Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $90 million in competitive awards to help states, cities, tribes, and partnering organizations implement updated energy codes for buildings. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these awards will support 27 projects across 26 states and the District of Columbia to ensure buildings meet the latest standards for energy […]
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign recently celebrated the achievements of 17 K-12 schools and districts that implemented exemplary projects to improve the energy and environmental performance of their facilities. Led by the DOE’s Building Technologies Office, the campaign is an interagency effort supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency […]
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly securing a foothold in the facility management space. A quick Google search for “AI tools for facility management” will produce a host of companies offering AI-driven tools to help with everything from maintenance management to space optimization. Facility managers who are eager to exploit the benefits of AI-driven tools should […]
Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), a historically Black university located in Charlotte, N.C., is giving its more than 150-year-old campus a facelift this summer as the Department of Facilities rolls out upgrades in academic, athletic, administrative, and residential buildings across the campus. The initiative, spearheaded by Director of Facilities Erna Perkins-Jones, began nearly three years […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of selectees for the Renew America’s Schools grant program, a competitive award that will support the implementation of energy improvements in public K-12 schools across the country. Following “unprecedented” demand for the funding, the DOE chose 24 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in 22 states to share […]
As power generation shifts to clean energy, using electricity more efficiently will be critical for reducing costs, averting blackouts, and cutting pollution, according to a new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The group evaluated five U.S. grid regions (California, Texas, the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast, and the Midwest) and found that […]
A summer construction project will cast the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in a new light—a few dozen of them, actually. The project, which will commence in June and should wrap by the start of the fall semester, will add and replace more than 50 lights along high-traffic walkways on City and East Campus. Most of the 13-foot-tall, pole-mounted […]
Virtually every business has a carbon footprint, and with that the responsibility to understand its effect on the environment and all the entities with which it interacts. While climate action is often associated with the largest corporations, the fact is that small to midsize businesses (SMBs) make up almost 90% of global enterprises. Their individual […]
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with major utility Xcel Energy. Under the MOU, the parties will work toward powering federal facilities in Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin with 100% carbon-pollution-free electricity (CFE) by 2030. The deal is in […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $45 million in available funding under the Renew America’s Nonprofits grant program, which will support projects to reduce energy use in buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) nonprofits. There are approximately 1.5 million 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the United States, including diverse organizations such as libraries, worship facilities, community centers, […]