Blogs

With so much misinformation consumers are not being given good information about lighting. Especially the particularly poor reporting about the ongoing elimination of 100w, 75w, 60w, and 40 incandescent lamps from the national inventory. In fact, incandescent lighting is not being eliminated or outlawed...

It’s easy for facility managers to think of themselves as having a bricks and mortar job. This year’s FMXcellence recognition program shows how accurate that view is — and how limited. Behind all the heavy equipment and sophisticated technology of the projects that received recognition...

Although LED lighting has many potential advantages, energy savings is the one that attracts the most attention. But the energy savings during the course of a product’s lifetime only tell part of the story. To gauge a product’s full impact – not only in terms of energy consumption,...

Last year, the State of California conducted a series of data center cooling efficiency projects that yielded dramatic and impressive results. Join us to hear how these data centers were modernized with new wireless control technology to slash cooling energy use. Two data center specialists will reveal...

Savvy investments in energy efficiency retrofits for buildings could yield more than three times their value, mounting to about $1 trillion in energy savings in a decade, says new research from Deutsche Bank and The Rockefeller Foundation.The study released today said that yield would be just one of...

In response to a corporate initiative to reduce its carbon footprint, the corporate facilities department at Munich Reinsurance America began a series of projects in 2007 to reduce the company's energy use. Click here to find out how Munich Reinsurance America reduced energy consumption by more than...

The EMD Serono Research Institute, completed in January 2011, is a LEED Gold R&D lab built to enhance collaboration and synergies. Built on a fast-track schedule, the project incorporated occupant feedback throughout the design process while focusing on safety and energy efficiency. Click here to...

Public facilities around the state of Illinois are eligible for financial incentives through the state’s Illinois Energy Now program to upgrade to more energy efficient lighting prior to the phase-out for certain types of fluorescent lamps next year. The Western Illinois Regional Council Community...

In Seattle, there is a movement underway. It is being undertaken by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and the goals are very lofty. If just 16 percent of the commercial building space in the metro Seattle area made energy-efficiency renovations, the energy savings could reach nearly 100 average...

Energy efficiency financing is on track to become a mainstream financial asset class, as it may develop a high degree of standardization, scale and predictability, according to a report from Building Energy Performance Assessment (BEPA) News. “For several years, it has become increasingly evident...

No one really wants to say this out loud, but the fact is that a LEED design alone won’t give you an energy-efficient building. Architects don’t want to say it because it sounds like they’re not doing their jobs when they design LEED buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council doesn’t...

Visit the Vista Films Blog at its new location for insightful ideas on increasing energy efficiency in YOUR building. Recent posts include: How much window film energy savings will you receive? Low E window film explained in under 2 minutes

For the past two years, Building Operating Management has sponsored the FMXcellence recognition program for facility departments. FMXcellence aims to do two things. One is to honor FM departments that are adding value to their organizations. The other is to spread the word about successful programs,...

Check out my post on some of the politics surrounding President Obama's Better Buildings Initiative to cut energy use in existing buildings.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg School District’s strategic plan is to reduce all utility consumption by 20%, solid waste by 5%, and pollutants by 20% by the year 2014 and to hit those goals on a cost neutral basis. Click here to find out how facility strategies are playing a key role in achieving those...

The Hayes Consolidated Independent School District has held electric consumption flat even as the building square feet jumped 75 percent. Click here to learn what steps Hays took and how the district is reinvesting the money that would have gone to pay for electricity. Click here for management reports...

The Office of Facilities Management (OFM) within the Oklahoma Department of Central Services ramped up its energy efficiency and sustainability efforts in 2008 with the creation of an Energy unit within FM. Since then, FM has gone after everything from low-hanging fruit to LEED Gold certification and...

In 2009, an acquisition doubled the footprint of the PNC Financial Services Group. It was an enormous task to convert signage - 26,000 new signs for roughly 1,640 branches, ATMs, and office/administrative facilities, in 9 states at a cost of more than $50,000,000. Click here to read about how the project...

The Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools Operations and Maintenance Guide has been developed by Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) and regional stakeholders for use in any existing school facilities, regardless of age. School districts can use this guide to adopt green, healthy...

The Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools (Northeast CHPS) is a set of building and design standards for all schools from pre-K through community colleges. It is a guide for the building of energy efficient, environmentally friendly, healthy school facilities. It has been tailored specifically...