Sustainability
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Is climate-responsive paint a future reality?
An inventor used thermochromic pigment to create paint that darkens in cold weather and lightens in warm weather, resulting in interior temperature changes that could curb building energy costs, CNN reports.
By Robert Freedman • June 11, 2025 -
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OpinionWhat should performance benchmarking look like post-Energy Star?
The proposed elimination of one of the federal government’s most successful sustainability programs raises questions about how to measure building efficiency.
By Matt Ellis • June 6, 2025 -
Explore the Trendline➔
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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 -
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Targeted HVAC interventions can yield big savings, researcher says
By focusing on inefficient zones and rooms that generate a disproportionate share of fault signals to the building management system, operators can maximize their resources, a Stanford researcher says.
By Joe Burns • June 4, 2025 -
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How small operational changes can add up to large energy savings
Facilities that can’t afford to deploy capital for building system upgrades can eke out savings in ways operators might not have thought about, an Accruent white paper says.
By Robert Freedman • June 2, 2025 -
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NYC building owners still have time to file LL97 extensions
The city implemented a 60-day grace period for reporting annual energy and water use or for seeking an extension until August. Separately, a lawsuit against the regulation was dismissed.
By Joe Burns • May 29, 2025 -
Courtesy of BP Pulse
BP Pulse is bringing EV chargers to Waffle House
Chosen sites in the Southeast and the Sunbelt will get six electric vehicle charging bays, with the first locations coming online next year.
By Jessica Loder • May 27, 2025 -
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Building sector needs all hands on deck to meet Washington’s 2050 emissions goal: reports
To substantially decarbonize buildings by 2050, building owners must swap virtually all end-of-life fossil fuel appliances for zero-emissions alternatives after 2030, the Clean Energy Transition Institute and 2050 Institute said.
By Brian Martucci • May 27, 2025 -
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Smart building controls are key to addressing aging infrastructure, workforce: Trane
As the U.S. building stock ages and experienced technicians exit the workforce, facility managers must embrace building modernization, according to a report.
By Joe Burns • May 27, 2025 -
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Energy savings start with benchmarking, team-led audits, expert says
By educating staff on how small changes and regular maintenance to systems can impact energy, facility teams can improve efficiency without costly upgrades, according to a sustainability director at ESFM.
By Joe Burns • Updated May 22, 2025 -
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IFMA adds its name to Energy Star fight
Facility managers rely on the program for making informed decisions about commercial appliances and building systems, the group says.
By Robert Freedman • May 14, 2025 -
LEED v5 – now released – increases focus on indoor environment, worker safety
The new version streamlines decarbonization targets and accounts for indoor air quality, continuous monitoring and maintenance staff safety, USGBC’s director of existing buildings says.
By Joe Burns • May 13, 2025 -
Courtesy of IES
OpinionTo save money, building owners should treat energy standards as a floor, not a ceiling
Projects to make their facilities more efficient are an opportunity for owners to use sustainability goals to drive long-term business value.
By Christy Martell • May 9, 2025 -
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DOE pauses energy standards for federal buildings
The one-year stay gives the agency a chance to see if the Biden-era rule aligns with the priority the Trump administration is putting on fossil fuels, officials said.
By Robert Freedman • May 8, 2025 -
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How campus investments in digital buildings can fund future sustainability projects
Smart building and campus energy management systems helped the University of Wyoming move past its “spreadsheet from hell” and Georgia Institute of Technology qualify for a $214,000 utility rebate.
By Brian Martucci • May 7, 2025 -
Retrieved from Ohio University on May 06, 2025
Composting program turns cafeteria scraps to brown gold
Ohio University processes more than five tons of food waste every day into soil amendments it uses on campus. But it’s had to rethink parts of the program, the school’s sustainability director says.
By Joe Burns • May 6, 2025 -
Courtesy of Extra Space Storage
How Extra Space Storage is using solar to make money from its rooftops
The company’s solar project manager walks through what factors determine if a roof is suited to solar panels, whether for the building’s own energy or for a leasing opportunity.
By Robert Freedman • May 5, 2025 -
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Energy-as-a-service agreements and energy savings performance contracts: What’s the difference?
Both models can provide energy efficiency upgrades with no upfront costs, but asset ownership is one point on which they diverge.
By Joe Burns • May 1, 2025 -
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How to get HVAC replacement to pay for itself
A champion of energy service companies offers a reminder of their role in making large-scale retrofits cost-effective.
By Robert Freedman • April 29, 2025 -
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Connecticut prisons complete solar project, $11M in energy savings projected
The 8.3-MW system is privately owned, so the state prison agency had to put up no money and is taking none of the financial risk, the Connecticut Green Bank says.
By Robert Freedman • April 28, 2025 -
Retrieved from Nissan Stadium on April 23, 2025
New Titans stadium brings electrical, mechanical systems into a single command center
By pulling electrical and mechanical systems data into a centralized control center and seeing power consumption in real-time, operators will be able to improve energy efficiency before the stadium opens, Schneider Electric says.
By Joe Burns • April 23, 2025 -
Permission granted by LeFrak
Q&AHow LeFrak used a rooftop solar array to reduce CO2
Community relations head Charles Burton explains how 450 solar panels at a property in Jersey City, New Jersey, offset the property’s common area emissions by 13%
By Mary Salmonsen • April 15, 2025 -
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Organizations prioritize sustainability, but they’re slowed by manual data processes
A slowdown in federal sustainability mandates is pushing building operators to focus on reduction initiatives, Atrius says.
By Joe Burns • April 14, 2025 -
"City Hall" [Photograph]. Retrieved from City of Brockton, Massachusetts.
Brockton, Mass., leverages energy savings contract to preserve, improve two historic buildings
New window, lighting and HVAC systems aim to reduce energy and improve air quality, including in one building that has been unusable in extreme weather.
By Joe Burns • April 11, 2025 -
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Denver adds flexibility to building performance guidelines
Following public input, including some backlash from building owners, the new rules will push back compliance deadlines, remove electrification report requirements and reduce penalty rates, the city says.
By Joe Burns • April 9, 2025 -
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Daikin, Poppy partner to accelerate building ventilation rate testing
Adding Poppy’s real-time air-tracing and ventilation solutions to Daikin products and services can help buildings reduce energy costs and meet IAQ standards, the companies say.
By Joe Burns • March 27, 2025
