In 2022, the Biden administration announced the first Federal Building Performance Standard, a set of steps aimed at reducing energy consumption and electrifying equipment and appliances in federal buildings by 2030. While this plan represents significant strides toward sustainability, the path to carbon neutrality remains less defined. As climate change drives devastating global risks, including increased wind intensity, rainfall, flooding, or other severe weather events that can damage infrastructure, reducing carbon emissions is crucial to mitigating the impacts.
Building owners and operators are on the front lines of carbon reduction, increasingly faced with meeting decarbonization standards while staying within budget and communicating decisions and results to stakeholders. But as much of the public discourse around reduction focuses on macrolevels of global or regional carbon, every organization needs to have a better handle on its own unique carbon footprint. Doing so effectively starts with knowing where to find energy-related data—the foundational element that helps organizations plan for decarbonization and effectively manage the carbon footprint of commercial buildings. This allows facilities managers to formulate a clear strategy and actionable steps to ensure sustainability.
Why Clean and Standardized Data Matters
Reliable data continues to be indispensable for driving effective decision-making and shaping maintenance strategies. According to Brightly Software’s 2025 State of Asset & Facilities Report, 98% of respondents rely on data to generate reports and make informed decisions on managing their assets and facilities. Effective decarbonization planning can only be achieved when organizations comprehensively understand their assets and energy usage.
Utilizing technology to gather real-time data on all aspects of facilities—from HVAC to electric systems—enables maintenance and operations leaders to gain insight into the state of their assets, providing evidence to inform decisions about asset health. Modern Internet of Things (IoT) sensors play a crucial role in this data-gathering process, offering continuous monitoring capabilities across multiple building systems. These sensors can track everything from energy consumption and temperature fluctuations to occupancy patterns and equipment performance in real-time.
To gather real-time data, though, organizations must have a complete understanding of the state of their current infrastructure and assets. However, many organizations often struggle with determining where to begin. Start by conducting a comprehensive audit of current data collection methods and existing systems. This includes identifying all energy consumption points, reviewing current monitoring capabilities, and assessing staff expertise in data management. Then create an inventory of all building systems that impact energy usage, from HVAC to lighting.
Without a comprehensive view, the consequences of having inaccurate data can be significant, leading to misleading assessments that can hinder effective facilities management, which can compromise infrastructure care. For example, faulty data on an HVAC system might show that it’s functioning properly and doesn’t require repairs, when in reality, the system could be malfunctioning, leading to overworking, overheating, and eventually a breakdown.
Facilities managers depend on accurate data for smooth operations, but if the data isn’t actively managed and used properly, the financial and reputational costs can be significant. By maintaining an accurate, centralized database of assets and infrastructure through a maintenance management system (CMMS) or other system, organizations can gain a comprehensive view of what’s happening across their operations.
Harness Data to Drive Smart ESG Strategies
Facilities leaders are feeling an increasing urgency to ensure the health of their assets due to operational costs, budget constraints, and stricter environmental laws and regulations. They must consider not only how to proactively address short-term infrastructure upgrades but also how to plan for weather-related emergencies. Building decarbonization is a marathon, not a sprint, and requires forward planning. Advanced software solutions such as asset management software can help organizations aggregate utility bills and build data into a centralized platform, providing valuable insights into energy usage patterns. This holistic view makes it easier to uncover energy inefficiencies, identify peak demand periods, and pinpoint opportunities for energy conservation.
By leveraging data to compare current carbon emissions with internal sustainability targets and regulatory requirements, organizations can make more informed decisions. This data-driven approach helps prioritize projects and initiatives that offer the greatest return on investment (ROI) while advancing long-term environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives.
One effective strategy is simulating various scenarios. By modeling different approaches, companies can prioritize initiatives that balance cost-effectiveness with maximum impact on sustainability, ultimately driving both operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Track and Optimize Facility Performance
Once sufficient updates have been made to enhance a building’s sustainability, real-time monitoring allows stakeholders to track the progress of implemented measures against set targets and generate detailed reports for ongoing evaluation. Without effective data, facilities managers are unable to accurately compare pre- and post-implementation results. This lack of sufficient data makes it difficult to quantify the impact of changes, negatively affecting the effectiveness of sustainability programs and make informed decisions for future improvements.
Wake Forest University, founded in 1834 and established on its current campus in 1956, has a long-standing tradition of operational excellence through its performance tracking and analytics. Sustainability and efficiency are key priorities for both the university and its more than 9,000 students, driving a constant focus on energy usage. As the university’s infrastructure requires continuous upgrades, facility leaders sought an integrated solution to comprehensively track and report on asset management and facility operations. Implementing a CMMS and strategies like asset investment planning (AIP) and tracking energy usage unlocked data to effectively monitor asset performance, manage costs, and track energy consumption. These capabilities not only improved efficiency but reinforced the university’s commitment to sustainability and preserved the integrity of its campus facilities.
Additionally, by utilizing an energy management system, Western Carolina University gained visibility into its utility usage by building or utility meter. The system tracks monthly energy usage and consumption, making it easy to compare historical data across months or years. This enables the university to make informed decisions about facility usage, repairs, and updates, helping to conserve energy and costs. As a result, the university has been able to replace aging buildings with more energy-efficient facilities and continually update older infrastructure with more efficient components, leading to positive trends in energy usage.
The experience from both universities demonstrates how effectively tracking and leveraging data in facilities management enables organizations to take the critical steps toward achieving their ESG goals. Facilities across all sectors, public and private, can use this as a model for innovation and efficiency.
As environmental challenges escalate, it’s essential for facilities managers to harness the power of clean, centralized data—not only to optimize business operations but to also inform their ESG strategies. Sustainability, ESG, and decarbonization are no longer optional add-ons to a company’s corporate plan; they are now integral components, same as cybersecurity and innovation. The introduction of the Federal Building Performance Standard is a positive step forward, but both public and private sectors must align in their efforts toward net-zero carbon emissions, using data as a key driver in achieving this goal.
Katie Gramajo is the senior industry manager in education at Brightly Software, a Siemens company.