Tag: utilities

Real Estate Power Crunch: Will Energy Availability Beat Location for Future Facilities?

As many companies face ongoing power disruptions and other energy needs, the traditional real estate mantra of “location, location, location” is increasingly giving way to “location, resilience, reliability,” according to JLL’s new “Where Energy Meets Property” report. Energy availability and security is fast becoming a defining factor in commercial real estate (CRE) decision-making, with critical […]

Data-Driven Water Management: Bringing Visibility and Resilience to Building Operations

Water systems are among the most essential—and least visible—components of any facility. Pipes, valves, pumps, and recirculation loops work quietly behind walls and below floors, delivering water for sanitation, heating, cooling, and daily operations. Because these systems often function behind the scenes, they tend to receive less attention than HVAC or electrical systems—until a failure […]

The Optimization Playbook: Lessons from the Central Plant

Behind every high-performing building lies an unsung hero: the central plant. These mechanical nerve centers—clusters of chillers, boilers, pumps, and cooling towers—quietly provide heating and cooling to hospitals, airports, campuses, and other complex facilities. When everything hums along, hardly anyone gives them a second thought. But when a pump fails or a chiller trips, the […]

Power in Perspective: The ABCs of Data-Built Energy Budgets

Between unpredictable weather pattern changes, record heat waves, devastating storms, and raging wildfires, utilities remain under massive strain to keep up with unpredictable usage demands. Additional factors like regulations, tariffs, and grid constraints further impact energy budgets. As unforeseen costs and usage spikes remain rampant, especially for companies with multi-site portfolios, current energy budgets simply […]

The Financial Case for Energy Tracking in Facilities

Some media are reporting a widespread backlash against ESG and carbon-reduction initiatives. That may be welcome news for facilities managers who view energy tracking as a financial and administrative burden. But the reality is that energy tracking and reporting can lead to significant cost savings for facilities. A glance at data from commercial and industrial […]

How AI Can Help Facilities Combat Costly Water Leaks

Facilities managers know all too well the high cost of inefficiency—how anything from a lack of insulation to a poorly maintained HVAC system can lead to compounding utility costs. Inefficiency isn’t just about energy, though—it also encompasses water waste. And one of the most common sources of water waste is undetected, unaddressed leaking. Leaks can […]

Power-Hungry Data Center Market Represents New ‘Gold Rush’

In a year when data centers faced their toughest power challenges yet, the industry didn’t just survive—it thrived. JLL’s new North America Data Center Year-End 2024 Report reveals a sector charging full speed ahead, with colocation vacancy plummeting to a record low of 2.6% and absorption levels doubling in just two years. But beneath the surface of […]

There’s Real Value in Water Efficiency

On July 29, 2024, Cal Water, the third largest water utility company in the country serving half-a-million customers in California, announced that it has helped its customers reduce their water bills by 20.5% in the last 15 years. This is compared to what they might have been charged without water conservation and water efficiency efforts […]

EPA WaterSense Products Helped Americans Save Over 1 Trillion Gallons in 2023

Is money going down the drain at your facilities? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its WaterSense program has made it easier for businesses and consumers to save trillions of gallons of water. In 2023 alone, WaterSense-labeled products helped save 1.2 trillion gallons of water. Since the conception of the WaterSense label, the EPA […]

Faces of Facilities: Michael ‘Mickey’ Gorman from UConn

The University of Connecticut (UConn) recently made headlines after its Huskies basketball teams fought their way to the March Madness Final Four games for both men and women. Ultimately, the men’s team won their NCAA tournament and became rare back-to-back champions. There’s no wonder UConn is known as the “Basketball Capital of the World.” However, […]