by Andrew Lehrer PE, LEED AP — In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards building electrification in commercial real estate to reduce carbon emissions. In addition, due to the increased role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies with major tenants in the market, solidifying an electrification plan is more important than ever in preventing an asset from becoming stranded as competitors innovate.
Electrification poses many challenges — available grid capacity, increased use of refrigerant, and converting existing assets, to name a few. This overview from ESD, now known as Stantec Consulting Services, however, will focus on costs. While it is a powerful concept, electrification does not automatically equate with energy cost reduction; any plan for electrification must carefully consider both capital and operating costs. Understanding that electrification must be decoupled from energy costs is particularly critical for asset owners and operators. While building electrification offers many benefits, the challenge of retail electric rates typically being higher than natural gas — significantly so in many cases (Table 1) — must be faced.
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Facilities maintenance managers increasingly depend on battery-powered equipment partly due to their extensive reliance on compact tools and devices, vehicles for personal transportation and utility, and golf cars. Further, the use of batteries is spreading to other types of equipment, thanks largely to environmental mandates and cost-saving initiatives. Facilities professionals need to keep up with new battery technology and energy-storage solutions.
Trojan Battery Company’s Mike Herr discusses how Trojan established its reputation, grew into a leading supplier of deep-cycle batteries, and continues to launch new energy storage solutions in his discussion with Eileen McMorrow, Editor-in-Chief of The McMorrow Reports.
Trojan Battery Company has existed for almost a century, shaping deep-cycle battery technology. It’s been a major supplier of golf, personal transportation (PTVs) and utility vehicle batteries for decades. What is the key focus of the brand?
Herr: I’d say innovation, problem-solving and improving performance in the field. We seek and monitor customer feedback and consider their needs with every battery we manufacture. We add value to our products by operating an international Customer Support Line and a network of Master Distributors.
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Healthcare and hospital professionals work in the most credentialed environments of all the professions. Going for training, additional certifications and credential renewal is par for the course. Facility managers in healthcare might want to share recent findings based on results from the ProFM Facility Management (FM) Training Outlook Survey that indicates the top challenges facing facility professionals and how organizations can improve retention and overcome staffing pressures.
Among the questions: Are professional credentials and qualifications as important in FM as in other professions? What value do they provide for FM staff and employers?
- 62% of managers of FMs say that credentials and qualifications are more important in 2023 than in previous years.
- 86% of FM professionals would pursue an FM credential if their employer supported them financially.
- 81% of FM managers say a credential or qualification is an influential factor in hiring or promoting FM staff.
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OpenWorks whitepaper highlights the risky downside of insourcing FM services.
Did you know that companies and organizations that have not thoroughly researched the concept of insourcing regarding their janitorial and facility management providers are risking their companies? Traditionally, people believe they have greater control when they rely on in-house facility management and cleaning crews. However, this belief couldn’t be further from the truth.
This whitepaper shows how outsourcing can reduce operational risk, help you regain control over daily activities, and save money. While facility services is a relatively small 2%-to-5% budget line-item cost, behind it lurks a multimillion-dollar operational risk that financial, operational, and facility leaders are not considering when they choose to insource commercial cleaning. In-house cleaning crews and FM teams don’t save the company money. Instead, they expose operations to various risks.
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The design-build industry has every incentive to stop contributing to landfills, to question conventional construction methods, and to limit damaging emissions because its leadership cares about the future of our planet and humans’ well-being. Fortunately, FreeAxez designed Gridd with the goal of creating a system that would be long-lasting and reusable, counting construction’s negative impact and making a positive difference. Gridd® by FreeAxez is a low-profile raised floor and cable management system made from steel, one of the most durable materials available, with minimal components. Gridd was created with the goal of remaining in use forever — easily relocated, reconfigured or repurposed — and never being discarded into a landfill.
FreeAxez commissioned The McMorrow Reports to research and write the paper, The Circular Economy of Gridd: How to Deliver the Power to Change, which explores the circularity of Gridd as considered under the ISO 59.010 Standard: Circular Economy. A case study is presented that compares a project with conventional wiring and cable management (with wires and cables above ceilings and embedded in walls) to a project that uses Gridd, with the goal of illustrating how Gridd is not only a circular product, but also is an alternative to other cabling methods because of the potentially smaller carbon footprint for installation.
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Education-packed sessions and training by key industry thought-leaders influence facility professionals to expand their knowledge and advance their skills by attending World Workplace, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) annual conference. The conference sessions selected below are among the most compelling to attract facility leaders to Denver September 27-29, 2023.
World Workplace 2023 tracks include Emerging Topic: Circular Economy; Emerging Topic: Prop Tech; Sustainability; FM Solutions; Leadership and Strategy; Finance and Business; Project Management; Real Estate; Operations and Maintenance; Risk Management; and Academics.
Sessions of interest include:
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The Book of the Week from FMLink's new Books section hails from the Project Management category. This collection of peer-reviewed books has been curated by the editorial team at FMLink to provide facilities, engineering and A&D professionals with access to publications relating to Project Management.
Keep up with the latest trends and the best practices in the healthcare construction industry with Construction Management of Healthcare Projects. This in-depth resource shows exactly what requirements are necessary for hospitals, with details on building components, specialized functions, codes and regulations. Also included are insightful case studies for you to see the real-world application. Additional insight is given by interviews from leading healthcare construction managers.
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The pressure for hospitals to be the most sanitary environments to halt the spread of germs and bacterial infections is paramount for all infection preventionists and hospital facilities staff. Clean is a daily concern for all facility and housekeeping staff.
Created to deliver impactful solutions to the global cleaning and sanitation community, ISSA Show North America 2023 will feature the latest products and innovations, access to education, and ways to engage with peers and industry leaders on critical topics facing cleaning professionals. In Las Vegas, November 13-16, the show is designed to help cleaning managers and professionals improve their career and better manage the healthcare facility needs.
ISSA’s Healthcare Track offers a range of topics to empower healthcare FMs to understand the power of clean while also making wise decisions about the skills they need to manage housekeeping and meet patient needs. The McMorrow Reports Healthcare recommends the sessions below.
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