ADVICE & OPINION
FMJ.CO.UK
FM CLINIC
Today, FMs are at the frontline of delivering net zero strategies and climate adaptation efforts – overhauling energy consumption, space planning, and daily operations. Against this backdrop, organisations and their facilities teams face the complex challenge of balancing decarbonisation goals, climate resilience, operational efficiency, compliance, and cost control. What we’re increasingly seeing is that many organisations don’t even know where to begin. They rightly look to their FMs for leadership in developing pragmatic sustainability roadmaps. No one understands a building and its operational needs better than those managing it daily. Yet, the journey is complex, with intertwined challenges spanning technology, finance, and estate development. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to decarbonisation; making it investable requires blending multiple technologies with diverse funding streams. At Equans, we believe the built environment offers vast, untapped potential for progress through pragmatic and scalable actions. One common industry roadblock is shortterm budgeting, which often obscures the true value of comprehensive energy management. By adopting whole-life cost principles in procurement and asset management, facilities teams can demonstrate Paul Bullard ROI beyond immediate energy savings – incorporating risk reduction, compliance benefits, and future-proofing. To address this, we developed Carbon Shift – an integrated decarbonisation and resilience solution designed to help organisations plan, fund, and implement their sustainability strategies. Carbon Shift supports identifying cost-saving opportunities, accessing third-party funding and government grants, exploring private financing partnerships, and crafting long-term investment plans aligned with operational and capital expenditure goals. This strategic approach unlocks external funding sources and transforms sustainability from a regulatory burden into a competitive advantage. The key is aligning net zero commitments with cost-effective, scalable solutions that guarantee operational resilience for years to come. By embedding decarbonisation and climate resilience into everyday decision-making and operations, FMs can create workplaces that meet today’s demands while preparing for
James Rooke
tomorrow’s challenges. Ultimately, energy management is not solely a technical challenge – it’s a necessity. By prioritising data-driven action, developing team capabilities, and navigating a fragmented regulatory landscape collaboratively, the built environment can accelerate the adoption of energy solutions that simultaneously reduce costs and meet sustainability objectives.
INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR BUILDING MAINTENANCE VIEW PAUL BULLARD, CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER AT SFG20 Geopolitical instability and oil market volatility have reinforced the need for greater energy security. For the built environment, the challenge is not simply whether to adopt renewable or low carbon technologies, but how to make buildings more efficient, resilient and costeffective to operate. Technology has an important role to play. Building Management Systems, smart metering, IoT sensors and data analytics can help facilities teams understand how energy is being used, identify inefficiencies and make more informed decisions. However, digital solutions are only part of the answer. Energy management must also be rooted in good maintenance strategy, practical operational planning and a clear understanding of how buildings perform. One of the most underappreciated opportunities is the effective use of energy data. Many organisations already have access to valuable information through meters, BMS platforms, asset records and maintenance histories, but the challenge is turning that data into meaningful action. Used well, it can help FM teams spot unusual patterns, prioritise interventions and understand where maintenance, controls, insulation or operational changes could deliver the greatest impact. Asset condition is also central to energy performance. A wellmaintained asset will almost always operate more efficiently than a neglected one. Poorly serviced plant, incorrect controls settings, worn components, blocked filters, damaged insulation or unresolved defects can all increase energy use long before an asset reaches the point of failure. This is why maintenance should be seen not only as a compliance or reliability function, but as a practical lever for reducing energy demand. There is also value in taking a more coordinated approach to planning maintenance activity. Where appropriate, facilities teams can align planned maintenance, reactive works and energyrelated checks so that tasks requiring the same skill sets, access
One of the most underappreciated opportunities is the effective use of energy data. Many organisations already have access to valuable information through meters, BMS platforms, asset records and maintenance histories, but the challenge is turning that data into meaningful action.”
Paul Bullard
JUNE 2026
21