By David Borchardt, P.E. and Jared Lyles, C.E.M., mechanical engineers with MD Energy Advisors (presented at NFMT Remix) — We have all received an energy bill and wondered why is it so high, what changed? We rack our brain and try to remember was it hot or cold last month, if the price of energy jumped, or if something else may have caused the increase. Enter benchmarking — an opportunity to take the mystery out of energy bill expenses.
So, just what is benchmarking? The Department of Energy defines it as “a mechanism to measure energy performance of a single building over time, relative to other similar buildings.” It takes into consideration the location and type or use of the building, number of occupants, size, operating hours, and the weather conditions, and compares your building to similar buildings. It allows you to know if your building’s performance changed and if other factors were involved. While none of this lowers your bill, it’s what you do with the information that could help you control your costs. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
In this feature from MD Energy Advisors, a Baltimore-based commercial, utility, and financing energy solutions company, we share low and no cost solutions, minimal cost solutions, and capital cost solutions. We will review each strategy and provide examples as well as links to free tools and tips.
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Sustainability is a priority on the agenda of many organizations. Objectives can include carbon footprint reduction goals, health and safety targets, and improvement in management of facility performance data that allows firms to track ESG compliance.
Facility services providers who are not prepared to support client sustainability agendas will find themselves losing out to more agile, future-ready competitors. As such, they need to be ready to support clients across a range of sustainability-related requests to succeed in the years ahead.
Planon, a global provider of smart sustainable building management software that helps facility management services firms grow their businesses and be a resource to clients, advises the adoption of sustainability objectives such as these:
- Facility services providers can develop and navigate sustainable real estate strategies
- Clients will look to services providers to help mitigate the risk of real estate depreciation
- Real estate owners will seek out mature energy management technologies
- Health & Safety is a deciding factor in the success of back to the office strategies
- Sustainability will be an integral part of facility total experience initiatives
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The 100th edition of Informa Markets’ ISSA Show North America recently announced the recipients of the 2023 ISSA Show Innovation Awards. The Innovation Awards program honors trailblazing companies in the commercial, institutional and residential cleaning community.
Innovation of the Year Award
GP PRO (Georgia-Pacific) was honored with the Innovation of the Year Award for its Compact Quad Plus 4-Roll Toilet Paper Dispenser.
Innovation of the Year Award honorees are:
- PathogenFocus Air/Surface Disinfection Biosecurity by PathogenFocus is a chemical-free clean tech solution.
- Proline WAVE 1-liter Manual Dispenser by SC Johnson Professional uses recovered coastal plastic waste in its plastic bottles.
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Even ‘born’ leaders need professional development and networking opportunities. The NextUp network delivers inclusive programs and experiences that advance women at every stage of their career, accelerate workplace equity and drive business growth. Looking to expand its reach and include women in facility management (FM), planning, interior design, architecture and engineering, NextUp offers education and engagement sessions every month across the U.S. In 2024, more than 175 regional networking and leadership development events are planned.
On Dec. 12, anyone can join NextUp’s “Anywhere,” a virtual event that can help with professional planning and goal-setting. Setting Up for Success in 2024 is online from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. As the year concludes, many chapters are hosting celebratory events, with plans to resume educational programming in the new year. Ask an industry friend to join you at a local event:
NextUp Membership is open to individuals or members of a partner organization. When you join NextUp through The McMorrow Reports & FMLink, you are entitled to 20 percent off an individual membership when you enter the code: NextUp23McMorrow at checkout.
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ABM, a leading provider of facility services, infrastructure solutions and parking management, has entered into a three-year agreement to manage parking operations for Oracle Park in San Francisco, California. ABM will be managing three separate parking facilities at the home to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) San Francisco Giants.
ABM will serve as a single source for managing the combined 2,175 parking stalls located at Lot A on 3rd Street, Pier 48, and the King-Townsend Garage at 153 Townsend Street. ABM will deploy its local parking lot operators to manage these facilities and use its innovative technologies and green operating solutions to optimize each location.
ABM’s substantial parking facility management presence across San Francisco includes its position as the largest operator in the Financial District. In all, ABM serves more than 100 stadium and entertainment venues in the U.S., including six MLB ballparks as well as the Golden 1 Center for the nearby Sacramento Kings.
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There are 111 free industry sessions offered during the AHR Expo covering air conditioning, best practices, building automation and control, building design, certification, commissioning, energy conservation, efficiency, heating, HVAC/R systems and equipment, plumbing, refrigeration, ventilation, and more. In addition the show floor features 1,700+ exhibits from the top HVACR manufacturers. If you’re looking to explore and discover the very latest HVACR products and technology, you’ll find it all on display at the AHR Expo in Chicago, January 22-24, 2024.
The McMorrow Reports & FMLink editors recommend these sessions for facility managers, facility planners and engineers in charge of corporate offices and commercial buildings.
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Lithium-ion batteries are prevalent in many industries and applications, but they can be dangerous without the users even realizing there is a potential problem. Safe storage provider DENIOS-US has produced a new full-color poster that helps users to recognize and then safely handle defective lithium-ion batteries.
This informative poster alerts users to the most common causes of damage to batteries and then walks them through visual checks and olfactory tests to identify potential problems. In-device checks, and identifying issues while charging are also detailed. If damaged batteries are identified, the poster provides an action plan to deal with the problematic batteries quickly and safely. Products shown on the poster include the Ion-Charge-90 fire-safe cabinet for charging and storing batteries, and the Li-Ion Station for the safe storage of damaged or defective batteries.
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Facilities managers (FMs), architecture and design (A&D) professionals and others involved in creating and specifying commercial interiors are invited to submit a presentation for consideration for NeoCon 2024 Programming. The NeoCon commercial interiors event provides unparalleled programming across a diverse range of categories, offering educational and inspirational expertise and insight on today’s most important topics.
Submissions may be considered for the following programming formats: Online CEU Sessions, Onsite CEU Sessions, Workshops or NeoCon Talks. Up to 50 submissions will be selected for virtual presentations on the NeoCon Learning Hub. An additional 10 CEU presentations, four workshops and up to 10 talks will be invited and developed for presentation onsite at NeoCon. For consideration, complete the online application by January 15. Selected submissions will be notified by February 29 for the NeoCon 2024 programming lineup.
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Water filtration provider Pure Spout has launched an on-fountain filtration system designed to protect students and others using drinking fountains by reducing lead from the water system. Pure Spout filtration technology is engineered to exceed federal lead reduction requirements and provide safe drinking water for students so they can thrive. Pure Spout’s flagship product, the On-Fountain System, is an affordable and easy-to-install filter that removes lead right at the spout.
The Pure Spout On-Fountain Filter System won the Industrial Design of America (IDEA) Silver Award for Social Impact Design in 2023. The product is listed and certified by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) R&T to NSF Standard 53 for lead reduction — demonstrating the effectiveness of the new technology.
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This week's Featured Book from FMLink's new Books section is from the Plumbing/HVAC 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 the Plumbing / HVAC topic.
Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning provides an excellent blend of theory, skill development, and service information, making it a leader in the refrigeration and air conditioning field. This lab manual provides a variety of lab experiences to supplement the text. This comprehensive text teaches both fundamental principles and the service techniques needed to diagnose and remedy refrigeration and HVAC problems. Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning has been extensively updated to improve readability and address recent developments in the HVAC-R field.
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