How to Prepare a Commercial Facility for Freezing Temperatures

Commercial building winter preparedness works best when it starts well before freezing temperatures show up in the forecast. Most winter-related property losses do not begin with the freeze itself. They begin with conditions that were already there: an uninsulated line above a loading dock, a roof drain packed with debris, a vacant suite with the heat turned down, or an after-hours call tree no one has tested.

When temperatures drop, those conditions turn into commercial water damage, interrupted operations, displaced tenants or occupants, and insurance claims.

That is why winter preparedness is more than a seasonal maintenance task. It is part of property risk management and business continuity planning. It requires knowing where the building is vulnerable, who owns each corrective action, and how the organization will respond if a system fails.

This guide covers the areas commercial facility teams should review before winter. To make it practical, we built a companion checklist you can take into your next facility walkthrough.

Why should commercial facilities prepare before freezing weather is forecast?

Commercial facilities should prepare before a freeze is forecast because most corrective work takes longer than the warning window allows. Freeze watches and warnings typically arrive days ahead of the cold, not weeks. Insulation repairs, heat trace replacement, drain clearing, and parts procurement all compete for the same contractors once a regional cold event is on the way.

Most facilities enter winter with some combination of:

• Vulnerable piping in exterior walls, ceilings, stairwells, or parking structures
• Damaged, wet, or missing pipe insulation
• Blocked roof drains, gutters, or downspouts
• Low-temperature areas that are not on a regular heating schedule
• Unmonitored spaces with no temperature alarms
• Unresolved roof or building envelope issues
• Unclear emergency responsibilities after hours

In October, each of these is a work order. Under a freeze warning, with vendors stretched across a region, each can become an emergency.

What should facility teams inspect before freezing temperatures?

Facility teams should inspect four areas before freezing temperatures: the building envelope, piping and fire protection, heating and monitoring systems, and vacant or low-occupancy spaces. Each is a common origin point for winter water losses.

Building envelope and water entry

Cold air infiltration is what freezes pipes near exterior walls, and ice and snowmelt find existing gaps. Review:

• Roof membranes, seams, and flashing for splits or lifted edges
• Roof penetrations, including curbs, vents, and conduit
• Roof drains, scuppers, gutters, downspouts, and stormwater inlets for debris and free flow
• Windows, doors, and storefront systems for failed seals
• Loading dock doors, seals, and levelers
• Exterior wall penetrations and expansion joints
• Locations of previous leaks, which often point to conditions that were never fully resolved

Pipes, plumbing, and fire suppression

Pipes freeze where cold air reaches them: exterior walls, ceiling spaces below the roof deck, stairwells, parking garages, loading areas, and soffits. Review:

• Exposed water lines in cold zones, mapped and documented
• Pipe insulation for gaps, compression, moisture, or missing sections
• Heat tracing circuits, controllers, and alarms, tested and confirmed working
• Wet pipe sprinkler areas, which must be kept at a minimum of 40°F
• Dry pipe systems, including low-point drains (drum drips), air compressors, and valve rooms
• Riser rooms and fire pump rooms, confirmed heated
• Water shutoffs, located, labeled, and accessible

Coordinate sprinkler work with your fire protection contractor and follow your impairment procedures for any system taken out of service.

HVAC, heating, and temperature monitoring

Heating failures and control errors are a frequent cause of freeze damage in otherwise sound buildings. Review:

• Heating system startup and service: boilers, rooftop units, unit heaters, and pumps
• Outdoor air dampers and freeze stats on air handlers, since a damper stuck open can freeze a coil
• Building automation system (BAS) schedules, setpoints, and holiday or night setback programming
• Thermostat setpoints in perimeter, mechanical, and low-use areas
• Low-temperature alarms and the people who receive them
• Remote monitoring and alarm notifications, tested end to end
• Backup heating procedures, including rules for safe use of temporary heaters

An alarm that notifies an unmonitored inbox provides little protection. Test the full notification path, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Vacant and low-occupancy areas

Vacant and low-occupancy spaces carry higher risk because problems go unnoticed longer. Review:

• Holiday closures and reduced-occupancy schedules
• Unoccupied suites and spaces between tenants
• Mechanical, electrical, and storage rooms
• Restrooms and kitchens on exterior walls
• Remote plumbing fixtures and hose bibbs
• Inspection schedules with a named owner for each space

How should commercial facilities prepare for power loss during freezing weather?

Prepare for power loss by confirming backup power and documenting what happens to heat, controls, and critical systems when utility power fails. Winter storms can bring ice and outages together, and a building without power loses heat quickly. Review:

• Emergency generators: service, load testing, and which loads are actually on emergency circuits (heating often is not)
• Transfer systems: automatic transfer switch testing
• Fuel: current levels, delivery agreements, and fuel truck access in snow
• UPS and battery backup: runtime for BAS, security, and telecom
• Critical controls: fire alarm, BAS, and heat tracing on backup power where needed
• Emergency lighting: tested and functional
• Shutdown procedures: controlled shutdown and drain-down for areas expected to lose heat
• Sensitive equipment: labs, data rooms, medical equipment, and refrigeration
• Records and electronics: elevated, relocated, or protected from water

One useful planning question: if utility power is out for 24 hours, which spaces lose heat, and what is the plan for each?

Why do emergency shutoffs matter during a winter property loss?

Emergency shutoffs control how much water is released after a pipe or sprinkler line fails. The time it takes to find and close the right valve often decides whether a loss stays in one room or spreads across floors.

Before winter, your team should know:

• Where the main water shutoff is located
• Where sectional, floor, and zone shutoffs are located
• Which fire protection control valves serve which areas, and the impairment steps required before closing them
• Where natural gas shutoffs are located
• Which electrical disconnects serve vulnerable areas
• How to isolate HVAC equipment through the BAS or local controls
• Who is authorized to operate each shutoff
• Whether after-hours personnel, security, and responding vendors can reach them, including keys, codes, and locked rooms

Label valves, photograph them, and add them to site maps that after-hours responders can access. Closing a sprinkler valve creates a fire protection impairment, so follow your impairment program and notify the alarm monitoring company, insurer, and authorities as required.

Prepare the people, not just the building

A building can be well maintained and still sustain unnecessary damage if no one knows who acts first after hours. Winter losses often happen overnight, on weekends, and during holiday closures, when the people who know the building best are off site.

Consider a common scenario. At 2:00 a.m., a sprinkler branch line freezes and breaks above a third-floor ceiling. Water is flowing.

• Who receives the first call: security, the alarm company, or the on-call engineer?
• Who can shut off the water?
• Who can access the building and the riser room?
• Who can authorize emergency mitigation?
• How quickly can restoration begin?

If the team cannot answer those questions today, the answers will be worked out during the loss while water continues to flow.

Assign winter responsibilities before the season starts:

• Facilities: inspections, corrective actions, and first response
• Engineering: shutoffs, building controls, and restoring heat and water
• Property management: tenant communication, access, and owner notification
• Security: alarm response, site access, and after-hours escalation
• Operations: continuity decisions and relocation of people or functions
• Risk and insurance: claim notification and documentation requirements
• Utility contacts: emergency numbers for water, gas, and electric providers
• Restoration provider: 24/7 mitigation, drying, and loss documentation

Build a call tree with a primary and backup for each role, confirm phone numbers, and set spending authority for emergency work. A short tabletop exercise using the 2:00 a.m. scenario will expose gaps faster than a document review.

How should facilities confirm restoration and emergency response readiness?

Facilities should identify a restoration partner and share property information before an event, so mitigation can begin without delays for contracts, access, or approvals. Confirm:

• 24/7 emergency contact information
• Property familiarity, including site plans, shutoff locations, and building systems
• Site access for after-hours entry
• Security, badging, and escort requirements
• Parking and staging areas for equipment
• Sensitive areas such as patient care, labs, data rooms, food service, and records storage
• Insurance documentation expectations, including photos, moisture readings, and drying logs
• Reporting requirements: who receives updates and how often
• Authorization procedures, including who can sign work authorizations and approval thresholds

BMS CAT works with commercial facilities and property portfolios to prepare for and respond to water, fire, smoke, environmental, and other property losses nationwide. Through the Priority Response Program, facility teams can establish site information, access details, and authorization steps in advance.

Commercial Facility Winter Readiness Checklist

The Commercial Facility Winter Readiness Checklist turns the recommendations in this guide into a structured facility walkthrough. It is built to be shared across facilities, engineering, property management, operations, and risk teams so everyone works from the same document.

Use it to:

• Inspect critical building systems
• Document deficiencies
• Assign owners to each corrective action
• Establish due dates
• Record emergency shutoff locations
• Verify emergency contacts and escalation procedures
• Confirm restoration and response readiness
• Conduct a team readiness review before the season

Final readiness questions for facility teams

Before freezing temperatures arrive, your team should be able to answer:

1. Where are our most vulnerable areas?
2. Who is responsible for inspecting them?
3. How will we know if temperatures become unsafe?
4. Who can shut down water or critical systems?
5. Who receives the first call after hours?
6. Who can authorize emergency mitigation?
7. Does our restoration partner know how to access the property?
8. Could mitigation begin immediately if a loss occurred?

Winter preparedness is operational readiness

The goal of commercial building winter preparedness is not only to prevent frozen pipes. It is to make sure the facility can respond quickly and in an organized way if something fails.

The forecast should not be the starting point. By the time freezing temperatures are approaching, your facility team should already know where its vulnerabilities are, who owns the corrective actions, and how the organization will respond if a loss occurs.

Frequently asked questions about commercial building winter preparedness

When should a commercial facility begin preparing for freezing temperatures?

A commercial facility should begin winter preparation in early fall, before the first freeze is forecast. Starting early leaves time to schedule contractors, order parts, complete repairs, and train staff before vendors are stretched by a regional cold event.

What areas of a commercial building are most vulnerable during a freeze?

The most vulnerable areas are those where water lines meet cold air: exterior walls, ceiling spaces below the roof deck, stairwells, loading docks, parking structures, and unheated mechanical or riser rooms. Vacant suites, holiday-closed spaces, and areas served by the building automation system on night setback also carry higher risk.

How can facility managers prevent frozen pipes in commercial buildings?

Facility managers prevent frozen pipes by keeping water lines in heated space, insulating and heat tracing exposed piping, sealing cold air leaks, and monitoring temperatures with alarms that reach a person after hours. Map vulnerable lines before winter and confirm that heat tracing and low-temperature alarms work.

What should be checked in vacant areas before freezing weather?

In vacant areas, check that heat is on and set to a safe minimum, that temperature monitoring is active, and that plumbing fixtures on exterior walls are protected or drained. Assign a named owner and a documented inspection schedule, since problems in empty spaces go unnoticed longer.

Why are fire sprinkler systems vulnerable during freezing weather?

Wet pipe sprinkler systems hold water at all times, so any branch line in a cold area can freeze and break. Dry pipe systems can also fail when condensation collects at low points. NFPA 25 requires areas with wet pipe systems to be maintained at a minimum of 40°F. [CONFIRM citation]

What should a commercial facility emergency response plan include for winter?

A winter emergency response plan should include a call tree with primary and backup contacts, shutoff locations and authorized operators, after-hours access procedures, spending authority for emergency work, utility contacts, insurance notification steps, and a pre-identified restoration partner with site information on file.

What should facility teams do if a pipe freezes or bursts?

If a pipe bursts, shut off water at the nearest sectional or main valve, protect people and electrical systems, and call your restoration provider for emergency mitigation. Document the damage with photos, notify your risk or insurance contact, and follow fire protection impairment procedures if a sprinkler line is involved.