Can thermal energy from Boston Harbor heat and cool city buildings?

The Boston Thermal Energy Network project aims to deliver long-term energy savings and pollution reduction to businesses.

By Joe Burns • April 22, 2026

US renewable power purchase agreements reach record prices: LevelTen

Industry analysts say the Iran war and impending tax credit expiration have not yet played a major role in rising power purchase agreement prices.

By Emma Penrod • April 21, 2026

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

Congress presses DOE’s Wright on Energy Star

Energy Secretary Chris Wright didn’t offer plans for DOE’s full takeover of the Energy Star program. 

By Diana DiGangi • April 19, 2026

Cuts to building efficiency funding proposed in federal budget

The office within DOE that funds building efficiency technologies would be cut by two-thirds if Congress agrees to the administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. EPA would be given one employee to oversee Energy Star transition.

By Robert Freedman • April 17, 2026

Transparent window insulation is better at stemming energy loss, manufacturer says

A building envelope retrofit at Nomad Tower in New York City offers a scalable pathway to meet energy compliance targets while enhancing comfort and reducing disruption, LuxWall says.

By Joe Burns • April 16, 2026

NYC launches concierge-style service, enhanced web tools to aid Local Law 97 compliance

The Momentum service provides building operators with live support and tools to help them comply with LL97, plan retrofits, estimate penalties and determine emission reductions, the city says.

By Joe Burns • April 15, 2026

Helix Earth attracts funds to separate humidity control from temperature control in commercial HVAC

The Rice University spinoff raised $12 million to accelerate deployment of a system that offers operators more precise environmental control.

By Joe Burns • April 14, 2026

$266B in building carbon costs saved thanks to BACnet, study shows

The building automation communication protocol is proving to be critical to building energy efficiency, says ASHRAE.  

By Joe Burns • April 13, 2026

Energy service contracts grow as operators look to spread costs

Providers are using new technologies to help modernize energy systems at hospitals, historic facilities and big box retailers.

By Joe Burns • April 9, 2026

Hyperscalers will own two-thirds of data center capacity by 2031

Enterprise AI demand has driven leading providers to boost infrastructure investments, according to a Synergy Research Group report.

By Makenzie Holland • April 9, 2026

Energy Star’s move to DOE helps it escape proposed EPA cuts

The Trump administration wants to eliminate the Office of Atmospheric Protection, which managed the energy efficiency product and building certification program until late last year.

By Robert Freedman • April 7, 2026

Strategic decarbonization can aid green goals while improving maintenance

Combining energy efficiency and decarbonization with asset lifecycle planning positions facilities as a value creator, experts say.

By Joe Burns • April 2, 2026

FMs can help extend the life of aging water systems

Leaky pipes that keep one-fifth of water from reaching its destination are among the $1T worth of problems with the infrastructure, Aspen Institute says.

By Robert Freedman • April 2, 2026

Radisson Hotel Group raises net-zero ambition for 100 hotels, sets 2030 goal

The hotels will aim to reduce their Scope 1 and 2 emissions — direct emissions generated from company-owned or controlled sources — through electrification, using renewable heating and cooling networks and sourcing 100% renewable energy.

By Zoya Mirza • April 2, 2026

Researchers turn sawdust into fire-resistant building panels

If commercialized, the panels could turn waste products from timber and water treatment into a sustainable construction material.

By Robert Freedman • March 27, 2026

XGS inks partnership to advance Meta’s New Mexico geothermal plant

The deal links Baker Hughes’ geothermal experience with XGS’ technology to develop a 150-MW geothermal system for the social media company.

By Lamar Johnson • March 26, 2026

‘Adaptive phase cooling’ improves efficiency over direct-to-chip: UCLA study

The two-phase cooling solution eliminates water usage at a “best-in-class” power usage effectiveness ratio of 1.03, says liquid-cooling company Ferveret, whose system was tested by UCLA researchers. 

By Brian Martucci • March 26, 2026

How variable speed HVAC motors can accelerate facility decarbonization

By adjusting motor speed to demand, HVAC systems use only the necessary amount of energy, reducing consumption by as much as 50%, ABB data show.  

By Yann Bottoli • March 17, 2026

Power and capital constraints may drive shift to modular cooling, smaller data centers

Customer adoption of AI could also change how and where data centers are built as well as how they’re sized and cooled, Nautilus Data Technologies says.

By Brian Martucci • March 10, 2026

Which healthcare facility retrofits save the most energy and emissions?

Schneider Electric and JLL examine nine measures that could help healthcare organizations save money and reduce carbon dioxide emissions as they upgrade their infrastructure.

By Joe Burns • March 9, 2026

Energy Star is moving to DOE. Industry groups are hopeful.

Both the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, which currently runs the program, had big staff cuts last year. At least one group has questions about DOE’s plans.

By Robert Freedman • March 9, 2026

Strong demand for building sustainability standards: BREEAM

The UK-based certification saw growth in the U.S. in 2025 and is particularly strong in industrial facilities due to its ability to support value creation in triple-net lease portfolios, BRE Global says.

By Joe Burns • March 5, 2026

Solar and wind PPA prices up 9% in 2025, set to continue rising with energy demand

Meanwhile, energy storage agreements have emerged as a fast-growing new product category.

By Emma Penrod • March 4, 2026

General Mills inks 25-year on-site heat and power agreement expected to save $30M

Unison will handle financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the system, which also will reduce emissions roughly 28% per year, the company says.

By Joe Burns • March 3, 2026

Brooklyn project shows feasibility of using geothermal in dense urban areas

Although installation costs are higher than for conventional systems, geothermal is cheaper over the long term, project consultants say.

By Robert Freedman • March 3, 2026