Minnesota county faces challenge in decarbonizing well-maintained district energy system

Hennepin County “has done too good of a job” maintaining its 15-building steam and chilled water loops, leaving little room for incremental improvements, the project’s engineering consultant said at an industry conference.

By Brian Martucci • June 30, 2025

New York offering up to $750K for facility decarbonization projects

The Large-Scale Thermal program is accepting applications through July 31 for heating, cooling and hot water systems in single buildings of at least 100,000 square feet or campuses of 250,000 square feet and up.

By Brian Martucci • June 26, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Leveraging energy efficiency to create asset value

By optimizing building and systems efficiency, facilities managers can move beyond saving money to become value creators.  

By Facilities Dive staff

Utilities, energy developers back Senate’s more lenient tax credit timeline

A powerful coalition of trade associations and energy groups thanked senators for rolling back some of the House version’s deepest cuts, but the two chambers will need to agree on a final bill.

By Brian Martucci • June 26, 2025

US, global cities tout emissions reductions

Local U.S. officials say they’re driving emissions goals from the ground up since the Trump administration’s withdrawal from key international climate events and agreements.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • June 24, 2025

Data center heat could make US campuses more efficient, experts say

The U.S. lags Europe and Canada on data center heat recovery, but the industry’s breakneck growth offers a significant opportunity for universities, companies, district energy providers and others.

By Brian Martucci • June 23, 2025

Targeted investment, tech can sustain critical infrastructure

To help communities bounce back after disaster, jurisdictions must identify gaps in lifeline systems and cost-effective ways to mend them, panelists at the Building Innovation 2025 conference said.

By Julie Strupp • June 18, 2025

Meta signs geothermal power deal for New Mexico data centers

The tech and social media giant entered an agreement with XGS Energy to help develop 150 MW of geothermal power generation.

By Lamar Johnson • June 18, 2025

Bladeless ceiling fan maker touts design’s energy, air quality benefits

Pulling cool, dry air from the floor and redistributing it across the room can save operators money while improving indoor air quality, a bladeless fan manufacturer says.

By Joe Burns • June 17, 2025

How the potential end of Energy Star could affect building operators

The demise of the widely-used program could lead to a massive disruption in building operations, experts say.

By Mary Salmonsen • June 17, 2025

ASHRAE, ICC open second review period for building lifecycle emissions standard

The proposed joint standard seeks to establish a methodology for quantifying embodied and operational greenhouse gas emissions across the lifecycle of buildings and their sites.

By Joe Burns • June 16, 2025

Is climate-responsive paint a future reality?

An inventor used thermochromic pigment to create paint that darkens in cold weather and lightens in warm weather, resulting in interior temperature changes that could curb building energy costs, CNN reports.

By Robert Freedman • June 11, 2025

What should performance benchmarking look like post-Energy Star?

The proposed elimination of one of the federal government’s most successful sustainability programs raises questions about how to measure building efficiency.

By Matt Ellis • June 6, 2025

Targeted HVAC interventions can yield big savings, researcher says

By focusing on inefficient zones and rooms that generate a disproportionate share of fault signals to the building management system, operators can maximize their resources, a Stanford researcher says.

By Joe Burns • June 4, 2025

How small operational changes can add up to large energy savings

Facilities that can’t afford to deploy capital for building system upgrades can eke out savings in ways operators might not have thought about, an Accruent white paper says.

By Robert Freedman • June 2, 2025

NYC building owners still have time to file LL97 extensions

The city implemented a 60-day grace period for reporting annual energy and water use or for seeking an extension until August. Separately, a lawsuit against the regulation was dismissed.

By Joe Burns • May 29, 2025

BP Pulse is bringing EV chargers to Waffle House

Chosen sites in the Southeast and the Sunbelt will get six electric vehicle charging bays, with the first locations coming online next year.

By Jessica Loder • May 27, 2025

Building sector needs all hands on deck to meet Washington’s 2050 emissions goal: reports

To substantially decarbonize buildings by 2050, building owners must swap virtually all end-of-life fossil fuel appliances for zero-emissions alternatives after 2030, the Clean Energy Transition Institute and 2050 Institute said.

By Brian Martucci • May 27, 2025

Smart building controls are key to addressing aging infrastructure, workforce: Trane

As the U.S. building stock ages and experienced technicians exit the workforce, facility managers must embrace building modernization, according to a report.

By Joe Burns • May 27, 2025

Energy savings start with benchmarking, team-led audits, expert says

By educating staff on how small changes and regular maintenance to systems can impact energy, facility teams can improve efficiency without costly upgrades, according to a sustainability director at ESFM.

By Joe Burns • Updated May 22, 2025

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.

By Robert Freedman • May 14, 2025

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.

By Joe Burns • May 13, 2025

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.

By Christy Martell • May 9, 2025

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.

By Robert Freedman • May 8, 2025

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.

By Brian Martucci • May 7, 2025

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.

By Joe Burns • May 6, 2025