Facility Management Backgrounder
The Big Picture
Because large buildings consume enormous amounts of energy and other natural resources, there’s growing interest in increasing efficiency in commercial facilities. By improving and streamlining day-to-day building operations, facility managers can create and maintain better work environments while netting big financial dividends for their company.
Context
Commercial and residential buildings consume large amounts of materials and resources through routine maintenance. Recent statistics show that buildings use one-third of the energy consumed in the United States, and two-thirds of all electricity. Additionally, buildings generate waste during operation; can have poor indoor air quality, affecting worker health; and produce roughly a third of carbon dioxide emissions and other emissions that harm air quality. The broad category of facility management addresses a wide range of topics, including:
- waste management
- water conservation
- energy efficiency
- use of non-toxic cleaning and maintenance materials (pollution prevention)
- resource-efficient groundskeeping
- water conservation
Improved performance in any one of these areas can produce tangible savings for the business-savvy facility manager.
Getting Down to Business
- Polaris Building Maintenance in California previously used more than 30 cleaning products, most of which were petroleum-based. After working with its vendors to reformulate the products, Polaris now uses 10 water-based cleaning products. Polaris retrained its entire janitorial crew to work with the reformulated products. Initially not all employees wanted to change the products they used. However, company management strongly supported the changeover, and in time the entire janitorial crew adopted the new products.
- Nisshinbo California, Inc. retrofitted 15 ventilation-system fan motors with variable speed drives at its textile plant in Fresno, Calif. This change improved airflow control and energy efficiency. The plant reduced its energy consumption by approximately 1,600,000 kWh per year and achieved energy savings of 59%. This energy-use reduction translated to cost savings of approximately $101,000 per year, giving the project a simple payback of 1.3 years.
- Gangi Brothers Packing Company, a tomato processing and canning plant in Santa Clara, Calif., implemented several successful water conservation practices at its cannery, including the monitoring of operations to control water use and to identify areas where water could be saved. In 1983, Gangi Brothers used approximately 148 billion gallons of water during the canning season. By 1989 water use at the facility had dropped to 56.8 billion gallons, resulting in a savings of 91.4 billion gallons per season. Combined estimated capital and operating costs for water conservation at Gangi Brothers are approximately $89,500 per year. The estimated savings from lower sewer and water costs is $130,000 per year, so the net savings resulting from the implementation of water conservation practices at the cannery is approximately $40,500 per year (1990 dollars).
Key Players
- Retailers are developing and selling products that are easier on the environment than traditional products. From low-toxic paints to recycled carpet, most building materials retailers sell products through catalogs, online, and in select retail outlets. This briefing has links to several retailers; architects and builders may have other product source suggestions.
- Suppliers of energy- and water-efficient equipment and services offer a wide range of options to exchange resource-intensive equipment with more efficient analogs. Many have products certified through third-party programs.
- Landscape architects can help design outdoor areas using native plants or plants that require very little water. Using plants that can thrive on the area’s average rainfall (xeriscaping) eliminates the need for irrigation.
- State and local governments increasingly are offering incentives to help companies adopt resource-saving techniques and technologies.
Reality Check
Retrofitting, purchasing new equipment, or implementing process changes may require an initial capital investment. Typically, however, those costs are quickly recouped through cost savings.
Dramatic efficiency improvement, particularly in industry, may require dramatic changes to operating processes, such as reconfiguring steam systems or switching to efficient motors.
The implementation process may be slow because the participants must become familiar with resource-efficient facilities management practices. Further, a short-term building occupant may not see any payback, as savings generally match the original investment in three to five years.
Action Plan
There are hundreds of specific building techniques and products to integrate into a green building. The most important consideration is balancing economic input with environmental benefit.
Some general steps:
- Research applicable laws, codes, and regulations governing renovation or building. Also research applicable incentives available for energy saving measures.
- Assess building site characteristics (light, water/drainage/soil, air flow, and natural environment).
- Set a budget and schedule.
- Choose materials—investigate the cradle-to-grave environmental performance of proposed materials.
- Have the building commissioned—assesses whether things perform as they should and look for deficiencies in the building and its systems before and after occupancy.
- Specific green building ideas:
- Install motion-sensitive light switches that shut off automatically and task lighting at each desk so individuals can control their own light levels.
- Use native plants for landscaping.
- Use recycled-content products.
- Install energy-efficient appliances.
- Reduce dependence on air conditioning and heating systems by using natural light and shade as well as building features to store heat and cold.
- Install recycling facilities in the building.
- Reuse building components, fixtures, and furniture.
- Implement water conservation practices, such as using rainwater for irrigation.
- Supply adequate acoustic controls, such as white noise generators.
- Research programs that offer financial incentives for efficient resource management.
- Assess building site characteristics (light, water/drainage/soil, air flow, and natural environment).
Leads
- International Facility Management Association
Professional organization offers educational and certification programs for facility managers.
- Cleaning Products Pilot Project
U.S. EPA program promoting the procurement and use of environmentally preferable cleaning products.
- Indoor Air Quality Program
Provides information on indoor air pollutants.
- International Council on Ventilation Hygiene
Promotes global awareness of duct cleaning and indoor air quality.
- Corporate Realty Design and Management Institute
The organization behind the popular ‘Turning Green Into Gold’ seminar series.
- OSHA Safety and Health Topics: Indoor Air Quality
Offers a wealth of data on common indoor air pollutants, as well as tips for assessing the air quality in your workplace and guidelines on investigating complaints.
- Business Guide to Waste Reduction and Recycling
How to design and implement reduction, reuse, and recycling programs.
- How to Hire a Construction Manager for Your Energy Efficiency Projects
This guide will help companies determine whether to employ in-house staff for installing energy-efficiency upgrades or to hire an outside construction manager.
- Cleaning For Health: Products and Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment
A one-stop guide to environmentally preferable cleaning products and methods for offices, schools, hospitals, and other facilities.
- Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers
All the basics on preventing, identifying, and correcting indoor-air-quality problems.
- 365 Important Questions to Ask about Green Buildings
The information architects, designers, building owners, and facility managers have been waiting for on how to design, build and operate a green building — all packaged in one handy three-ring binder.
- Facility Manager’s Guide to Water Management
A comprehensive guide to a broad spectrum of water-management issues, from plumbing fixtures to cooling towers to landscaping.
- International Facility Management Association
Professional organization offers educational and certification programs for facility managers. - Cleaning Products Pilot Project
U.S. EPA program promoting the procurement and use of environmentally preferable cleaning products. - Indoor Air Quality Program
Provides information on indoor air pollutants. - International Council on Ventilation Hygiene
Promotes global awareness of duct cleaning and indoor air quality. - Corporate Realty Design and Management Institute
The organization behind the popular ‘Turning Green Into Gold’ seminar series. - OSHA Safety and Health Topics: Indoor Air Quality
Offers a wealth of data on common indoor air pollutants, as well as tips for assessing the air quality in your workplace and guidelines on investigating complaints. - Business Guide to Waste Reduction and Recycling
How to design and implement reduction, reuse, and recycling programs. - How to Hire a Construction Manager for Your Energy Efficiency Projects
This guide will help companies determine whether to employ in-house staff for installing energy-efficiency upgrades or to hire an outside construction manager. - Cleaning For Health: Products and Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment
A one-stop guide to environmentally preferable cleaning products and methods for offices, schools, hospitals, and other facilities. - Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers
All the basics on preventing, identifying, and correcting indoor-air-quality problems. - 365 Important Questions to Ask about Green Buildings
The information architects, designers, building owners, and facility managers have been waiting for on how to design, build and operate a green building — all packaged in one handy three-ring binder. - Facility Manager’s Guide to Water Management
A comprehensive guide to a broad spectrum of water-management issues, from plumbing fixtures to cooling towers to landscaping.
Bottom Line
Well-managed facilities are profitable buildings that can boast of reduced energy and maintenance costs. They are also healthier buildings, both in terms of environmental impact and improved worker health and safety and morale. Businesses that want to reduce costs, streamline operations, stay ahead of regulators, and contribute to a healthier environment should look into how they manage their facilities—and take responsibility for doing it smarter.