FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
FROM REGULATION TO RESILIENCE
Alongside maintaining ageing buildings, managing operations, and ensuring occupant comfort, facilities managers must now also navigate a tightening regulatory landscape. The Building Safety Act, the Future Homes and Buildings Standards, changes to Energy Performance Certificates, and the subsequent reporting that they each require are all reshaping the way that compliance is understood and enforced.
While it is easy to view these more complex requirements as hurdles, we should instead see them as an opportunity to embrace best practice. A well-planned decarbonisation strategy based on measurement assessment will naturally deliver on these expectations. This is because performance-based decision-making not only helps us to future-proof our buildings, but it also provides robust documentation that ensures compliance and, in turn, reduces risk and liability issues later down the line.
If we want to stay ahead of emerging regulations, a fabric-first approach is essential. This is because no matter what energy system is used, it will only be as energy efficient as the building fabric allows. Upgrading the building envelope by improving insulation, addressing thermal bridging, and sealing any air leaks, will minimise energy demand at the source. This means that whether renewable technologies are integrated now or in the future, real-world performance must be prioritised from the outset.
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE LONG TERM
To establish a reliable performance baseline and ensure an effective retrofit, it is critical to begin with independent, third-party testing. Objective, impartial verification provides confidence that initial conditions are accurately understood which forms the foundation for any subsequent interventions.
According to our recent research, construction professionals that rely on independent testing, rather than self-certification, report significantly higher confidence in their outcomes. Specifically, 46 per cent of architects and 44 per cent of engineers that used physical measurements reported greater trust in their results. This underscores the importance of third-party validation, not just for accountability, but for continuous improvement.
However, while retrofit is often considered a single event, the reality is that performance must be managed continuously. Cloud-based in-use monitoring systems now make it possible to track performance in real time and identify both immediate issues and emerging trends. This enables facilities managers to make data-driven adjustments that both ensure occupant comfort and avoid energy waste. Perhaps, even more importantly, continuous monitoring will provide ongoing verification of retrofit outcomes to ensure that performance targets are not only met but maintained over time.
FROM OBLIGATION TO OPPORTUNITY
A common misconception is that striving for net zero means sacrificing comfort, quality, or operational efficiency. In practice, when retrofits are planned strategically, this is far from the truth. A well-executed decarbonisation strategy will enable occupants to benefit from several advantages at once.
For facilities managers adopting a holistic approach combining accurate diagnostics with an understanding of actual building use, compliance becomes not a tick-box exercise, but an opportunity to do better.
Retrofit is a challenge, yet a worthwhile one. When done well, it transforms decarbonisation from an operational burden into a positive catalyst for change.
However, the time to act is now.
