Sustainability: Page 3
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Facilities management conferences of note in 2026
This year’s facilities management conferences will cover best practices for managing building systems, leveraging technology, recruiting and retaining talent and navigating market conditions.
By Joe Burns • Updated Jan. 29, 2026 -
Retrieved from Budderfly on September 30, 2025
With deal, Budderfly looks for EaaS growth in manufacturing sector
The energy-as-a-service model can help manufacturers improve their resiliency while lowering their costs and reducing their emissions, CEO Al Subbloie says.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 30, 2025 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Getty Images
TrendlineLeveraging 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 -
Owner-tenant green retrofit investment boosts value: JLL
Tenants want prime space that meets their sustainability targets. That’s driving deals that include energy-focused lease clauses, the firm says.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 25, 2025 -
Opinion
How FMs can more accurately report ESG-friendly furniture decommissions
EPA’s waste reduction model understates emissions reductions from furniture reuse. To show a more meaningful value, facility managers should request lifecycle assessments from suppliers.
By Dale Ewing • Sept. 18, 2025 -
Plan for lower water temperatures when replacing traditional HVAC systems with heat pumps
Fossil fuel-based systems supply water at higher temperatures than heat pumps. Operators that want to electrify their systems must look at coil sizes, piping and other elements, specialists say.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 16, 2025 -
AI can aid building energy retrofit decisions, but faces limitations: study
Large language models can deliver results in technical optimization tasks but struggle with payback optimization, researchers at Michigan State University say.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 15, 2025 -
Opinion
Energy prices are soaring. Better buildings can help.
Cutting off clean energy sources while demand for AI skyrockets will spike energy prices. Energy efficiency is a solution for reducing grid loads while reducing the need for expensive infrastructure investment.
By Alex Dews • Sept. 12, 2025 -
University of Illinois Chicago tackles deferred maintenance at no upfront cost
An energy performance contract with Ameresco showed the institution how it can capture energy savings from mechanical system upgrades to cover costs over time. The savings make it possible to do upgrades faster, a facility engineer says.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 10, 2025 -
Retrieved from National Renewable Energy Laboratory on September 08, 2025
Desiccant-based storage system nearly halves cooling bills in trials
A technology developed and tested by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory could reduce peak air conditioning power demand by 90%.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 8, 2025 -
Energy savings contracts, backed by data, enable smarter facility upgrades
As electricity costs rise and federal incentives drop, building operators are tapping the contracts to improve efficiency and boost resilience.
By Joe Burns • Sept. 2, 2025 -
How facilities managers can lead on sustainability
Most FMs want to make the efficient use of resources part of their operations, but building owners aren’t always aligned with them, surveys show.
By Ramona Dzinkowski • Aug. 27, 2025 -
Heat pump adoption expected to grow despite federal shift
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act accelerates a move toward affordability, ease of installation and retrofit readiness, according to one manufacturer.
By Joe Burns • Aug. 14, 2025 -
Congressional appropriators move to maintain Energy Star funding
The likelihood of the program going away eases as lawmakers on the House and Senate committees that allocate funds direct the administration to fund it.
By Robert Freedman • Aug. 6, 2025 -
Axiom Cloud earns patent for AI leak-detection technology
The software can help retail grocery and cold storage operators meet federal and state requirements without the need for sensors or additional hardware, the company says.
By Joe Burns • July 22, 2025 -
Building operators rapidly adopt streamlined green, health building pathways
The payoff is substantial, especially when stakeholders align on building sustainability, health and operational goals, supporters say.
By Joe Burns • July 15, 2025 -
Oregon legislature passes first-in-nation microgrid framework
Gov. Tina Kotek, D, is expected to sign the bills that advocates say would protect buildings and other critical infrastructure against increasingly frequent power disruptions.
By Brian Martucci • July 10, 2025 -
Chicago-area school district deploys geothermal system that’s a US first
The dynamic closed-loop system uses groundwater to reject and absorb heat to provide year-round space conditioning for a 130-year-old elementary school, Trane Technologies says.
By Brian Martucci • July 9, 2025 -
Opinion
The often-overlooked shelter from the storm: green buildings
In the 2008-09 economic downturn, green buildings were a bright spot. They could be again as remote work, tariffs and inflation hang over the economy.
By Mahesh Ramanujam • July 8, 2025 -
Loss of 179D deduction could derail office conversions
Although the deduction is about making commercial buildings energy efficient, it’s been key to owners’ willingness to invest in obsolete and financially distressed properties, supporters say.
By Robert Freedman • July 7, 2025 -
Sponsored by Simpl Global, Inc
Why peak power management is important
Must be an integral part of building automation systems.
By Farid Dibachi • July 7, 2025 -
Groups decry Senate’s elimination of building efficiency deduction
The Section 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Building Deduction has grown into a major incentive for owners to retrofit their properties, supporters say.
By Robert Freedman • July 2, 2025 -
(2025). "ENERGY STAR NextGen Certification for Commercial Buildings" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Energy Star.
ColumnThe Energy Star program has grown into an industry standard-setter
The program’s Portfolio Manager software is used to track the energy use of almost 25% of commercial buildings. Its end could put owners, cities and states in a bind — at least for the short term.
By Joe Burns • July 2, 2025 -
ASHRAE focusing on indoor environmental quality, sustainability
President Bill McQuade’s theme for 2025-26 is healthy buildings. That goal doesn’t have to come at the expense of energy efficiency, a standards committee member says.
By Joe Burns • July 1, 2025 -
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 -
Retrieved from New York State Energy Research & Development Authority on June 26, 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