Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
On April 12, the Biden administration finalized congressionally mandated energy efficiency standards for the most common residential and commercial lightbulbs. The standards will go into effect in July 2028 for newly produced bulbs. Over 30 years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects the standards will save Americans more than $27 billion on their utility bills […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is opening enrollment for the Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Campaign, which will help public building owners pay for today’s building upgrades with tomorrow’s guaranteed energy savings. The ESPC Campaign is a voluntary initiative that engages and supports state and local governments, universities and colleges, school districts, hospitals, and other market stakeholders […]
Leading states are strengthening policies to enable widespread use of electric cars, trucks, and buses, but all states will have to dramatically step up their efforts to enable a full transition, according to a new report. The 2023 State Transportation Electrification Scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) evaluates states’ policies to encourage electric […]
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 […]
As facilities professionals prepare for hurricane season, they should check out a hurricane-resistant emergency operations center (EOC) that’s currently under construction and is being built to weather the most dangerous Florida Keys storms: the new two-story Monroe County Emergency Operations and Communications Center on the Island of Marathon, which will be 28,321 square feet, including […]
Organizations wanting to go green typically install rooftop or ground-mounted solar projects or buy renewable energy credits. But a water utility in New Jersey has embraced a novel approach, installing North America’s largest floating solar project. Consisting of 16,510 solar panels, the 8.9-megawatt (MW) solar array covers 17 acres of the Canoe Brook reservoir in […]
For many people, the term “cholesterol” is associated with serious health issues such as heart problems, clogging of the arteries, and stroke. But doctors will tell you that not all cholesterol is created equal. HDL, high-density lipoprotein, is considered by doctors today to be “good” cholesterol, while LDL, low-density lipoprotein, is “bad.” It took doctors […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy have announced the winners of the 2023 ENERGY STAR Awards. These 220 organizations, which represent the top ENERGY STAR partners, are making significant contributions in support of the clean energy transition. They come from 37 states and multiple economic sectors, including Fortune 500 companies, […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the names of 15 organizations that each earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification for more than 150 commercial, multifamily, and industrial buildings in 2022. In total, the top certifiers collectively certified more than 3,700 buildings representing over 800 million square feet of floor space. EPA is highlighting the […]
Federal prosecutors have charged a Florida man and Maryland woman with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that the defendants—Brandon Clint Russell, reportedly a neo-Nazi leader, and Sarah Beth Clendaniel—planned racially motivated attacks on multiple electrical substations in an effort to “completely destroy” the city of Baltimore. The […]