FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
The knowledge of a technology-agnostic service partner can lay a path to decarbonisation for critical and non-critical facilities.
Sustainability is a necessity for FM teams, with growing pressure to move away from fossil fuels, adopt renewable energy, and optimise operations to meet looming Net Zero targets. One recent example is that all commercial buildings require a rating of ‘C’ for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) from April 2025. A major challenge for FM teams is meeting these objectives while operating legacy systems and reactive approaches to maintenance.
A solution to overcoming this is to call in a service partner with expertise in FM technologies. Schneider Electric’s EcoConsult, EcoFit, and EcoCare services empower operators across commercial real estate, retail, leisure, education, public access, and healthcare facilities to leverage data-driven decision-making that embeds sustainability into day-to-day operations. By using a service partner, FM teams can freely access cutting-edge capabilities within existing facilities while setting the foundation for a sustainable future.
Supported sustainability
According to the UK Environmental Audit Committee, the built environment accounts for 25% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. This shows the scale of sustainability potential in the sector, where many small improvements to energy efficiency will be needed. Typically, facilities managers can benefit from service expertise in three areas.
The first area is identifying improvements through auditing, evaluating, and mapping a facility’s assets. This will identify the efficiency, operational scheduling, criticality, and condition of assets. This insight is essential to identifying actions that will target the biggest emissions savings first. An important consideration when using a service partner is that they should be technology-agnostic in order to support systems from many vendors. This is a core principle for Schneider Electric’s EcoConsult service experts, who can work with and recommend a range of best-in-class software and hardware.
A second advantage of using a service expert is in facilities where legacy equipment remains in operation. Major upgrades to new, more energy-efficient assets may not be possible, so a service like Schneider Electric’s EcoFit will extend asset life. This makes the most of the CO2 emissions embedded in existing assets by retrofitting or upgrading only the components where a modern high-efficiency product will save energy and improve availability. This approach to incremental modernisation avoids impacting business continuity, with the legacy components being collected for reuse and recycling.
The third area where a service partner can boost sustainability is through proactive insight and data-driven support. Next-generation service plans like EcoCare will free up on-site teams to focus on customers while using external support for deep technical knowledge in selected areas. For example, remote experts can identify energy-saving opportunities and prevent downtime using data from 24/7 monitoring support, advanced algorithms, and predictive analytics.
EcoConsult, EcoFit, and EcoCare combine dedicated support, proactive maintenance, and sustainability insights for the FM sector in the lead up to Net Zero targets. Services are a simplified and supported entry point into digital transformation, and a low-risk way to making continuous, sustainable improvements. Read the Schneider Electric white paper ‘Benefits of Shifting from Traditional to Condition-based Maintenance in Electrical Distribution Equipment’ to start your journey toward embracing condition-based maintenance for your equipment.
