$23M awarded to Massachusetts facilities for clean energy projects

The grants will cover up to 45% of the cost for large-scale projects to connect geothermal systems at universities, implement a next-generation industrial heat pump and decarbonize public ice rinks.

By Joe Burns • Updated July 31, 2026

Building performance standards have deadlines and penalties — are you ready for them?

Some buildings are already in the compliance window. For managers of these buildings, the margin for making operational changes to lower emissions is shrinking.

By Christy Martell • July 27, 2026

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Top 5 stories from Facilities Dive

Top 5 stories from Facilities Dive

By Facilities Dive staff

Harley-Davidson replaced pavement with flood protection, creating a new Milwaukee park

The company's underused employee parking lot found a better use, and the design addressed a flood problem using a system that captures stormwater that previously had nowhere to go.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • July 24, 2026

Schneider Electric debuts streamlined EV charging for fleets, commercial facilities

Charge Pro integrates hardware, firmware and software to reduce risk and total cost of ownership for EV charging site managers, the company says.

By Brian Martucci • July 23, 2026

Demand response can generate big sums — and penalties, energy specialist says

In one case last year, the regional transmission organization was offering $50,000 per megawatt, says Victor Hoerst of OnSite Partners. 

By Robert Freedman • July 21, 2026

Google inks investment, offtake deal for largest US solar project

Google signed a power purchase agreement to receive energy from the project, which will have capacity for 2.5 gigawatts of solar and 2.9 gigawatt hours of battery storage. 

By Lamar Johnson • July 20, 2026

Investing wisely: Choosing the most efficient upgrades for your facility

Discover which facility upgrades deliver the greatest ROI, reduce energy and water costs and support long-term sustainability and operational resilience.

July 20, 2026

Best Buy brings rooftop solar to retail

The rooftop solar garden at a Long Island City store will generate an estimated 461,800 kilowatt hours annually, which will be sent to the local grid and distributed to subscribers of a third-party community solar program, the company says. 

By Lamar Johnson • July 16, 2026

Optimizing building operations against a changing environment: ASHRAE 2026 conference

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' 2026 annual conference focused on operational resilience during challenging times. 

By Joe Burns • July 16, 2026

$215B in annual energy cost savings starts with heat pumps: ACEEE

The U.S. could cut $4.8 trillion in energy costs by 2050, a study finds, with heat pumps and other efficient appliances a big source of savings.

By Robert Freedman • July 16, 2026

Heat pump momentum grows on election-year energy affordability issue, coalition says

The public’s focus on utility bills is helping heat pumps stay in the spotlight, says the Building Decarbonization Coalition.

By Joe Burns • July 14, 2026

Microsoft’s data center expansion drove 25% emissions spike in 2025: report

The company emitted 20.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in FY2025, up from the 16.2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emitted the year prior, it said.  

By Lamar Johnson • July 14, 2026

‘Illustrative indicators’ can sell the value of sustainability upgrades, experts say

Translating value into non-financial terms can help cost-conscious owners see value in a different light, panelists said at the ASHRAE conference.

By Joe Burns • July 10, 2026

Walmart signs nuclear PPA with Constellation to support Illinois operations

The power purchase agreement will give the retailer up to 176 megawatts of nuclear-generated electricity over two 15-year periods beginning in 2029 and 2030. 

By Lamar Johnson • July 8, 2026

DOE plan to revisit appliance standards will hike energy costs, critic says

Standards that have generated billions of dollars in savings wouldn’t pass muster under changes the Department of Energy is considering, Andrew deLaski of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project says.

By Robert Freedman • July 7, 2026

Building envelope is key to electrifying buildings, expert says

Operators must push through challenges when retrofitting existing buildings to reap the benefits of high-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

By Joe Burns • July 2, 2026

Can zinc-based batteries scale into US storage buildout?

Large and critical-load energy customers are among the organizations that the International Zinc Association wants to look at zinc-based batteries as an option for meeting their needs.  

By Brian Martucci • July 1, 2026

DOE, ICC spar over building energy code costs, benefits

The International Code Council says the U.S. Energy Department is ignoring the energy cost savings the 2024 building energy code will create, while DOE says the savings take too long to realize.

By Robert Freedman • July 1, 2026

ASHRAE to tackle data centers, thermal systems at annual conference

The engineering society’s annual meeting, starting this weekend in Austin, Texas, will have programs on managing energy costs and integrating energy storage projects, among others.

By Joe Burns • June 26, 2026

Microsoft claims 2025 water replenishment milestone

The tech giant said it replenished more water than its operations used in 2025, as it looks to become “water positive” by 2030.

By Lamar Johnson • June 25, 2026

K-12 schools can soften energy-cost hikes with performance contracts, Ameresco chief says

The contracts offer a way for school districts to lock in costs as electricity prices rise, says Louis Maltezos, co-president of the energy infrastructure company.

By Joe Burns • June 23, 2026

GETs, demand response can ease near-term data center electricity price pressure: report

Data centers could use up to 15% of all U.S. electricity by 2030, up from 5% in 2024, Berkeley Lab researchers said in a separate analysis.

By Ethan Howland • June 23, 2026

Budderfly and Viridi team up to install “fail-safe” batteries at commercial facilities

Coupled with other efficiency measures offered through Budderfly’s energy-as-a-service solution, on-site batteries can reduce facilities’ energy expenses by up to 70%, Budderfly CEO Al Subbloie said. 

By Joe Burns • Updated June 25, 2026

Heat pump shipments rise through April, with more use for both heating and cooling

Ongoing legal battles regarding non-condensing commercial gas water heaters and residential gas furnaces have not yet slowed U.S. gas storage water-heat shipments, AHRI data shows.

By Joe Burns • June 16, 2026

Energy savings performance contracts offer a path to building upgrades when city budgets are tight

With deferred maintenance growing and capital dollars stretched thin, local governments are using ESPCs to fund energy and infrastructure improvements through future operational savings.

By Vicky Uhland • June 16, 2026