Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Earth Day is a good reminder that facilities managers play an important role in managing environmental impact. Daily operational decisions can shape how sustainable a building is. Managers can use this holiday to develop a clear and practical plan to improve energy efficiency and support long-term environmental goals. Conduct a Facility-Wide Energy Audit An energy […]
Providence Park, home of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Portland Timbers, has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Timbers pursued LEED Gold status for the stadium as part of the club’s environment-focused Green Is Gold campaign. “Obtaining LEED Gold certification at Providence Park has been a priority of our […]
Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month. Biden-Backed Data Center Companies like Amazon and Google recently announced major data center projects. Perhaps most notably, though, President Joe Biden touted a $3.3 billion data center investment in Racine County, Wis., from Microsoft. The project will […]
Schools are considered high-risk environments for the transmission of infectious diseases due to the close and frequent contact and communication that occurs among students and teachers. Environments such as athletic training rooms, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and classrooms can act as sources for the spread of infection. After the historic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education […]
On April 12, the Biden administration finalized congressionally mandated energy efficiency standards for the most common residential and commercial lightbulbs. The standards will go into effect in July 2028 for newly produced bulbs. Over 30 years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects the standards will save Americans more than $27 billion on their utility bills […]
Between extreme weather events, an aging power grid, and the transition to renewable energy, power interruptions are becoming a much greater risk in all parts of the country. Many will remember the highly publicized 2013 Super Bowl blackout when the power shut down the biggest game in American sports for 34 minutes, plunging the New […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $104 million for energy conservation and clean energy projects at 31 federal facilities, with more funding on the way. The projects align with President Joe Biden’s goal for the federal government to “lead by example” on sustainability. This represents the first of three disbursements from $250 million […]
Although it’s been a full three years since the start of the pandemic, the question among employers and employees about how and where to work still very much exists. Despite initial concerns when the world shut down in early 2020, work persisted and productivity flourished with the help of new collaboration tools and processes, affirming […]
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey completed the installation of energy-efficient LED lights throughout One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the United States. The project began in April 2022. Such lighting projects directly support BuildSmart 2025, a statewide energy efficiency program administered by NYPA […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program is celebrating over 25 years of achievements in lighting efficiency. The celebration comes as the ENERGY STAR label for most lighting is poised to sunset after a long, successful run and the recently enacted federal sales ban on incandescent bulbs. Since the ENERGY STAR label for […]