The case for bidirectional EV charging is growing stronger

The case for bidirectional EV charging is growing stronger

Electric vehicles are building market share across the United States in places such as California, Florida, New York, Texas and Washington state. At the same time, the country’s aging electrical grid appears increasingly unable to handle the rising demand for charging services during peak load times. Bidirectional charging through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology represents at least…

To reduce disease and fight climate change, design buildings that breathe

To reduce disease and fight climate change, design buildings that breathe

  Healthy air quality in buildings improves cognitive function and combats the spread of disease, but its implications for carbon reduction are perhaps the most important benefit. The benefits of fresh air have long been tied to health and productivity. But as we continue to examine the built environment’s role in climate change, its implications…

Faculty Housing: A Powerful Recruitment Tool

Faculty Housing: A Powerful Recruitment Tool

Recruitment is a growing issue for employers located in areas with a diminishing inventory of affordable housing. The world of higher education is no exception; institutions often struggle to pay staff the wages that make living near campus possible. When conversations begin with a future staff or faculty member, base pay and benefits packages are…

Facility and HR Professionals Share New Psychology of Clean for Workplace Experience

Facility and HR Professionals Share New Psychology of Clean for Workplace Experience

More than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic made Zoom calls a reality and daily commutes infrequent, employers are still juggling their return-to-work options among fully remote, fully in-person, hybrid, flex space, and shared space approaches. And now, it’s a dual effort on the part of both HR managers and facility managers to retain current…

CIWM launches new Strategic Expert Group to help guide journey to net zero

CIWM launches new Strategic Expert Group to help guide journey to net zero

  The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has announced the formation of a new Strategic Expert Group on the Climate Emergency to oversee and guide its work in this area. The Institution has also launched its Net Zero Roadmap, which details its Pathway to Net Zero and brings forward its target date for achieving…

Sustainability – ways MEP engineering can help make older buildings become more efficient

Sustainability – ways MEP engineering can help make older buildings become more efficient

Perform an energy audit Before installing new equipment, or making upgrades to enhance an older building, owners and facility managers should first consider performing an energy audit to determine if existing systems are operating at optimum levels. There could be several contributing factors, or a single issue, preventing your system from operating at maximum efficiency….

What drives a successful fleet electrification strategy?

What drives a successful fleet electrification strategy?

Fleet electrification for vehicles has become a focus for large players in the United States, such as UPS, which placed an order for 10,000 electric delivery vehicles in 2021, and Amazon, which partnered with electric vehicle startup Rivian, to electrify its transportation. President Joe Biden signed an executive order in late 2021 that directed the…

A Better Understanding of NFPA 70E: Setting Up an Electrical Safety Program (Part 5 – Risk Assessments)

A Better Understanding of NFPA 70E: Setting Up an Electrical Safety Program (Part 5 – Risk Assessments)

NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® Section 110.5(H) requires that a risk assessment procedure be developed as part of an electrical safety program (ESP). NFPA 70E is not a how-to manual for detailing a risk assessment procedure. It is also not appropriate for training an employee how to conduct the assessment. There…

Designing learning environments to support the future of equitable health care

Designing learning environments to support the future of equitable health care

  While the shortage of rural health care practitioners was a concern before the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health crisis has highlighted the importance of health equity in the United States and the desperate need for practitioners help meet the needs of patients in vulnerable rural communities. Approximately 20 percent of Americans live in rural…