Why raise energy management standards?
According to Mike Zimmerman, CEO of BuildingIQ, President Obama's Better Buildings Initiative sets quite a few goals for improving energy efficiency in US commercial buildings, which consume over 20 percent of all energy in the United States. By investing in clean energy technologies, the goal of the Initiative is to achieve a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2020 through cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades.
For Mike, reducing our energy usage in commercial buildings isn't quite as challenging as it may sound. There are technologies available that can help commercial building owners to cut down on their buildings' energy usage and costs.
That being said, it is obvious that the industry as we know it today will evolve and may look much different by 2020: first of all, energy prices will be materially higher but much more dynamic, with peak cost per kwh being a multiple of base load.
Also, it is expected that energy optimization will be an integrated part of a commercial building operator's energy management plan, with operators setting energy strategy and goals rather than having to manage the day-to-day energy systems, and that building operators will have a clear view of energy usage within their buildings in real time.
We could also predict that demand response in 2020 will simply be integrated into tariffs as part of real-time or semi-real-time pricing, and that cloud technology, making everything accessible from anywhere (i.e., computers, tablets, mobile devices, etc), will drive long-term portfolio value as well, with building energy performance as a key factor in buying, leasing and investment decisions (read Mike Zimmerman’s full article).
These are some of the reasons, alongside a smarter energy grid and improved energy management coverage, why in the future professionals should raise their skills in the field of energy management and facilities management. And this is the purpose of RICS’ upcoming Guidance Note The strategic role of facilities management in business performance.
This year RICS Facilities Management will essentially develop a 'Principles Paper' along the lines of our Global Real Estate Agency Standards, as well as a 'Position Paper' outlining what RICS understands FM to be.
The Principles Paper will then be incorporated into a 2012 edition of The strategic role of FM in business performance, and then put into four service line guidance notes of Security, Catering, Cleaning and Building maintenance: strategy, planning and procurement.