Insight 2026-10-01
01.10.2026
Supporting the energy transition: Why facilities managers need a new delivery model
Once focused primarily on the operational performance of buildings, today's FM professionals are increasingly expected to help organisations navigate one of the most complex challenges they face: the energy transition.
James Rooke, Managing Director of Carbon Shift, Equans UK & Ireland, explores the challenges facing FM professionals, and why a more integrated approach to funding, delivery and long-term performance is needed to achieve meaningful decarbonisation outcomes.
As organisations work towards sustainability goals, improve resilience and reduce operational costs, the expectations placed on FM teams continue to grow. However, while the ambition to reduce carbon emissions remains strong, the practical reality of delivering change across complex estates is becoming increasingly challenging.
That's why the conversation is evolving. Rather than focusing solely on net zero targets, many organisations are now looking at the broader energy transition and what it means for their buildings, assets and operations.
For facilities managers, this transition presents both an opportunity and a challenge.
Moving beyond the easy wins
Many of the straightforward energy efficiency measures have already been implemented. The task now is to tackle more complex projects, such as modernising heating infrastructure, integrating renewable technologies, improving building performance and enhancing resilience to future energy and climate challenges.
These projects often require significant investment, specialist expertise and long-term operational planning.
Funding therefore remains one of the biggest barriers to progress.
While organisations recognise the need to invest in sustainability initiatives, securing capital remains difficult in a period of competing priorities and financial pressure. As a result, many projects are delayed despite offering clear environmental and operational benefits.
The scale of the challenge means facilities managers increasingly need access to solutions that can support their own delivery through future savings, energy performance improvements and innovative funding arrangements.
A whole solution approach matters
Importantly, this requires a move away from treating sustainability as a series of isolated projects.
Installing new equipment or upgrading individual systems can deliver benefits, but on their own these interventions rarely achieve the transformational change organisations are seeking. Instead, facilities managers need a whole-solution approach that considers buildings, energy infrastructure, operations and funding as part of a single strategy. The partner chosen to support that strategy is critical.
The need for long-term accountability
Historically, organisations have often relied on FM providers whose primary role was to maintain equipment and ensure assets remain operational. Today, however, facilities managers require something more comprehensive. They need partners who can help identify opportunities, develop investment strategies, implement improvements and provide long-term service guarantees that ensure assets continue to perform as intended.
This long-term accountability is becoming increasingly important as organisations invest in more sophisticated energy and decarbonisation technologies. Facilities managers need confidence that projected savings, carbon reductions and operational outcomes will be delivered over the lifespan of the solution, not simply at the point of installation.
Financing the energy transition
Private sector finance is also becoming a key enabler of progress. Many organisations have ambitious plans but limited access to capital. Innovative financing models can help overcome this challenge by bringing funding, implementation and long-term performance management together within a single programme. This approach places accountability with a single provider, reducing risk and creating clearer lines of responsibility throughout the project lifecycle.
For facilities managers, this can be particularly attractive. Instead of coordinating multiple suppliers, consultants and funding partners, they can work with a single organisation capable of delivering a complete solution. This simplifies governance, improves project delivery and provides confidence that performance outcomes will be achieved.
How Carbon Shift supports delivery
At Equans, we have developed Carbon Shift to help organisations navigate these challenges. Carbon Shift is an integrated decarbonisation and resilience solution that helps clients plan, fund and implement their energy transition strategies. By combining technical expertise with access to funding options, private finance partnerships and long-term investment planning, it enables organisations to take a more strategic approach to decarbonisation while aligning programmes with both operational and capital expenditure objectives.
Crucially, the model recognises that delivering the energy transition is about more than technology alone. Success depends on bringing together funding, engineering expertise, asset performance management and operational delivery into a single, coordinated programme that creates measurable outcomes.
Delivering lasting value
The organisations making the greatest progress are those taking a holistic view of the energy transition and working with partners capable of delivering funded, integrated solutions with long-term accountability.
Organisations need partners that can assess their estate, identify opportunities, secure funding, implement solutions and then guarantee performance over the long term. This provides greater certainty for clients while ensuring that sustainability investments continue to deliver value years after installation.
