Stationary Engineering Is On The Move

By Laura French, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: November 4, 2004 - 10:00 PM

Stationary engineers operate and maintain equipment such as boilers, air conditioners and refrigeration systems, generators, pumps, condensers and compressors. Only the equipment is stationary. These careers are growing fast.

The Comfort Zone

Stationary engineers run the equipment that keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer – but that's just the tip of the iceberg. In a large office building or shopping mall, keeping the air at the right temperature and humidity levels requires accurate control of literally dozens of pieces of equipment at hundreds of different points in the facility.

The increasingly complex systems are in part a result of people's higher comfort expectations, according to Jim Owens, vice president of Automation and Controls Marketing and Business Development for Owens Companies, Inc. In an office building or shopping mall that's too hot or too cold, productivity lags. It isn't just the people who need climate control these days, though. In facilities ranging from hospitals to print shops, complex equipment needs an environment that's free from dust, not too dry and not too damp. The stationary engineer monitors the alarm systems to be sure that outages don't damage sensitive computers or ruin perishable products.

Monitoring Energy Use

Every homeowner knows that heating and cooling is a major expense. Imagine what it costs to run a multi story office building or shopping mall. The stationary engineer needs to provide multiple tenants with cost-effective heating and cooling. Providing the monitors and controls that allow energy use to be measured and charged back fairly to tenants is another part of the job.

Protecting The Environment

These days, environmental concerns are another aspect of the stationary engineer's job. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were formerly used in cooling systems are now being phased out or banned entirely. That leads to complicated decisions about when and how to replace the units. The decision involves everything from the up-front costs of new equipment and installation to local utility rebates and the cost of running and maintaining the equipment over one, five, ten years or more.

It's no wonder that Jim Owens says that some stationary engineers need to be as well versed in information technology as they are in heating and air-conditioning. A stationary engineer might be monitoring systems on a laptop or palm computer, or sitting behind a bank of controls.

Just as important, he says, is the engineer's ability to work with people, understanding their needs and desires and keeping them informed as to what's happening with their systems.

Fortunately, stationary engineering still starts with the basics, Owens says: a basic knowledge of what's happening in the heating and cooling process. After that, stationary engineers can expect to undergo constant retraining as their industry continues to evolve.

It's easy to see that stationary engineers will always be in demand. In good times, companies upgrade their systems. In lean times, companies want to keep existing equipment running efficiently. In addition, Owens says, our expectations for a comfortable and healthy environment will continue to increase.

For more information, go to the International Union of Operating Engineers Web site: www.iuoe.org.

To learn more about Owens Companies, go to www.owensco.com.

Laura French is principal of Words Into Action, Inc., and is a freelance writer from Roseville, MN.

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