A hefty amount of our readers here on the MyLEDLightingGuide’s official blog consists of facility managers (along with contractors, government employees, and other decision makers). This post is made specifically for the facility managers and building owners out there to help keep you up to date and fresh on the latest news and opportunities for you and your buildings.

This list of 14 blogs will consist of some popular and most likely already heard of publications, along with a few lesser known places that you still may find extremely interesting. Picking a few from this list is definitely the first step to keeping up to date and staying ahead with your work.

There will be a brief description along with a URL for each blog / magazine listed, and it should give you a good idea or not if that facility management resource will benefit you more-so or not than others listed here. Now, let’s get started with this list…

2. Buildings.com

Another very popular publication which covers a lot of useful topics and products that any building decision maker should be aware of to create a more efficient and overall better workplace. They also have many courses and webinar on topics like life cycle costs, energy management, lighting, security, and more.

4. Maintenance World

As the name suggests, this blog leans on the side of maintenance based topics. Although, they often talk about topics that are important to any facility manager, such as cooling an industrial sized area. That is just a glimpse of the type of stuff this blog publishes, so reading more on what they offer may be important to seeing if this blog is worth your time or not!

6. FM World

FM World seems to put a lot of their attention on news, but all are topics that are probably very relevant to you and your tasks as a FM. They also (like many other of these blogs on this list) offer many different white papers which carry tons of valuable information in them. Along with professional interviews, webinars, and other pieces of content they are very well rounded in the variety of things that they offer.

8. The Built Environment

They don’t only talk about the environment and green buildings, but surprisingly they publish a lot about facility managers and how to become a better one in general. You can thank Michel Theriault for this great resource, as he is the brains behind it all. He also offers services such as consulting and training for FM staff, so if a budget allows and you want to become a better FM; that’s always an option!

10. Building Automation Monthly

Phil Zito is the creator and sole person behind Building Automation Monthly. He writes about and educates on the topics solely regarding building automation systems. No time for reading? Phil offers a Podcast which covers many different great topics as well. So, next time you are driving or taking a flight you might want to listen in to his podcast!

12. The fmguru blog

Although this blog doesn’t seem to be updated as often as many others on this list; their past and current posts are a good read. They are definitely insightful and thought provoking on the tasks and purposes of a facility manager.

14. i-FM.net

Like their headline says, “if you’re in FM, you need to be on i-FM.” They offer tons of content through news, interviews, top 50 list of great and relevant companies, and overall great resources.

Missed any that you think is worthy of being added? Be sure to comment them down below, this list is always being updated!

Final Words

There you have it, 14 (and growing) facility manager blogs, magazines, and resources that will hopefully make you an informed, up to date, and more educated facility manager overall. Our #1 tip for you is to pick two or three from this list that really peak your interest, and make it a ritual to check in on them often for the latest content that they offer.

Again, if we missed one that you think should be added; feel free to comment it down below for consideration!

Want more of our topics for facility managers? Here are some:

If you have any questions about our summer electrical safety tips, contact us online. Also, even simple jobs like installing light fixtures or ceiling fans may be dangerous—give us a call instead! We’re a family owned and operated business that has been serving the Baltimore, Bethesda, Alexandria, and Washington, DC metropolitan area since 1925. The valuable advantages we can offer you are great service, high quality products, and experienced workers at a competitive price.

Is your utility company planning on installing a smart meter on your home? You're not alone. These meters have been implemented in a number of regions across the United States, as well as in other countries in North America, Europe and Oceania. Read on to find out more about why these smart devices are growing in popularity and what you need to know about them.

Three Advantages for You

Smart meters have several big advantages over your traditional electricity meter. For one thing, they send their data to the utility company automatically, so there's no need for a meter reader to come by once a month. That also means they can turn your service on and off remotely, so you don't have to sit around and wait all day to get the power switched on after you move into a new home.

To take advantage of the remote reading capability, smart meters calculate your usage frequently, between every fifteen minutes and one hour, so you get a much better idea of when you use the most electricity. Additionally, most smart meters let you access a granular breakdown of all the data they collect about your energy usage, so you can make informed decisions about how and when to use your appliances. If you notice a big spike during the daytime, for example, you can turn the air conditioner down a notch or two, or cut down on the number of televisions you have on. It's easy to save electricity if you break down your consumption device by device, and a smart meter gives you the ability to get started.

Real Time Feedback

The smart meter also helps your utility company respond quickly to any outages and fine-tune its production. Since the company gets feedback about your consumption within an hour, it will know automatically if your power goes out and can see what other houses are having problems. That way, the company can get a jump-start on addressing the outage and act quickly to alleviate any accompanying safety concerns, like a downed wire.

What's more, the meter tells the company exactly when people are using power, so it can adjust its supply accordingly. From there, utilities have the option of instituting time-of-day pricing, selling electricity at cheaper rates during nights and weekends. This allows utilities to balance out their production schedules and use fewer auxiliary plants during the day, which reduces fossil fuel consumption and helps keep prices lower overall.

Spreading Across the Country

As more people discover the benefits of smart meters, their adoption is poised to increase across the country. Next time your utility provider upgrades its equipment, chances are you will get a smart meter installed if you don't have one already. If you have further questions about smart meters, how they work and what information they collect, contact your local electrician today.