The buildings landscape is evolving at lightning speed, and staying ahead means more than just keeping the lights on. It requires a proactive approach, including embracing new technologies, adapting to regulatory changes, and reimagining traditional building operations.
With innovation accelerating across every aspect of the built environment, facilities managers are uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change. Here’s how the latest standards and smart solutions are shaping the future of building management.
AI-Driven Facility Operations Are Leading the Way
In 2026, buildings will be shaped by the rapid adoption of advanced, AI-powered platforms for facility operations. As organizations strive for greater resilience, sustainability, and operational excellence, unified digital solutions are emerging as catalysts for a new era, enabling real-time insights, predictive maintenance, and seamless integration across diverse building systems. This comprehensive approach empowers facilities managers to anticipate challenges, optimize energy usage, and drive measurable progress toward net-zero goals. The convergence of digital innovation and actionable intelligence is redefining how buildings are managed, setting up a new precedent for efficiency and environmental guidance worldwide.
ASHRAE Guideline 36: The New Standard for HVAC Efficiency
The adoption of ASHRAE Guideline 36 is accelerating across industrial and commercial buildings. This standard, which enables real-time optimization of HVAC systems, is shifting the industry from rule-based controls to intelligent, continuous learning systems. The result? Buildings that operate closer to their design intent, delivering up to 31% HVAC energy savings and empowering even less-experienced technicians to manage complex systems with confidence.
We’ve also seen recent studies show that buildings using Guideline 36 control strategies have achieved up to a 45% reduction in hourly HVAC energy consumption compared to baseline systems. Regulatory bodies, such as the California Energy Commission and Boston BERDO, are actively encouraging its adoption, signaling its integration into future building codes.
When it comes to the scale and complexity of industrial facilities, upgrading HVAC systems and implementing standardized control frameworks like ASHRAE Guideline 36 becomes paramount to reducing wasteful energy consumption. These mission-critical buildings can deliver up to 30% reduction in energy costs and halve unplanned downtime when integrating unified energy and operations data. This transforms platform efficiency into a competitive advantage.
Unified Building Automation: Intelligent Integration for Peak Performance
The future of building performance is built on continuous integration. Intelligent controls, predictive analytics, and AI-driven maintenance are converging into unified operational platforms that self-diagnose inefficiencies and correct them in real time. This convergence not only reduces energy consumption and extends asset life but also positions facilities to proactively manage operations rather than simply react to issues.
By 2030, nearly 29 million buildings—about 23% of all commercial properties—are expected to feature some form of building automation. Advanced management systems powered by AI can reduce HVAC energy costs by more than 50% through autonomous control, making the business case for investment stronger than ever.
Energy efficiency is now a proactive, built-in outcome of intelligent operation. AI-powered platforms predict equipment degradation, occupancy patterns, and weather impacts, enabling facilities to reduce peak demand and avoid unnecessary runtime. AI-driven optimization has strong potential to improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems while increasing flexibility in building electricity use. At scale, current AI-based solutions could deliver global electricity savings of approximately 300 TWh.
As buildings become more connected, automation is evolving from simple control to orchestrating outcomes. AI-driven platforms continuously adapt HVAC and electrical systems to real-world conditions, aligning energy use with actual demand and unifying energy, power, and building systems.
Research shows that AI at the edge-enabled systems successfully maintained temperature regulation and occupant comfort compliance over 85% of the time (compared to room controllers without AI), as well as achieved an average HVAC energy savings of 5% daily, with potential savings reaching up to 15% in certain scenarios.
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs): From Consumers to Producers
The next decade will see buildings transition from passive energy consumers to active producers and managers. By integrating rooftop solar, battery storage, and AI-driven controls, facilities can dynamically balance on-site generation with grid demand, reducing operational costs and supporting sustainability targets. Commercial buildings leveraging these technologies can cut carbon emissions by up to 60% and reduce energy costs between 20%–40%.
This shift is redefining the role of buildings within the broader energy ecosystem. Rather than simply drawing power from the grid, facilities equipped with DERs can generate clean energy on-site, store excess power for later use, and even sell surplus electricity back to the grid during periods of high demand. Advanced energy management systems enable real-time monitoring and optimization, ensuring that energy is used efficiently and sustainably.
As a result, buildings become more resilient to grid disruptions, better equipped to manage peak loads, and capable of supporting local communities during outages or emergencies. Ultimately, the adoption of DERs empowers organizations to take control of their energy future, drive meaningful progress toward climate goals, and unlock new opportunities for operational excellence and cost savings.
The Facilities Manager’s Role in a Smarter Future
For facilities managers, these trends represent both a challenge and an opportunity. Embracing new standards, investing in unified automation, and leveraging AI-driven insights will be key to future-proofing facilities. The path forward is clear: smarter, more connected buildings that deliver on efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.
Tyler Haak is vice president of U.S. digital buildings services at Schneider Electric.
To learn more, make sure to sign up for the Schneider Electric-sponsored webinar titled, “A Vision for Smarter Facilities: How to Build Resilience and Optimize Efficiency.” Details and FREE registration are available here.