The world has awakened to the urgency of climate change and is responding with an enthusiasm that inspires hope. To meet the challenge of creating a livable future, more than 70 percent of the world’s nations, 9,000 companies, along with thousands of cities and universities, have joined the “Race to Zero.” This United Nations initiative, a pledge to implement strategies to halve global emissions by 2030, could lower global emissions by nearly 90 percent if it succeeds.

These are energizing goals, but for most organizations announcing net zero goals is only the beginning. Facility managers tasked with meeting these goals are directly impacted with added pressure to increase operational efficiencies, reduce energy consumption, alter equipment selection processes based on emissions, and develop new project criteria around electrification and other related initiatives. Between promoting a 2030 net zero goal and reaching that goal in just six years lies a long phase of incremental shifts. What are the most critical next steps to keep their companies on the road to net zero? How can teams keep this momentum going?

Launch with confidence through collaboration & support

Everyone in an organization can be involved in projects that reduce energy use and waste. However, identifying early on who can steer funds, employees and technology toward sustainability goals is imperative. FMs with resources that correlate to the company’s mandates will have a better chance of success.

Taking the time now to build consensus will encourage broad buy-in and participation that will fuel steady progress. Working with those in the C-suite and the legal and accounting departments can provide capital, clarity on disclosure and compliance issues, and access to utility data, vendors and other external aspects. These departments can offer some of the information FMs need to identify opportunities for reducing inefficiencies and where money is being spent.

However, many FMs and sustainability teams continue to report that the biggest roadblock to success is a need for more resources. Identifying project priorities through data-driven decisions and enhanced measurement and verification processes can build the case for additional budgets. Also, a shift to a proactive maintenance strategy continues to be a strong initiative among many facilities teams in parallel to capital project work. Sharing the cost-effective results of early initiatives can build the case for further budgets and more ambitious projects.

Highlighting the ROI of projects can help ensure further budget support required for more ambitious goals. Having good data at the start of the journey combined with dedicated software can show scenarios where, for example, spending now on solar upgrades will help teams reach their targets and potentially lower energy costs.

Get a deep view of energy use & emissions baselines

Having an in-depth view of current energy patterns is a must. The aphorism continues to hold: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” A full carbon assessment will reveal how much and where energy is being used. Spreadsheets can track energy use, but this method is costly, time-intensive and does not offer the 360-degree facility views of a purpose-built software platform. Manually inputting data opens the door to errors and redundancy.

A more efficient method is to institute an ongoing, automated data collection that more quickly reveals trends. Purpose-built software offers the ability to drill down, visualize anomalies across an organization, and find opportunities to reduce energy and waste.

Avoid common pitfalls at the start of a sustainability journey

There are often-seen issues that can occur early in the process but can be avoided with some consideration. One problem is not having clarity around goals, which creates confusion, lack of cooperation and difficulty getting additional resources. Science-based targets are usually managed by the sustainability director and C-suite; so, making sure these organizational goals are communicated is essential to keep FMs and other operations staff aligned.

Another obstacle is continuing to rely on outdated data collection and analysis methods. Manual methods for compiling information do not provide total views of consumption and can be rife with errors. Companies that evolve to technological platforms and away from manual input are likely to gain boosts in productivity and progress. Teams comfortable leveraging technology to do manual tasks will have more time and resources for energy reduction projects.

Many teams also need infrastructure updates related to energy meters and devices. These tools not only support data gathering but also provide continual implementation of reduction measures through controls and optimization. Additionally, organizations might have multiple reporting and data management systems. Consolidating tools and reports reduces data entry and compilation duplication, potentially saves costs on multiple subscription or platform fees, and establishes a single reference point of measure to manage across multiple teams.

Another barrier is siloing information. This goes back to the initial steps of building collaboration and soliciting broad buy-in and support. Using transparent technology, whether shared dashboards or screens showing progress and successes, can lead to further innovation and participation as new programs are launched, particularly toward renewable energy.

The evolution to renewable energy & electrification

The International Energy Agency reports that the world is at a critical change point, with an acceleration away from fossil fuels to a cleaner, renewable energy grid. Clean energy has surged over the past few years, including an unprecedented billion USD spent globally daily on solar deployment in 2023, the ramping up of battery manufacturing, and EV sales jumping dramatically in just a few short years.

Many FM teams have already established initiatives, processes and goals around energy efficiency. Sustainability and decarbonization should be presented as an iteration or next level of maturation and awareness that includes both fiscal and environmental responsibility with new ways to measure, track, and implement change and improvements.