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Caught in the middle: The role of the Facilities Manager in organisational energy use

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  • Goulden, Murray
  • Spence, Alexa

Abstract

This study analyses the role of the Facilities Manager [FM] as a key actor in organisational energy management. This builds on the idea that ‘middle’ agents in networks can be an important lever for socio-technical change. The study demonstrates the considerable impact the FM can have on workplace energy consumption, whilst identifying a number of factors that constrain their agency and capacity to act. These include demands to meet workforce expectations of comfort; a lack of support from senior management; and a shortage of resources. Underlying these challenges, the study identifies three different energy rationales – that is to say conceptual frameworks – which are deployed by different groups of organisational actors. The challenges of reconciling these at-times-contradictory rationales results in a picture of energy management which to the outsider can appear highly irrational. The paper concludes with a consideration of how policy makers can apply these insights to support energy reduction in workplaces.

Suggested Citation

  • Goulden, Murray & Spence, Alexa, 2015. "Caught in the middle: The role of the Facilities Manager in organisational energy use," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 280-287.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:85:y:2015:i:c:p:280-287
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2015.06.014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anderson, Soren T. & Newell, Richard G., 2004. "Information programs for technology adoption: the case of energy-efficiency audits," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 27-50, March.
    2. Steven W. Floyd & Bill Wooldridge, 1997. "Middle Management’s Strategic Influence and Organizational Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 465-485, May.
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    1. Olsthoorn, Mark & Schleich, Joachim & Hirzel, Simon, 2017. "Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures for Non-residential Buildings: Technological and Organizational Heterogeneity in the Trade, Commerce and Services Sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 240-254.
    2. Ozawa-Meida, Leticia & Wilson, Caroline & Fleming, Paul & Stuart, Graeme & Holland, Carl, 2017. "Institutional, social and individual behavioural effects of energy feedback in public buildings across eleven European cities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 222-233.
    3. Curtis, Jim & Walton, Andrea & Dodd, Michael, 2017. "Understanding the potential of facilities managers to be advocates for energy efficiency retrofits in mid-tier commercial office buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 98-104.
    4. Daly, Daniel & Carr, Chantel & Daly, Matthew & McGuirk, Pauline & Stanes, Elyse & Santala, Inka, 2023. "Extending urban energy transitions to the mid-tier: Insights into energy efficiency from the management of HVAC maintenance in ‘mid-tier’ office buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    5. Royston, Sarah & Selby, Jan & Shove, Elizabeth, 2018. "Invisible energy policies: A new agenda for energy demand reduction," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 127-135.
    6. Olga Pilipczuk, 2021. "Determinants of Managerial Competences Transformation in the Polish Energy Industry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-27, October.
    7. Louise Sawyer & Simon Kemp & Patrick James & Michael Harper, 2021. "Assessment of a Nurse Led Energy Behavior Change Intervention in an NHS Community Hospital Ward," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-17, October.
    8. Zierler, Rupert & Wehrmeyer, Walter & Murphy, Richard, 2017. "The energy efficiency behaviour of individuals in large organisations: A case study of a major UK infrastructure operator," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 38-49.
    9. Dimosthenis Kotsopoulos, 2022. "Organizational Energy Conservation Matters in the Anthropocene," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-30, November.
    10. Roth, Jonathan & Brown IV, Howard Alexander & Jain, Rishee K., 2020. "Harnessing smart meter data for a Multitiered Energy Management Performance Indicators (MEMPI) framework: A facility manager informed approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    11. Graeme Stuart & Leticia Ozawa-Meida, 2020. "Supporting Decentralised Energy Management through Smart Monitoring Systems in Public Authorities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    12. Catherine Willan & Kathryn B. Janda & David Kenington, 2021. "Seeking the Pressure Points: Catalysing Low Carbon Changes from the Middle-Out in Offices and Schools," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, December.
    13. Akvile Cibinskiene & Daiva Dumciuviene & Meda Andrijauskiene, 2020. "Energy Consumption in Public Buildings: The Determinants of Occupants’ Behavior," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-23, July.
    14. Yannai Kranzler & Yael Parag & Nadav Davidovitch, 2019. "Public Health from the Middle-Out: A New Analytical Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-16, December.
    15. Olga Pilipczuk, 2020. "Sustainable Smart Cities and Energy Management: The Labor Market Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-24, November.

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