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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Helpful Hints for Evaluating
Contractor Bids | by Bill Garland
When facility managers (fms) post a request for a proposal (RFP) for cleaning services, they are looking at one of the largest facility services costs. Therefore, they need to provide the contractor with a realistic outline of what is required, including a detailed cleaning specification. FMs also need to sift through a variety of bids in order to find the company that will best suit their needs. The goal is to find a contractor who will effectively perform the tasks as outlined in the specifications at a reasonable cost while often addressing non-financial expectations such as sustainability benefits.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
RENEWABLE ENERGY
In Persuit of Zero Energy Buildings
by Ann Vazquez
Energy consumption in commercial and institutional buildings will continue to increase until these structures can be designed to produce more energy than they consume. To address this issue, in 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Technologies Program established a goal to create the technology and knowledge base for marketable zero energy commercial buildings (ZEBs) by 2025

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Alternative Energy Trends: Follow The Sun
Is solar power the most promising alternative energy option
for commercial buildings?

Of all the alternative energy sources available, solar has recently emerged as the one generating the most attention within the commercial real estate industry, even if it is not yet the one generating the most energy. Currently, solar provides less than 1% of U.S. energy needs, but that’s changing. A report prepared by research firm Clean Edge and the non-profit Co-op America shows that solar has grown at an average pace of 40% per year over the last eight years and could contribute up to 10% of U.S. needs by 2025.

Solar in Public and Private Sector

Meanwhile, major companies in the U.S. are embracing solar like never before. IKEA recently installed a 302-kW solar energy system at its Palo Alto, CA store. Comprised of approximately 1,344 panels that will produce approximately 427,900 kWh annually, the system could reduce the equivalent of 326 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Organizations in New Jersey (see the accompanying sidebar, “Sun Shines On The Garden State"), thanks to aggressive financing assistance, tax incentives, real estate and development assistance, and access to small business services that support solar renewable projects, now hold the top spot in the nation for having installed more solar panels per capita than any other state. And major solar energy plants are planned or under construction in several other states as well.
Still, solar power is clearly not as simple as plucking the low hanging fruit. Facility managers (fms) know that simply recommissioning existing systems, calibrating thermostats, adjusting dampers, inspecting and adjusting controls, or converting light bulbs is not enough in terms of conservation. So where do they begin?