At one end of the value chain, landlords or owners want to see a return on investment; at the other end, tenants want comfortable and safe surroundings at justifiable charges.
Liz Allen provides some environment tips and suggestions, tried and tested by FMs, to involve others to help improve environmental performance and manage service charge increases.
1 Agree priorities.
Each stakeholder in a building will believe their needs and expectations are the most important.
Sharing these and acknowledging issues can go a long way in improving communications and dialogue, whilst also reducing the pressure on the FM stuck in the middle.
Look for win, win, win opportunities like energy saving where landlord, tenant and FM can all benefit.
2 Improve understanding of the building.
Buildings or spaces deigned for 100 people cannot keep 200 comfortable all the time.
Building a bit of awareness about the limitations of the technology and making sure all parties (FM, M&E, etc) say the same thing may help reduce complaints.
3 Control energy costs.
4 Invest to save.
5 Show how things are improving.
6 Compare performance with others.
7 Added extras.
8 Be part of the local community.
9 Reuse, repurpose, recycle.
10 Celebrate success.
Liz Allen is a Environmental Consultant at Hosking Associates.