Lawmakers spar over IRA credits in budget hearings

Members of the House are debating the Inflation Reduction Act’s costs and benefits after Republicans proposed major cuts.

For the big players in facilities management, a good quarter

Despite tariff uncertainty and recent reorganizations, the four largest U.S. commercial real estate brokerages — CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield and Colliers — reported strong growth in the first quarter. 

HqO launches platform to link building operations, tenant experience and financial outcomes

The platform aims to unify disconnected data and processes and provide a system of record for tenant experience that can help inform asset value and decision-making.

IFMA adds its name to Energy Star fight

Facility managers rely on the program for making informed decisions about commercial appliances and building systems, the group says.

World FM Day puts renewed focus on talent

Finding skilled labor is a struggle for many facilities managers, but training workers on the newest tools can help to boost morale and meet operational goals, experts say.

House GOP proposes early phaseout of IRA clean energy tax credits

The House Ways and Means Committee’s draft budget scales back the technology-neutral clean energy investment and production tax credits while leaving carbon capture credits largely intact.

LEED v5 – now released – increases focus on indoor environment, worker safety

The new version streamlines decarbonization targets and accounts for indoor air quality, continuous monitoring and maintenance staff safety, USGBC’s director of existing buildings says.

Federal agencies told to start tracking building occupancy

An Office of Management and Budget memo accelerates and expands a process that the Biden administration began to require at least 60% occupancy of federal buildings.

CBRE: Think of your smart building data as jet fuel

Artificial intelligence can be a game changer by making building operations a value-added part of an organization, but facilities managers must be unyielding in the quality of their data, says Tim Schipper, CBRE’s EVP of global operations. 

Building obsolescence risks can help guide renovation planning: JLL

Deep retrofits of central business district office assets can generate well over $3,500 per square meter while saving upwards of 60% on energy costs, the company says.

Trump rolls back Biden-era efficiency rules

The standards covered tankless natural gas water heaters and commercial refrigeration equipment. A fourth resolution nixed certification requirements for a range of products.

JLL sees successful Q1 for new real estate management services segment

The company benefited from growth in its workplace and project management businesses, along with a broader recovery in the office sector, but it won’t predict future market conditions. 

Tariff impacts are manageable, Johnson Controls says

The building solutions company is also confident it can manage increased competition in the data center cooling market, executives said in an earnings call this week.

US, UK agree on framework for tariff, market access deal

Although not yet legally binding, the proposed agreement outlines the potential makeup of the Trump administration’s first trade pact since unveiling its reciprocal tariff plan in April.

Updated May 9, 2025

Colliers’ engineering segment booms, but tariffs postpone long-term leasing decisions

Talk about tariffs on services raises an additional concern for the company, although its decentralized structure could help it avoid higher costs, executives said. 

To save money, building owners should treat energy standards as a floor, not a ceiling

Projects to make their facilities more efficient are an opportunity for owners to use sustainability goals to drive long-term business value.

DOE pauses energy standards for federal buildings

The one-year stay gives the agency a chance to see if the Biden-era rule aligns with the priority the Trump administration is putting on fossil fuels, officials said.

Trump administration plans to end popular Energy Star program

The program has helped consumers save more than $500 billion in energy costs and 5 trillion kWh since it launched in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush.

How campus investments in digital buildings can fund future sustainability projects

Smart building and campus energy management systems helped the University of Wyoming move past its “spreadsheet from hell” and Georgia Institute of Technology qualify for a $214,000 utility rebate.

Trump administration court filing may spell end of overtime final rule

The U.S. Department of Labor is still reconsidering the Biden-era effort to expand overtime pay eligibility, according to court documents.

Proposed Trump budget cuts could have spillover effects on facilities

The administration seeks to eliminate community development block grants and programs for reducing diesel emissions and improving indoor air quality, potentially reducing money available for commercial properties.

Composting program turns cafeteria scraps to brown gold

Ohio University processes more than five tons of food waste every day into soil amendments it uses on campus. But it’s had to rethink parts of the program, the school’s sustainability director says.

How Extra Space Storage is using solar to make money from its rooftops

The company’s solar project manager walks through what factors determine if a roof is suited to solar panels, whether for the building’s own energy or for a leasing opportunity.

Trump proposes slashing DOE budget by $19.3B

The president proposed making deep cuts to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 

Office demand hits bumps, but Q1 finishes up year over year: VTS, CBRE

The national market faced harsh conditions in the first two months of 2025, erasing year-over-year gains in 2024. A cooling labor market and return-to-office trends make future conditions unclear, the firms say.