The landscape of energy efficiency in institutional and commercial facilities is shifting as rapidly evolving economic and financial pressures force energy engineers and facilities managers to reconsider a host of issues that impact the efficient use of energy, according to a new report.
The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) recently released its latest Energy Jobs & Market Trends Report with insights on the state of the global energy workforce, emerging challenges and opportunities shaping the industry’s future. This year’s report uncovers challenges and opportunities within the energy sector:
What are the challenges to increasing energy efficiency and sustainability? Budget pressures rebounded to 73 percent, reversing 2024’s improvement, while government funding limitations emerged as a growing concern, jumping to 46 percent.
What measures being considered by your company next year? Energy reduction remains the top strategic priority at 81 percent, with most categories showing stable or slightly declining focus compared to 2024:
ESG adoption shows mixed signals. While active reporting increased to 32 percent, organizations with no environmental, social and governance plans also grew to 40 percent, suggesting market polarization
What driving energy efficiency? Financial savings maintain dominance at 60 percent, while policy-related motivators — government funding, climate change — retreated, indicating a more business-focused approach to efficiency investments.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.?
