedial programme with clear priorities.

One helpdesk, all trades

Because we cover mechanical, electrical and passive fire protection, one helpdesk can run the whole programme and handle the reactive jobs that still come up.