Right now, there are a lot of empty business buildings in California.
This isn’t great news for anyone.
But someone at Duthie has found a small silver lining for businesses which, though their buildings remain empty, are able to conduct their major operations with remote teams.
According to Kyle Michael, Duthie’s head San Diego sales engineer, such businesses may now be in the ideal position to save money on essential emergency generator tests.
“Most non-residential buildings are required to have a generator,” explains Kyle, “And the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) mandates in Rule 69.4.1 that business building owners must conduct annual generator service and tests.”
“However,” Kyle continued, “A full backup generator test, which should be done every 3-5 years, requires a shutdown of the entire building.
Take Advantage of an Empty Office Building during Work Hours
“Since this brief shutdown disrupts the workflow of everyone in the building, facility managers normally can’t run full service generator tests during work hours.
So many building managers have had to schedule essential generator maintenance after-hours, which results in higher night rates.
But if most building employees are scheduled to work from home on a given day, a workplace generator maintenance test won’t cause any significant work disruption.
These businesswide work-from-home days let building managers take advantage of our lower day rates, so the test will be less expensive.”
In addition, testing a nearly empty building limits any possible transmission of COVID-19, especially since Duthie technicians practice safe social distancing and recommended hygiene practices on all calls:
- All our office employees are working remotely.
- All of our sales and servicing people are still available to meet with you if needed, but will maintain the correct space from your employees. Whenever possible, they will work by video or phone instead.
- All of our employees have scrupulously followed the CDC’s hygiene guidelines since the beginning of March.
Since we are considered an essential business by the State of California, our technicians remain available to service and test your generator 24/7.
What if My Business Can’t Afford a Generator Test Until It’s Opened Again?
We know that many businesses’ budgets are on a shoestring right now. If you have to wait until your business is in a better financial position, please do; we completely understand and encourage your prudence.
It’s still possible that you could take advantage of more affordable day rates after your building reopens. Due to the mandate, many Californian businesses have quickly developed comprehensive work-from-home systems; even after their buildings are in use again, they’ll be able to schedule work-from-home times more easily than before.
As always, we at Duthie continue to hope and pray for all our customers — that you, your families, and your businesses remain healthy and strong throughout this time.
Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. We are here, standing by and ready to help. You can send an email to info@duthiepower.com, give us a call at 1-800-899-3931, or use our online scheduling portal to schedule your essential generator maintenance needs.
