What is facility management?

Facility teams are under pressure to do more with less: control rising utility costs, maintain aging buildings, meet sustainability goals, and keep occupants comfortable and safe. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 30% of energy used in commercial buildings is wasted, which turns small inefficiencies into big budget problems. Regional energy pressures worsen the problem, driving up costs.

In this guide, we explain why facility management is crucial, common service types, certifications and skills, software, and KPIs. Discover how you can reduce downtime and risk, improve Energy Use Intensity (EUI), and support greenhouse gas (GHG) tracking.

Why facility management is crucial

Great facility management protects people, budgets, and business continuity by turning reactive chaos into planned work. It aligns buildings with organizational goals and creates a single source of truth for assets, utilities, and compliance.

With transparent processes and accountable vendors, teams prevent problems, respond faster when issues arise, and prove results to leadership. Facility management can:

• Reduce utility spend: Accurate bills, verified meters, and optimized rate schedules eliminate overcharges and place usage on the cheapest available tariffs, freeing budget for staffing and capital needs
• Prevent downtime: Proactive maintenance plans and prioritized work orders catch failures before they happen, extending asset life and keeping operations on schedule
• Stay compliant: Documented safety, environmental, and accessibility programs pass audits and inspections, reducing fines and reputational risk
• Support health: Monitored air quality, ventilation, and comfort setpoints reduce complaints and absenteeism, boosting productivity and satisfaction—all balancing facility comfort and financial control
• Hold vendors accountable: Well-defined service levels and performance tracking improve response times and quality, so dollars spent translate into measurable outcomes
• Track sustainability: Better Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and GHG visibility surfaces inefficiency and guides retrofits, accelerating progress toward climate goals
• Budget with data: Lifecycle costs, failure history, and utility trends inform right-sized budgets and capital plans, avoiding surprises such as manual utility bill management errors
• Build resilience: Incident playbooks, tested backups, and real-time alerts shorten outages during storms or grid events, protecting revenue and mission delivery

Types of facility management services

Facility management services are often grouped into two buckets: soft services that support people and operations, and hard services that maintain the building and its systems. Clear scope and ownership prevent gaps, improve budgeting, and make performance easier to measure, helping organizations achieve cost avoidance.

Soft facility management services

Soft services are people-focused operational services that shape the day-to-day experience in your buildings. Clean, safe, and well-run spaces reduce complaints, support productivity, and reflect your brand to employees and visitors. Soft facility management services include:

• Cleaning and sanitation: Healthy spaces that reduce complaints and absenteeism
• Security and access control: Safer workplaces that protect people, assets, and data
• Reception and front-of-house: Smoother visitor and employee experiences that reflect well on the organization
• Waste and recycling: Lower disposal costs and better progress toward sustainability goals
• Grounds and snow removal: Safer exteriors that reduce slip-and-fall risk and improve curb appeal
• Catering and vending: Better food options that support morale and retention
• Mailroom and logistics: Reliable deliveries that keep operations moving
• Pest control: Fewer health risks and less damage to property
• Moves, adds, and changes: Faster reconfigurations that align space with program needs
• Training and safety programs: Informed staff who prevent incidents and pass audits

Hard facility management services

Hard services are the technical and statutory services that keep the building and its systems working. Reliable equipment, code compliance, and efficient operations prevent downtime, protect occupants, and control utility costs. Hard facility management services include:

• HVAC maintenance and optimization: Stable temperatures and efficient equipment that lower energy spend
• Electrical systems: Safe distribution, backup power readiness, and reduced downtime
• Plumbing and water quality: Reliable supply and fewer leaks that prevent damage and waste
• Fire and life safety: Tested alarms, sprinklers, and egress that meet code and protect lives
• Vertical transportation (elevators, lifts): Fewer outages and better accessibility
• Building envelope and roofing: Weather-tight structures that reduce heat loss and moisture issues
• Building automation and controls: Tuned schedules and setpoints that improve comfort and reduce runtime
• Meters and submeters: Accurate usage data that supports bill validation, rate schedule optimization, and tenant billing
• Commissioning and retro-commissioning: Verified performance that extends asset life and captures savings
• Regulatory testing and inspections: Documented compliance that avoids fines and project delays

What is a certified facility manager?

A certified facility manager is a facilities professional who has earned an industry-recognized credential that validates broad, real-world competence. Certification signals mastery across operations, maintenance, health and safety, space and occupancy, sustainability, finance and procurement, and project delivery. Earning a certification typically requires documented experience, a rigorous exam, and ongoing education to keep skills current.

Certification reduces risk and raises performance, allowing organizations to hire with confidence. Leaders gain confidence that critical assets are managed by someone who understands compliance, controls utility costs, and translates building data into plans and budgets the organization can trust.

What skills should a facility manager have?

Facility managers need a blend of technical knowledge, financial fluency, and people skills. The goal is to keep buildings reliable and efficient while aligning daily work with organizational priorities and budgets. When hiring, leaders should seek out these skill sets:

• Operational judgment: Prioritizes work, balances preventive and corrective tasks, and keeps services running
• Technical literacy: Understands HVAC, electrical, controls, and building automation to spot issues early
• Financial fluency: Reads utility bills, interprets rate schedules, and builds data-driven budgets and capital plans
• Compliance know-how: Navigates safety, environmental, and accessibility requirements to avoid fines and downtime
• Project management: Delivers renovations and upgrades on time and on budget with minimal disruption
• Vendor and contract management: Sets clear SLAs, measures performance, and ensures accountability
• Data and analytics: Tracks Energy Use Intensity (EUI), metering, and KPIs to surface savings and prove results via real-time Smart Analytics solutions
• Communication and leadership: Aligns facilities with organizational goals, builds trust, and leads cross-functional teams

How is facility management different than property management?

Facility management (FM) focuses on how a building performs for the people who work inside it. Property management focuses on the business of the real estate asset. The two roles often collaborate, but their objectives, daily tasks, and success metrics differ.

What is facility management software?

Facility management software helps teams plan, operate, and maintain buildings. These tools help centralize information about assets, work orders, space, vendors, compliance, energy, and utilities. Management software allows you to base decisions on accurate, current data. The right platforms streamline routine tasks, flag exceptions, and provide leaders with clear visibility into costs, risks, and performance.

EnergyCAP supports these efforts by focusing on the utility and sustainability side of facility management.

• Utility Management centralizes bills, meters, and rate schedules for accurate validation, tenant billing, and Cost/Area insights.
• Bill CAPture automates bill entry to reduce errors and speed close.
• Smart Analytics provides Powerviews, benchmark charts, and alerts that highlight anomalies and opportunities for savings.
• Carbon Hub manages greenhouse gas inventories, ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® exchanges, and reports.

Many teams pair EnergyCAP with a CMMS or IWMS for work orders and assets, a building automation system for controls, and space scheduling or project management tools for a clear picture of occupancy and building renovations. EnergyCAP works alongside other facility management software solutions, so utility and carbon data flow where you need them without duplicating work.

Pro Tip: To credibly validate your potential savings, start with an introduction to measurement verification.

Let EnergyCAP reduce your facility’s utility spend

Strong facility management aligns people, processes, and buildings so you cut waste, reduce risk, and support your mission. With the right mix of soft and hard services, clear roles, and actionable data, you can prevent problems, prove results to leadership, and make smarter investments in your facilities.

EnergyCAP helps facility leaders lower utility spend, increase operational reliability, compliance, and credible reporting. It centralizes utility and carbon accounting data, automates bill validation, and turns anomalies into action so you can plan, prioritize, and prove results. See how EnergyCAP supports your facility management strategy and request a demo.