Stopping Summer Drift: 10 Tips for Keeping Buildings Running Smoothly

Every building starts the summer strong: HVAC tuned, controls programmed, occupants comfortable – and perhaps even breathing a sigh of relief as they enter a well-conditioned lobby. 

But give it a few weeks of record temperatures, high humidity, and inconsistent occupancy, and even the best-run facilities can fall victim to "summer drift": a slow, silent decline in performance that spikes energy bills, reduces indoor comfort, and chips away at operational efficiency.

Drift isn’t about catastrophic failures; it’s about creeping inefficiencies. Think: a fan that runs longer than needed, a schedule that no longer fits occupancy, or a chiller working harder than necessary to hit a misaligned setpoint. Over time, these small deviations can add up to generate significant costs, comfort issues, and carbon emissions.

Whether you’re managing a commercial office, healthcare facility, college campus, or distributed network of retail spaces, staying ahead of summer drift is about blending operational best practices, strategic planning, and (yes) a bit of automation.

In this article, we’ll share 10 practical, platform-agnostic tips to help your buildings stay sharp through the summer temperature surge.

1. Revisit Setpoints and Schedules (They Drift Too) 

It’s common to “set and forget” HVAC setpoints in spring, only to realize weeks later that the building is overcooling empty zones or running on outdated occupancy assumptions. Start by revisiting:

• Occupied vs. unoccupied cooling setpoints
• Zone-by-zone scheduling
• Summer exceptions like holidays, partial staff schedules, or new operating hours

A simple schedule audit can yield big savings, especially in underutilized zones or areas operating outside normal business hours.

2. Use Data Logs, Not Just Gut Checks

Facility teams are incredibly good at reading a building, but even the best instincts can miss the slow creep of operational drift. Regularly reviewing historical trends for:

• Indoor temperature
• HVAC runtime
• Equipment cycling
• Fan speeds and valve positions

…can help catch performance degradation early. If you don’t have real-time dashboards (like those offered by Noda), even exporting a monthly trend report from your BMS is a good place to start.

3. Address Short Cycling Early

Short cycling – when equipment turns on and off too frequently – is common in summer. It often stems from narrow deadbands or improperly sized equipment.

Symptoms to watch for:

• VAVs flipping between heating and cooling modes
• Compressors starting/stopping in rapid succession
• High frequency of temperature fluctuations in zones

Solutions may be as simple as widening setpoint deadbands, checking for airflow issues (like leaks, dirty filters, or blocked ducts), revisiting equipment sizing assumptions, or updating control logic.

4. Precool Strategically

Precooling, or cooling a building in the early morning before peak temperatures hit, isn’t just for advanced automation systems (like Noda Command). Even manual precooling can help:

• Improve indoor comfort through midday by leveraging the building’s thermal mass 
• Give HVAC systems a breather by reducing strain on chillers and rooftop units
• Shift load away from costly peak demand windows

Try precooling in buildings with heavy afternoon loads, west-facing windows, or occupancy patterns that spike mid-morning.

5. Recommission Zones That Don’t Match Current Behavior

The longer a building has been in operation, the more likely its usage has changed. A training room might now be storage. A rarely used breakroom might have a dedicated thermostat.

Conduct a walk-through with a map of HVAC zones, comparing:

• Design intent vs. current function
• Temperature complaints vs. usage patterns
• Thermostat locations vs. occupant behavior

Recommissioning misaligned zones can be a low-cost way to improve comfort and save energy.

6. Inspect Outdoor Air Intakes and Dampers

Outdoor air is critical for ventilation and indoor air quality. But during summer, too much hot, humid air can overwhelm your cooling system.

Sample Checklist:

• Ensure economizers and minimum OA dampers are functioning properly
• Check for stuck actuators or overridden damper settings
• Recalibrate sensors if outside air readings seem off

This is especially important in buildings pursuing indoor air quality or wellness goals, where increased ventilation may be seasonal or policy-driven.

7. Prioritize Preventative Maintenance Based on Load

Not all systems work equally hard in the summer. Cooling towers, chilled water pumps, air handlers, and VAV boxes often carry the heaviest burden.

Align your maintenance schedule to focus on:

• Filters (clogged filters = higher fan energy)
• Belts and bearings
• Condensate drain lines
• Sensor recalibration

Pro tip: Don’t rely solely on manufacturer timelines. Adjust service frequency based on actual runtime hours, if your systems track them.

8. Create a “Summer Drift” Monitoring Routine

Assign someone on your team (or yourself) to a simple weekly check-in that covers:

• BMS overrides or manual modes left on too long
• Unexpected zone temperature complaints
• Unusual upticks in energy use (even a few percentage points can signal drift)
• Changes in outside air strategies (especially after heatwaves)

Making it a routine means problems get caught in days, not months.

9. Align Facilities, Sustainability, and Occupant Feedback Loops

Some of the most useful clues about drift come from people in the building. Combine energy data with:

• Comfort complaints
• Indoor air quality sensors
• Tenant feedback (especially in shared spaces)

When building engineers, sustainability leads, and property managers collaborate on interpreting these signals, your response becomes faster – and more effective.

10. Document and Debrief Your Summer

Every summer can teach you something if you pause long enough to ask.

Before fall hits, review:

• What equipment struggled most?
• Which zones triggered the most complaints?
• What faults or overrides were left unresolved?
• What fixes worked best?

Write it down, store your findings, and set a reminder to review them next spring with your teammates. This makes next year’s prep work 10X easier and will help you build a smarter (and more sustainable) maintenance strategy predicated on real data and empirical experience.

Bonus: Know When to Get Help

Some issues, like persistent drift in complex systems or repeated sensor anomalies, might require deeper diagnostics. Whether you bring in a commissioning agent, energy consultant, or rely on platform-based analytics (like those offered by Noda), knowing your limits is key.

Outside expertise can help pinpoint root causes, verify savings, and recommend corrective actions that free up your team for other priorities.

Final Thoughts: Make Summer an Opportunity, Not a Liability

Summer drift is real, but the good news is that it’s ultimately preventable. With a bit of proactive care, data analysis, and cross-functional alignment, you can keep your buildings cool, efficient, responsive, and sustainable – even when the weather isn’t.

Not every tip requires a new system or capital upgrade. Often, it’s about vigilance, communication, and small tweaks (which add up over time) that protect performance when demand (and temperatures) are highest.

Whether you manage one site or 500, stopping summer drift is about making sure buildings work as hard – and smart – as they need to.

About Noda

Noda is a data and analytics company on a mission to make every building smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. Recently ranked in the top 10 tech companies leading the charge on climate action, its AI-powered suite of products surface unique insights that empower real estate teams to reduce costs, decrease time spent on routine work, and find and act on opportunities to save energy and carbon. Discover how Noda's solutions can unlock the potential of your assets and accelerate the transition to net zero. Visit us at noda.ai to learn more.