Helix Earth Attracts Funds to Separate Humidity Control From Temperature Control in Commercial HVAC
Helix Earth, a Rice University spin‑out, raised $12 million to commercialize a retrofit that separates humidity control from temperature regulation in commercial HVAC systems. The company’s MICRA unit can pre‑dehumidify supply air, cutting the cooling load on existing rooftop units by roughly 50 %. By decoupling these functions, facility managers can lower energy bills, improve indoor‑air quality and extend the lifespan of existing equipment. Helix aims to capture a share of the $150 billion commercial air‑conditioning market with this technology.
$266B in Building Carbon Costs Saved Thanks to BACnet, Study Shows
A University of New Hampshire study commissioned by ASHRAE finds that BACnet‑enabled building automation systems have avoided 1.4 billion tons of CO₂ since 1995, translating to roughly $266 billion in avoided climate costs. The model projects an additional 2.06 billion tons could be...
Renovation Backlog for College Facilities Hits New Highs
Universities are confronting a record‑high facilities backlog, with deferred capital renewal climbing to $156 per gross square foot in 2025—an 8 percent rise and nearly double the 2007 level. Spending now covers just 73.5 percent of the amount needed to maintain existing...
Energy Service Contracts Grow as Operators Look to Spread Costs
Energy‑as‑a‑Service (EaaS) and energy‑service companies are experiencing rapid growth as building operators pursue decentralized, resilient power solutions. The U.S. market, valued at $42.7 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $101.2 billion by 2035. Major players such as ABB, Siemens, and Ameresco...
Hyperscalers Will Own Two-Thirds of Data Center Capacity by 2031
Enterprise AI demand is reshaping the data‑center landscape, with hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft and AWS projected to control 67% of global capacity by 2031. In contrast, on‑premise enterprise data centers will shrink from 56% in 2018 to just 19% of...
NFPA’s Comprehensive Battery Safety Code Nears Finish Line
The National Fire Protection Association is set to release NFPA 800, its first comprehensive battery safety code covering the entire lifecycle of stationary energy‑storage systems and consumer‑grade batteries. The provisional standard, expected later this month after a fast‑tracked vote, will define...
Most Owners Willing to Insure Less of Their Property to Cut Costs: Nationwide
Nationwide’s 2026 survey of commercial‑real‑estate owners reveals a growing willingness to trim coverage in order to curb soaring insurance premiums. More than half of respondents said they would consider insuring less of their property, up 13 points from the previous...
Air Quality More Important than High-End Amenities: Worker Survey
A GPS Air survey of 750 U.S. workers reveals that more than 60% would choose fresher, more comfortable indoor air over high‑end office amenities, and 67% say clear communication about air‑quality measures would make them more willing to work on‑site. Employees...
The Price of Progress: How Manufacturers Are Weighing AI’s Energy Demands
Manufacturers are accelerating AI and robotics deployments, with 81% of executives planning higher AI spend over the next three years. While early‑stage robots like Agility Robotics' Digit cost roughly $1 per shift in electricity, experts warn that energy demand can...
AI Impact on Office Markets Won’t Be as Bad as Many Think, Newmark Says
Newmark’s latest report tempers fears that artificial intelligence will devastate office markets, arguing that the impact will be uneven. High‑quality, collaboration‑focused spaces are expected to stay resilient, while lower‑grade, commodity offices may see modest vacancy increases. The firm projects office‑using...
What FMs Need to Know About Data Center Immersion Cooling Fluid Selection
Rising rack densities are pushing traditional air‑cooling to its limits, prompting data‑center operators to adopt immersion cooling, where servers sit in a dielectric liquid. As these systems transition from niche crypto farms to AI and HPC workloads, the choice of...
Your Door Is Costing You More than You Think
Commercial buildings devote roughly 32% of energy to space heating, and a large share of that load stems from air infiltration through poorly sealed doors. Oak Ridge National Laboratory research shows door gaps cause more energy loss than any other...
Strategic Decarbonization Can Aid Green Goals While Improving Maintenance
Tenants are increasingly demanding sustainable building features and are willing to pay higher rents for them, prompting owners and facilities managers to align decarbonization with broader asset strategies. A new CBRE‑RMI‑ULI report argues that treating decarbonization as a separate initiative...
Radisson Hotel Group Raises Net-Zero Ambition for 100 Hotels, Sets 2030 Goal
Radisson Hotel Group announced a 2030 ambition for all 100 of its hotels to achieve net‑zero status, expanding the Verified Net Zero Hotels pilot that currently operates in Manchester and Oslo. The initiative targets full elimination of Scope 1 and 2...
Contracts Keep Many Facilities Safe From Near-Term Energy Shocks
The Iran‑Houthi conflict is pushing global oil and diesel prices higher, but most U.S. commercial facilities are insulated in the short term by multi‑year energy contracts and regulated rate‑setting processes. In deregulated states such as California, Illinois, New York and Texas,...
