As part of our Partner Spotlight series, this month we had the pleasure of connecting with Bud Hammer, President at Atlantic Westchester. Bud shared his thoughts about the industry and his vision for the future. 

Tell us about how your company was founded.

Atlantic Westchester was founded in 1961 as a mechanical contracting company. The Hammer family purchased the business in 1979 and focused on providing exceptional HVAC service, repair, energy management and maintenance to commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in the New York metro area. Owned today by husband and wife, Bud and Lisa Hammer, Atlantic Westchester has transitioned from a mom and pop style operation to an award-winning business with multiple departments and a growing team of HVAC and energy experts.

What evolution have you seen in the energy management space since you started your career?

Over the years, we have seen advancements in the realm of technology and how we stay “connected” to a building. From metrics and analytics, we can now measure where, when and how energy is consumed. Building management solutions can help facility managers evaluate and identify energy options that enhance and improve a building’s performance. The spotlight now focuses on a building’s infrastructure as a prized asset that should be properly protected, cared for and preserved.

What are the main reasons and benefits for partnering with BuildingIQ?

At Atlantic Westchester, our mission is to make buildings smarter. Our partnership with BuildingIQ has provided us with cutting-edge educational tools and resources allowing us to offer a superior level of service to our clients that separates us from our competitors in the marketplace. With the help of BuildingIQ, Atlantic Westchester is implementing intelligent, energy-efficient solutions that optimize performance, lower operating costs and maximize comfort in a building and for its occupants.

In your view, what are some of the advantages of being able to gather building data on a granular level?

You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Thanks to technology and the Internet of Things, energy is now something that can be easily tracked and quantified. The more information available, the more we will be able to make smart, short and long-term decisions for a building’s future.

What is your vision for the future of energy management and building automation?

We envision a future of a totally connected building that provides “real time and trending” KPI reporting to properly guide usage and facility management. A complete building management system can act as a dashboard that delivers valuable, detailed information for the driver, or in this case, the building operator. This dashboard will operate on an across-the-board compatible platform to help make the journey smoother for various moving parts in a building, including its HVAC system, lighting, security/access and fire controls.

As an industry, we are well on our way to the connected building and efficiency optimization. The early adopters will have a competitive edge that tenants, prospective investors and owners will want to occupy or have in their portfolio. Investing in making a building more efficient has turned into a profit center for many building owners. The building that becomes less expensive to operate, while being upgraded to modern day convenience, allows the property to become more desirable to potential tenants. While not there yet, we are getting closer to this model as the “new norm.”

Bud Hammer is the President of Atlantic Westchester, Inc., a commercial, industrial, and institutional service contractor maintaining/repairing and replacing HVAC systems in the NY metropolitan area for more than 50 years. Atlantic Westchester is a Con Edison Commercial & Industrial and NYSERDA Business Partner.