Facility Changes That Drive 80% of Emissions Savings

The overlooked 20% of building strategies can deliver 80% of emissions savings. Here’s how to reset your 2026 baseline.

Ava Montini

Jan 6, 2026

Written by

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The 80/20 Pattern in Building Decarbonization

In business, the Pareto principle (the idea that 20% of actions create 80% of results) shows up everywhere. It also applies to the way buildings decarbonize.

Most portfolios still treat carbon reduction as a capital-projects problem: new chillers, new boilers, new equipment. These projects are visible, expensive, and easy to headline in ESG reports. But in practice, the biggest near-term gains lie in the systems that are already running every hour of every day.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, space heating, cooling, and ventilation are among the top energy end-uses in commercial buildings, with ventilation alone consuming nearly 10% of the total building energy. Factor in heating and cooling, and the air systems you already own set the floor for your emissions profile. Industry surveys and guidance reinforce this point: HVAC systems consistently account for approximately 40% of energy use in commercial facilities. A share that shifts by climate zone but remains dominant across the board.

Before you buy new megawatts, make the watts you already use travel a shorter, smarter, more efficient path.

Filtration as a carbon multiplier (not a consumable line item)

Why filtration matters for energy (and CO₂e)

Filters impose a pressure drop; fans work against that resistance. Basic fan/affinity laws tell us that pressure rises with the square of fan speed, and fan power typically scales with pressure/flow requirements. Therefore, adding resistance increases fan energy unless the system compensates by reducing the flow.

On variable-speed systems that maintain flow, peer-reviewed work shows roughly linear fan-power response to added system pressure: a 10% rise in total pressure drop ≈ 10% rise in fan electric power (assumes fan and motor efficiencies roughly constant at operating point). CaEE

Field and lab studies show that higher filter resistance reduces supply airflow and can increase total power (especially as filters load), degrading cooling capacity and forcing longer runtimes. Newer research also documents the compounding effects of filter loading, with heavy clogging cutting net supply airflow by >30%, a textbook example of invisible energy waste. ScienceDirect

Moving up in MERV doesn’t automatically mean higher energy costs. Well-designed filters use optimized media and geometry (like deeper pleats or more surface area) to keep airflow resistance low. Studies have shown that these higher-efficiency filters can have a lower pressure drop than inexpensive MERV 8 pleated filters, especially when systems are properly balanced. In other words, it’s the filter’s pressure profile that matters, not just the MERV number. ScienceDirect

If you can lower your filter pressure drop while maintaining or improving capture, you directly reduce continuous fan energy. One of the few all-hours loads in many facilities. Because fans run whenever you condition or ventilate space, these savings translate cleanly into CO₂e reductions (see Section 5 for the math).

Demand-Controlled Ventilation (DCV)

What DCV does

It modulates outside-air intake based on occupancy (CO₂, people-count, scheduling) to avoid conditioning empty spaces. Codes and standards increasingly require or encourage DCV in high-occupancy areas, with ASHRAE 62.1 updates clarifying when and how ventilation turndown is permitted (including addenda that allow reduction to zero OA during verified unoccupied periods in certain space types). ASHRAE

Across building types and climates, published work shows that DCV control logic achieves ~9–33% HVAC energy savings. Advanced rooftop-unit control packages, which incorporate multi-speed/variable fans, DCV, and smarter economizer control, have delivered double-digit fan and cooling savings, sometimes exceeding 20%. Taylor & Francis Online

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) analyses flag that cost-effectiveness depends on the baseline over-ventilation and occupancy patterns; if your current minimums are already close to code, savings shrink. That’s a guidance feature, not a flaw—the point is to measure your baseline VRs before projecting benefits. Energy Technologies Area

DCV is a surgical lever: attack over-ventilation where it exists, prove reductions with trend data, and lock in permanent load reductions; especially valuable in heating-dominated regions where conditioning outside air is expensive in both energy and CO₂e. Energy Codes Guide

Preventative Maintenance

Controls drift, coils foul, dampers stick, sensors mis-calibrate—quietly taxing 5–15% of portfolio energy in many studies. Modern fault detection & diagnostics (FDD) tools and structured maintenance programs quickly recapture that waste. NREL Docs

Coil fouling: Government and academic sources document material energy penalties from dirty coils; some guidance cites compressor energy up to ~30% higher with fouled condensers (case and climate dependent). Even conservative findings confirm meaningful efficiency and capacity degradation. Avoidable with routine cleaning. Energy.gov.au
Economizers & OA paths: Mis-tuned economizers are common and costly; retuning and sensor QA via FDD is repeatedly highlighted in DOE/NREL/PNNL guidance as a top-tier low-cost fix. PNNL
RTU controls refresh: Campaign results and tech briefs demonstrate that advanced RTU control (variable fan, DCV, and economizer optimization) consistently yields energy reductions of more than 20%, with 25–50% reductions cited in certain deployments compared to legacy constant-speed, always-open baselines. Better Buildings Solution Center

Maintenance is mitigation. It’s also Scope 3-friendly: operating equipment at design efficiency extends service life and defers replacements, reducing embodied carbon churn in your capital plan. (See the measurement plan below to make these savings auditable.)

Turning kWh into CO₂e: a quick, defensible method

Your sustainability stakeholders care about tons, not watts. To translate HVAC savings into CO₂e:

Quantify energy from the measure (e.g., fan kWh drop from low-pressure filters; heating/cooling kWh or therms saved from DCV; kWh saved from FDD fixes).
Apply grid or fuel emission factors appropriate to the site(s) and year.
- U.S. electricity (2022 eGRID avg): ≈ 0.393 kg CO₂/kWh (867.5 lb/MWh delivered). US EPA+1
- Canada electricity (2025 factors) vary widely by province—e.g., Ontario: 38 g CO₂e/kWh; Alberta: 490 g CO₂e/kWh. Selecting the right regional factor matters. Canada.ca

If a low-pressure filter reduces fan energy by ~300 kWh/year per unit (magnitude depends on hours, fan size, and baseline pressure):

U.S. eGRID avg: 300 kWh × 0.393 kg/kWh ≈ 118 kg CO₂e/year per filter.
Ontario: 300 kWh × 0.038 kg/kWh ≈ 11 kg CO₂e/year per filter.

This is why portfolios across different grids see very different CO₂e per kWh outcomes. Even when the kWh savings are identical. US EPA

For transparency in ESG filings, reference the EPA eGRID subregion or the Government of Canada tables (or your utility-specific factors) and archive the PDFs used for each reporting year. US EPA

Risk management & IAQ alignment

Stay within ASHRAE 62.1 minimums at all times when spaces are occupied. DCV is about right-sizing, not starving air. Updated addenda clarify occupancy-based turndown rules—use them. ASHRAE
Filter choices: Seek equal or higher capture with lower ΔP; measure clean and loaded ΔP at your own face velocities. Research shows energy impact depends on filter design and system configuration, not only MERV. ScienceDirect
Measurement culture: Treat IAQ and energy as co-optimized objectives by trending PM, CO₂, temperature, and fan power together, so nobody is flying blind.

What this unlocks for 2026 capex

Once you bank the operational tons above, the economics of electrification, heat recovery, and heat pumps improve because you’re sizing for reduced loads. DOE/NREL work on advanced RTU control consistently shows meaningful kWh reductions when variable fans and DCV are layered in—think of these as pre-project multipliers that de-risk later capex. NREL Docs

The Power of the Overlooked 20%

In the rush to decarbonize, it’s tempting to chase the biggest, newest technologies. But the truth is that many of the most reliable carbon savings are already within reach. Hidden in fans, filters, ventilation rates, and maintenance routines.

Filtration, demand-controlled ventilation, and preventative maintenance may not make the headlines, but together they represent the overlooked 20% of actions that can deliver 80% of your emissions savings. They are measurable, repeatable, and scalable across portfolios, exactly the kind of solutions facility leaders need as they enter a new year of climate commitments.

Revolutionizing Buildings in 2024: Trends Transforming Indoor Spaces

Ava Montini
Dec 5, 2024
5 min read

Buildings today are where we live, work, and connect—and they need to do more than just function. In 2024, the focus was on making them efficient, adaptable, and aligned with modern demands like sustainability and occupant health.

For facility managers and building professionals, the challenge is clear: how to improve energy use, meet regulations, and enhance tenant satisfaction—all while staying within budget. Here’s a look at the trends shaping the future of buildings and the technologies driving smarter, healthier, and more resilient spaces.

Sustainability as the Cornerstone of Modern Buildings

Buildings account for approximately 37% of global energy and process-related CO₂ emissions and 34% of global energy demand, underscoring the critical need for sustainable solutions in the built environment. This demand has driven the development and adoption of technologies that address both environmental impact and operational efficiency.

One such area of innovation is low-pressure air filtration systems. These systems are designed to enhance indoor air quality—a critical factor for occupant health—while also minimizing the energy demands of HVAC systems. By reducing the resistance to airflow (known as pressure drop), these advanced filtration technologies can lower energy consumption and contribute to sustainability certifications such as LEED and WELL, which emphasize energy efficiency and healthier indoor spaces.

Traditional HVAC systems, while effective at meeting basic performance needs, often require significant energy input to maintain baseline standards. In comparison, modern sustainable technologies provide a more efficient, cost-effective approach without sacrificing performance. For facility managers, this means an opportunity to align building operations with environmental goals, improve the well-being of occupants, and meet evolving regulatory requirements—all while managing long-term operational costs more effectively.

Smarter Spaces Through Technology

The smart building market is projected to grow from USD 72.6 billion in 2021 to USD 121.6 billion by 2026, driven by the adoption of IoT, AI, and predictive analytics. These technologies are transforming buildings from static structures into responsive ecosystems. For instance, IoT-enabled sensors can monitor air quality in real time, triggering ventilation adjustments to maintain optimal conditions. Predictive analytics allows facility managers to identify and address inefficiencies before they become costly problems, saving both time and resources.

Unlike older systems that rely on periodic manual checks, smart buildings integrate real-time monitoring with adaptive systems, enabling a more proactive approach. Facilities that implement IoT-based predictive maintenance can achieve significant cost savings and operational improvements. According to McKinsey & Company, such approaches can reduce maintenance costs by up to 25%, decrease unplanned outages by up to 50%, and extend the operational life of machinery.

These benefits stem from the ability to monitor equipment health in real time, predict failures before they occur, and schedule maintenance activities more effectively. By leveraging IoT and analytics, organizations not only enhance operational efficiency but also improve tenant satisfaction through increased reliability and reduced downtime.

Wellness-Driven Design

As research continues to reveal the profound impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on health, wellness-focused design has become a priority. Studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have demonstrated that indoor air quality (IAQ) significantly affects cognitive function. The Global CogFx study, involving 302 office workers across six countries, found that improved IAQ led to better cognitive performance. Additionally, Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where pollutant levels can be 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels. In response, facility managers are investing in biophilic design, thermal comfort enhancements, and advanced filtration systems to create healthier indoor environments.

A shining example of wellness-focused design can be seen in modern office buildings that integrate natural elements and prioritize occupant well-being. Biophilic design—incorporating features like green walls, indoor gardens, and natural lighting—has been shown to reduce stress and boost productivity among employees. Coupled with improved ventilation and thermal comfort systems, these spaces create an environment where occupants feel more energized and connected. One case study found that wellness-certified buildings saw higher employee retention rates and a measurable increase in work satisfaction, emphasizing the value of designing with health and well-being at the forefront. These principles don’t just benefit the occupants—they also enhance the long-term value of the building, making it more attractive to tenants and investors alike.

Preparing for Uncertainty

The past decade has underscored the need for resilience in building systems, particularly in the face of challenges like wildfires, extreme weather events, and fluctuating energy demands. For example, during heatwaves or cold snaps, energy grids are often strained, and buildings with adaptive energy systems—such as smart energy storage or dynamic load management—can maintain functionality while reducing their reliance on peak energy. These systems help ensure consistent performance even when external conditions push infrastructure to its limits.

Proactive strategies like integrating renewable energy sources or implementing predictive energy management also allow buildings to anticipate and mitigate potential disruptions. These approaches not only reduce energy costs but also contribute to a more stable and sustainable grid. As energy resilience becomes increasingly critical, buildings capable of adapting to these demands play a key role in ensuring reliability and sustainability for the broader community.

Data-Driven Operations

Real-time data is transforming building management, offering facility managers tools to optimize energy usage, extend the lifespan of equipment, and enhance overall tenant satisfaction. By integrating predictive maintenance programs, facilities can leverage embedded sensors to monitor equipment performance, identify inefficiencies, and trigger alerts before failures occur. This proactive approach significantly reduces costly repairs and unplanned downtime. Implementing predictive maintenance can reduce maintenance costs by 18% to 25% while increasing asset availability by 5% to 15%, underscoring its role in improving both operational reliability and cost efficiency.

Unlike traditional methods that rely on reactive repairs after a problem arises, data-driven operations provide actionable insights that enable facility managers to anticipate issues before they escalate. This not only improves system performance but also enhances tenant comfort by ensuring seamless building functionality. As more facilities adopt analytics-driven strategies, they unlock measurable benefits, including reduced operational costs, improved system reliability, and higher tenant satisfaction—all essential for maintaining competitive, high-performing spaces in an increasingly dynamic market.

Tenant and Occupant Expectations Evolving

Post-pandemic, expectations for indoor spaces have shifted dramatically. Occupants now demand more than basic functionality—they seek healthier environments, visible sustainability initiatives, and seamless integration of technology that enhances their experience. Facility managers are rising to the challenge by implementing systems that prioritize transparency and well-being. Features like real-time building data and energy-saving dashboards optimize building operations while providing occupants with accessible, actionable insights that build trust and foster loyalty.

This emphasis on occupant-centric upgrades marks a significant departure from traditional facility management, which often prioritized operational efficiency over user experience. By addressing these evolving demands, modern buildings are not only improving tenant satisfaction but also driving higher retention rates and stronger relationships. Tangible improvements—like cleaner air, energy-efficient systems, and clear communication of these efforts—are becoming the new standard for successful facilities, setting them apart in a competitive market.

As 2024 concludes, the built environment is undergoing a profound transformation. Facility managers are no longer just maintaining buildings—they’re shaping them into spaces that align with the needs of people, businesses, and the planet. The trends driving these changes—from sustainable technologies to smart systems and wellness-focused designs—offer immense opportunities for those ready to adapt.

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