Blog | RCR - Part 9

RCR Infrastructure Blogs and News. Call us now for enquiries!

How to ensure that you have complete business security

June 8, 2020/in Blog /by RCR Team

From small retail stores to shopping malls and office complexes, business security is always a priority. No business is immune to the risk of crime, so it’s important to have solid security measures in place. Here are some of the ways you can protect your business from unwanted attention.

Regular Security Precautions

Every business should have a list of general security precautions they take every day. These will vary from business to business of course, but having set guidelines will help all staff be accountable.

For example, owners should be doing their best to ensure no cash is being left on site overnight. Even if you have a safe, there’s still a temptation there, especially if you deal in large amounts of cash. For convenience, it may be worth having a safe to hold a small amount of float money for your cash registers, but that’s all.

You should also have a thorough lockdown procedure, ensuring whoever closes the business locks everything carefully. Always set alarms as you leave, and where possible, remove any cash from the premises during daylight hours. If this isn’t possible, ensure someone isn’t leaving the premises alone when carrying valuables.

CCTV

CCTV is another great way to monitor and deter wrongdoers. Signage to warn of CCTV cameras is a useful tool, just in case, they don’t see the cameras. This can sometimes be enough to deter people from shoplifting or other misbehaviour. If it doesn’t deter them, the events will at least be captured on film for the authorities to follow up on.

Access Control

Each business will be different here because obviously in a retail environment you want customers in your store. In offices though, you should have controlled access by use of a swipe card or other identification. Even in retail stores, there are areas that are off-limits to customers and these should be access controlled.

24/7 Security Monitoring

When businesses close for the night, this is often when they’re most vulnerable to burglary and theft. A 24/7 monitored alarm system is your best defence against crime. Typically, once an alarm is sounded, offenders will disappear quickly, therefore causing limited damage or loss. If not, your security company notifies your designated security contact so they can go and check it out.

If this method isn’t effective, you can have security monitoring that includes patrol callouts. This means you or your staff don’t have to be crawling out of bed to check alarms in the middle of the night.

Integrated Security and Building Management Systems

For a full and complete security package, you’ll no doubt want to consider all of the methods above. But perhaps the best way to manage security, especially in larger buildings, is integrating security into a building management system.

If you’re already controlling things like air conditioning, lights and energy use, you can also incorporate security into your system. For example, having the ability to manually control where a CCTV camera is pointing if there are potential security risks identified.

For a full range of security options for your business, make sure you’re getting advice from professionals. RCR Infrastructure would love to talk about your unique security needs, so please contact us today.

How to create a more energy efficient business

May 22, 2020/in Blog /by RCR Team

Most businesses use far more energy than they need to. Whether it be from leaving lights on all day, or by not considering energy-efficient equipment, it all adds up. Firstly, this is costing your business money. Energy bills are higher than ever, which is crazy when you consider all the things you can do to keep costs down. Furthermore, excess energy use is damaging for the planet.

If you’re in the position of owning the building your business operates from, you have a lot of options. Building management systems, for example, give you much greater control over energy use and also much more reliable systems. However, even if you’re renting or leasing a premises, there are plenty of things you can do to make your business more energy efficient.

Save on Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling a business premises is costly, so it’s important to keep costs down where you can. If you’re in a position to do so, think about upgrading your air conditioning systems. The simple fact is, older buildings have older heating and cooling systems that aren’t well-rated for energy efficiency. By upgrading to a new system, you can make your business far more energy efficient.

At the same time, consider ventilation systems in your building. These can help the flow of air, which in turn takes pressure off your air conditioning systems. While this can be quite an investment initially, you’ll be surprised at how much you start saving on your energy bills now and into the future.

Energy Efficient Lighting

Making your lighting more energy efficient is one of the easiest things you can do. Firstly, switching out your existing light bulbs for more energy-efficient ones. Not only do the new, energy-efficient light bulbs last longer, but they use far less energy.

You can also think about the way you use lighting. Are you taking advantage of natural light as much as possible? Are your turning lights off in unused rooms? One way to increase lighting efficiency is with sensor-controlled lights. They will only turn on when people are in the room, and also when the natural light isn’t sufficient.

Energy Saving with IT

Most businesses have a pretty extensive IT setup. Computers, servers, photocopiers and even the phone systems. But have you considered how energy-efficient these items are? Firstly, if you’re buying new equipment, always look for energy-saving computer monitors. You can also make sure items like printers and photocopiers are used in an efficient way. If nothing is being printed, most machines have the ability to go into sleep-mode or hibernation.

The same can be said about computers. Make it an office rule that all computers are shutdown of an evening. If nobody is in the building, the computers don’t need to be on!

Electric Vehicles

Finally, try to think outside the box when it comes to energy efficiency. If you’ve got work cars for staff, consider choosing electric vehicles for your next lease. You can even install electric vehicle charging stations to make life easy for everyone.

These are just a few of the ways to increase energy efficiency in your business, but there are plenty more. Keep thinking about ways you can reduce energy use, and when it comes to building infrastructure, don’t hesitate to contact us at RCR for the right advice every time.

Courage Under Fire

May 11, 2020/in Blog /by RCR Team

2020 Autumn, Covid-19 started to really affect New Zealand as the first, second and third cases were diagnosed in the country, from which things quickly spiraled down.

14^th March 2020 – The New Zealand Government announces anyone entering the country must self-isolate for 14 days.

19^th March 2020 – For the first time in history, the government closes the country’s borders to all but New Zealanders.

On 23^rd March 2020 – Our Prime Minister announced the Country will go to Level 4 lockdown within 48 hours. By 25^th March 2020, All non-essential businesses will close. Travel will be severely limited and healthcare services will be re-prioritised.

By the end of that week on Friday of 27^th March 2020, 368 cases were reported, and it was suggested that more people are going to be infected.

From the start of the year, RCR Infrastructure Ltd has been prepared for the situation with the direction from our Chairman John Chow, we firstly enforce work from home for our staff who had come back from the countries which had already shown signs of being affected by Covid-19.

Starting in February 2020, RCR started to monitor our spare parts stock level, to make sure the Essential Services we are supporting can have their facilities running for at least 6 months even if there is a global lock down in logistics. We also started to stock-up PPE for our front-line staff.

With the New Zealand Government starting to notice the risk in early March, RCR had Emergency Procedure and Workplace Infectious Disease Prevention put in place. Posters are put up in our lunchrooms and offices. We even tested our BCP – Business Continual Plan before the lock-down was announced by having different teams working from home in a controlled manner.

With all the preparation, our essential services customers fully trusted us in carrying out essential repairs and maintenance duties in the lockdown period.

In the first week of the lockdown, with more and more cases of COVID-19 being reported and the number of cases shooting up to more than 1000 cases in New Zealand.

In this trying time the 100 strong staff of RCR, weathered the pandemic constraints, with full PPE gear and with Courage and Determination to support the country when it needed our support.

We are supporting 148 Countdowns Supermarkets, to ensure the day-to-day operations and safety of customers and staff with all their lighting, power systems and conveyor belts working. Our way of ensuring Kiwis have access to food supplies.

We support 9 Forterra factories that are in production mode, with us servicing their HVAC and refrigeration equipment. Young kiwi’s would have their milk supplies continued

We sent urgent maintenance team to lifeline providers, i.e. Watercare, Police Stations, Power stations, Power lines across the countries.

Moreover, we are helping build 7 testing stations in South Auckland to support the most vulnerable demography in New Zealand.

All the above was done with the Courage and Determination of our dedicated and qualified frontline staff.

They do have families, they would have wanted to stay home to keep away from the virus, they could be afraid, they do have concerns over the uncertainty.

But with the RCR Spirit we did it, and we did it well.

THANK YOU!

Garry Ko
Executive Director

How energy storage can benefit your business in the long term

May 7, 2020/in Blog /by RCR Team

Energy storage has always been the biggest blocker when it comes to switching to more renewable energy sources. This is because without storage options, renewables like wind and solar can only use the power as it generates. While this is usually fine for businesses in sunny climates, when the sun isn’t shining, most businesses are at the mercy of the main electricity grid. Even those in sunny climates are reliant on the energy grid when the sun isn’t out.

So, while the type of battery storage required for full renewable power use is still costly, there are other technologies already helping businesses save money with energy storage.

What is Energy Storage?

Energy storage as we discussed above is often only thought of in terms of batteries. However, energy storage systems are already in place in many buildings around the world. All of these technologies are different, but they have one common goal – managing power usage.

Batteries are certainly one option, but other types of energy storage can help businesses save money. Some of these work in tandem with building management systems, giving businesses greater control over energy efficiency.

Stay on Top of Peak Demand

Commercial businesses are often at the mercy of peak energy pricing or high-demand costs. By distributing stored energy at times when prices are highest, businesses can save a fortune on energy bills. Energy costs and pricing levels will vary depending on where you are around the world, but consider a simple system of peak and off-peak pricing.

If energy costs more during the day, when businesses need it most, imagine being able to draw energy in overnight and store it. Effectively, a business could ‘buy’ energy while it’s cheap, and use their stored energy during peak times.

Energy Independence with Renewables

When using an energy storage system in conjunction with solar, business can remove their reliance on the national energy grid. Energy storage allows a business to generate as much solar energy through daylight hours, and hang on to the excess power. Unlike a residential solar system where excess energy can be sold back to the main grid, energy storage lets you keep it.

That way, when the sun goes down and you’re still using power, you only need to draw on the power you’ve already stored. This means in effect, you could become independently powered and never have to pay an energy bill again. Of course, you can still remain connected to the energy grid for emergencies or when you don’t have enough solar energy stored. So, you may not completely be free of the electricity companies – but you can get pretty close to it!

Better Reliability

No business wants to have to shut up shop in the case of a power outage. However, that’s the reality for many businesses without energy storage options. By installing energy storage options, you always have a power source to draw from in case of an 0emergency. That means you could be up and running while competitors are closing their doors.

If you want more practical advice on energy storage solutions for your business, contact us at RCR Infrastructure to see how we can help.

Reduce airborne diseases with HVAC ventilation systems

May 7, 2020/in Blog /by RCR Team

With the recent Covid-19 pandemic giving everybody cause to think about all aspects of hygiene, one area we often forget is air conditioning. When people have infectious diseases, the spread can occur from people coughing, sneezing or even speaking. While droplets can’t really get into ventilation systems, the smaller particles from coughing or sneezing certainly can.

Even though filters are designed to capture some of these particles, some can still sneak through and be recirculated back into the air. Hence, more opportunity for disease to spread. Here are 4 suggestions for reducing the risk of transmission through your HVAC systems. Please note, these guides are by no means a replacement for other hygiene practices, and they may not apply to all types of systems.

Use a Night Purge Cycle

This involves setting your system to run with outdoor air continuously overnight, or while nobody is in the building. This essentially purges the building with fresh air from outside. Since nobody is in there generating contaminants, the building is essentially flushed, with no internal air being recirculated.
When people return to the building the next day, fewer contaminants remain, and space is filled with clean, fresh air. It’s important to note, this method may require more regular maintenance to systems, particularly the filters.

Keeping All Filters Clean

While on the topic of filters, keeping them well maintained is another way to ensure cleaner air. Standard filters won’t actually trap airborne disease particles; however, they do allow better airflow. When more outdoor air can flow into an area, it helps to dilute the level of contaminants in the air. It also keeps air flowing more freely, meaning there is less stagnation of air.

Consider New Filters

There are two types of more efficient filters that can be used in air condition and ventilation systems. High-Efficiency Particle Arrestance (HEPA) filters can catch much smaller particles. Usually, they’re used in operating theatres and other places requiring specialist air control.

The other is Ultra-violet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI), which is a way of disinfecting air streams. UV heat lamps are installed inside ventilation systems to kill bacteria contained in the air stream.

The issue with both of these solutions is that unless the ventilation and air condition systems are already built for HEPA or UVGI, then it can be extremely difficult and expensive to retrofit them. In most cases, this means standard commercial buildings may not be suited to this type of technology, without going to serious expense.

Use ‘Full Outdoor Air’ Functions

Another great way to reduce the risk of airborne disease transmission in buildings is setting your systems to a single-pass outdoor air-only function. This means all air in the building comes from outside, and no existing (potentially contaminated) air is recirculated through the system. Depending on the system type, air can be actively removed from the space, or it can leak out naturally.
The only downside to this method is you may experience a lack of temperature control. It can be more expensive to try and regulate the room temperature when you have external air continuously coming in.

While none of these methods will completely eradicate the airborne disease from your building, they all contribute to better air health. This, in turn, limits the occupants’ exposure to airborne contaminants, and creates a healthier environment for everybody.

If you’re looking for a team to help you get ready, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local RCR crew.