Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label
Builders covet LEED certification -- it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- as a way to gain tax credits, attract tenants, charge premium rents and project an image of environmental responsibility. But the gap between design and construction, which LEED certifies, and how some buildings actually perform led the program last week to announce that it would begin collecting information about energy use from all the buildings it certifies. More
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Facilities America Presented by Fluor: Oct 29 - Nov 1, 2009 - Register Now!
AFE’s Facilities America Presented by Fluor is a comprehensive conference program on the latest in facilities management topics being held in conjunction with the Carolina Industrial & Facility Maintenance Show October 29 – November 1 in Greenville, SC. More
New Facilities Benchmarking Tool – Free Webinar September 16
AFE encourages its members to attend a Webinar at 2pm EDT on September 16 to see how the face of online benchmarking is changing. The Webinar is presented by FM BENCHMARKING, and will focus on how to apply benchmarking to reduce operating expenses in several key areas: utilities, maintenance, custodial and security. Sustainability will be mentioned briefly. To sign up for both a live and a recorded version, go to MoreMore
Japan Plans $21 Billion Solar Space Post to Power 294,000 Homes
The concept of space-based solar power was introduced way back in 1968, but it’s only recently that the world has latched on to the idea. Japan is definitely getting in on the action with its latest spacey plan - a $21 billion solar-powered generator in the heavens to produce one gigawatt of energy, or enough to power 294,000 homes. The Japanese government announced the plan back in June, but there has been an important new development - Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and industrial design company IHI Corp. are now teaming up in the race to develop new technology within four years that can beam electricity back to Earth without the use of cables. MoreMore
New York City Orders Concrete Retested in 82 Buildings
New York City announced plans to more closely scrutinize companies that test concrete after indictments called into question the strength of the material at some of the city's biggest building projects, including ground zero. The new measures include ordering the owners of 82 buildings to retest concrete in those structures, said Department of Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri and Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney. More
Certified Plant Engineer (CPE) Online and Classroom Review Classes Now Scheduled!
Online CPE Review: Join instructor Jim Taylor of Machinery Management Solutions for an extended review of the CPE Review Pack. This online class is double the instruction time of the traditional week-long review to allow working professionals to dedicate the appropriate time to prepare. Classes will be held from 12-2 EST. Traditional Classroom Review: To be held Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, 2009 in Eastern Massachusetts. For the schedule, pricing and registration, please click here. or contact Carol Lawrence at (571) 203-7238 or CLawrence@AFE.org.More
Facilities Expos Offer FREE Education
Facilities Expos are regional tradeshows full of cutting-edge products, services and free educational sessions. Facilities Expos are THE annual source of solutions for building and facility engineering, management and operations. A newly added element of Facilities Expos is Managing Green Buildings. With the push to make buildings more efficient and sustainable, Facilities Expos feature GREEN solutions on the show floor and in the educational seminars. For information on upcoming Facilities Expos, Click here.More
Meters for the Smart Grid
In this year's economic stimulus package, the United States government allocated $4.5 billion to developing technologies for the "smart grid," a revamped delivery system for electricity. Advocates envision a digital system that can make energy-saving adjustments to power flow. Several million networked meters have already been distributed in the United States. More
The New York Times Lighting Retrofit Saves $600K Annually
By conducting a lighting retrofit, the New York Times skyscraper has been able to reduce electricity used for lighting from 1.28 watts per square foot to just 0.38 watts per square foot. The 70 percent reduction translates into yearly savings of $30,000 per floor. In all, it adds up to nearly $600,000 in savings for the New York Times, according to a press release. More
Dubai's Vow of Silence Over Stalled Developments Seems to Be Working
Dubai's "build it and they'll come" philosophy is famously eye-popping. You have the symbols of excess: the palm-shaped villa compounds in the sea, or the planet's tallest skyscraper. But those are as nothing compared with plans that have yet to take shape. More