How to Prepare an Equipment List for Commercial Buildings: A New Year Resolution for Facility Managers

As we step into a new year, facility managers across the region are setting resolutions to improve their operations. If there's one resolution that can transform your maintenance workflow, it's this: build a comprehensive equipment list.

You might be surprised to learn that many commercial buildings, especially older ones, do not have a complete record of their equipment. Factories that have been operating for decades often rely on scattered Excel files, paper logs, or worse, the institutional knowledge of long-serving technicians. When those technicians leave, so does the knowledge of what equipment exists and where it's located.

This guide will walk you through a practical, step-by-step approach to building your equipment list. We'll start with the most critical assets and work our way through every corner of your facility.

Step 1: Start with High-Value Assets

Begin with your most expensive and critical equipment. These are typically non-movable assets that form the backbone of your building operations.

HVAC Systems

Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are often the most expensive assets in a commercial building. Document these first:

• Chillers: Note capacity (tons), manufacturer, model, serial number, and installation date
• Cooling towers: Include the number of cells and circulation capacity
• Air Handling Units (AHUs): Record the zones served and CFM rating
• Fan Coil Units (FCUs): List by location and capacity
• Pumps: Chilled water pumps, condenser water pumps, and their horsepower ratings

Vertical Transport

Elevators and escalators require regular maintenance and inspection:

• Elevators: Record manufacturer, capacity, number of stops, and lift ID
• Escalators: Note width, inclination, and location
• Dumbwaiters: Often overlooked but important for compliance

Pro tip: Start an Excel spreadsheet now. Create columns for Equipment ID, Name, Location, Type, Manufacturer, Model, Serial Number, and Installation Date. This will serve as your master equipment register.

Step 2: Document Common Access Areas

Next, move to areas that your technicians frequently visit. These contain equipment that requires regular monitoring and maintenance.

Utility Rooms

• Meters: Electricity meters, water meters, gas meters. Record meter numbers and locations
• Switchboards: Main switchboard, distribution boards, and their amperage ratings
• Risers: Electrical risers, plumbing risers, and communication risers

Mechanical and Electrical Rooms

• Transformers: Capacity in kVA, oil type or dry type
• Generators: Backup power capacity and fuel type
• UPS systems: Capacity and battery configuration
• Water tanks: Capacity in liters, overhead vs. underground
• Pumps: Transfer pumps, booster pumps, sump pumps

Bathrooms and Washrooms

While often overlooked, bathroom fixtures require tracking for maintenance purposes:

• Water heaters and their capacity
• Hand dryers or paper towel dispensers
• Exhaust fans
• Sensor taps and flush valves

Step 3: Building Infrastructure Components

These are components that are part of the building structure itself. While they may not need individual labels like mechanical equipment, they should still be tracked in your CMMS for maintenance scheduling.

Lighting Systems

• Emergency lights: Required for compliance, must be tested regularly
• Exit signs: Battery-backed illuminated signs
• Common area lighting: Lobby, corridors, car parks
• Facade lighting: External decorative or security lighting

Access Control and Security

• Automatic doors: Entry doors, loading bay doors
• Barrier gates: Car park entry and exit barriers
• Turnstiles: Access control turnstiles
• CCTV cameras: Record locations and coverage areas

Note: For infrastructure components, you don't need to label each individual light fixture. Instead, group them by zone or floor in your CMMS. The goal is to schedule maintenance and track issues, not to tag every ceiling light.

Step 4: Special and Unique Equipment

Modern commercial buildings often have specialized systems that require attention:

Sustainability Systems

• Solar panels: Capacity in kWp, number of panels, inverter details
• Rainwater harvesting tanks: Capacity and filtration system
• Greywater recycling systems: Treatment capacity
• EV charging stations: Number of ports, charging speed

Building Management Systems

• BMS controllers: Brands, models, and zones controlled
• Sensors: Temperature, humidity, CO2 sensors
• Smart meters: Sub-metering for tenant billing

Step 5: Fire Safety Equipment

Fire safety equipment is critical for compliance and occupant safety. This category often has the most detailed requirements for documentation and regular testing.

Portable Fire Equipment

• Fire extinguishers: Record type (ABC, CO2, foam), capacity, location, and expiry date
• Fire blankets: Location and inspection dates

Fixed Fire Systems

• Hose reels: Location, length, and pressure test dates
• Break glass points: Location and zone allocation
• Smoke detectors: Type and location
• Sprinkler heads: Coverage area and type
• Fire alarm panels: Zones covered and location

Fire Suppression Systems

• Fire pumps: Main pump, jockey pump, diesel pump capacity
• Fire tanks: Capacity and location
• FM200/Novec systems: For server rooms and critical areas

Get Started Fast: Leverage AI

Here's a practical tip: use AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to help generate your initial equipment list. Simply describe your building type and size, and ask the AI to suggest a comprehensive list of equipment typically found in similar facilities.

For example, you could prompt:

"Generate a list of typical equipment found in a 20-story commercial office building in Malaysia, including HVAC, electrical, fire safety, and vertical transport systems."

The AI can give you a starting point that you can then customize based on your actual building. This saves hours of work trying to remember every piece of equipment.

Once you have your list, you'll need to structure the data properly. We've written a detailed guide on how to structure equipment lists with hierarchical data in Excel. This covers best practices for using parent-child relationships, reference tables, and avoiding the common pitfall of multiple disconnected spreadsheets.

How Cerev CMMS Helps

While Excel is a good starting point, managing a comprehensive equipment list for a commercial building becomes increasingly complex. Cerev CMMS provides the tools you need to take your equipment management to the next level:

• Centralized equipment register: All your assets in one searchable database with proper parent-child relationships
• QR code generation: Generate and print QR codes for each equipment. Technicians can scan to instantly access equipment details and history
• Location hierarchy: Define your building structure once (Building > Floor > Zone > Room) and use it consistently
• Preventive maintenance scheduling: Automatically schedule maintenance based on equipment type and manufacturer recommendations
• Document attachments: Attach manuals, warranties, and certificates directly to equipment records
• Easy import from Excel: Already have data in spreadsheets? We can help you migrate it properly

Make this the year you finally get your equipment list in order. Whether you start with Excel and AI or jump straight into Cerev CMMS, the important thing is to begin. Your maintenance team will thank you, your compliance audits will go smoother, and you'll finally have visibility into what assets you actually have.