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:

Do you know why your home in Manassas would benefit from whole home surge protection?

You might think it has something to do with lightening. However, the reasons for whole home surge protection are more complicated than you may realize.

In addition to not experiencing a significant number of them in Manassas, did you know that whole home surge protectors can’t stop lightening strikes from damaging your electronics?

At this point, your probably starting to seriously doubt the importance, use or need for whole home surge protection. However, nothing besides a lightening rod and hope can keep your home safe from a lightening strike.

Another point to keep in mind is that whole home surge protection’s primarily function isn’t to protect your electronics and appliances from outside surges. It’s actually intended to protect your electronics and appliances from each other.

When we think of power surges we typically envision lightning strikes and electricity bursts from outside power lines. In reality the majority of surges are short intense shocks created by large appliances such as generators and HVAC motors. These smaller surges typically go undetected and usually don’t blow out the entire circuit.

However, over time, they add up. If you banged your knee in the same spot every day for a year, you might not have any significant damage on the first day, but on day 365 you’d probably have quite the bruise. The same logic applies to your electronics. Those little zaps might not degrade their performance immediately, but the problems are cumulative. Why shorten their expected usefulness and replace your appliances sooner than you have to?

Over the past few years tropical storms and major weather have become much more common, and have put many Tampa area homeowners on guard. Which is very good—caution and preparation are the keys to a safe home, and at Hoffman Electrical we like to do all we can to help our clients be ready for anything.

Electricians are often seen as professionals whose only skill set is to fix something that isn’t working, however there are many times when we can also advise on design. Our experience includes helping a many previous clients add accent lighting to their homes with the goal of creating truly beautiful and enjoyable spaces.

Accent lighting is any lighting feature that draws attention to an area or brightens up a space. Accent lighting can include any type of lighting from small pot-lights or a subtle spotlight. Accent lighting is not intended to fill an entire space with light, but just enough to put more emphasis on a piece of artwork or create a nice mood when the main room lights are turned off.

Accent lighting has a great benefit, in that it can be installed almost anywhere. If you have positioned a piece of artwork above your fireplace, you can add a couple of small accent lights to draw guests’ attention to the beautiful piece. If you have a long hallway that seems drab and dull, adding small pot lights or led lights can help guide the way and provide visual interest in the space.

Apart from the aesthetics, accent lighting can also save you money. Accent lighting can use low-voltage lights and LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs which take very little electricity to power. If it is a bright day you can turn off your main light switches and let the accent lighting do the rest of the work to light up the areas that aren’t being reached by the sunlight. If it is late at night and you want to create a nice relaxing atmosphere, using only the accent lighting will do just that. This saves you money on your monthly electrical bill, as you are not wasting money to power lighting that is not being used efficiently.

Accent lighting can be easily installed in most homes. Depending on the complexity and electrical requirement of the lighting, it can be tied into most electrical circuits around your home. When using low voltage lighting you don’t need to worry about overloading the circuit and causing your electrical breaker to trip. Have one of our Expert Electricians review your circuit where you would like to install the lighting and we can help you understand everything involved in the installation.

As we move in to the summer, now is a great time to have accent lighting installed indoors or outdoors. Save money and add aesthetics to any area in your home. Contact your local Expert Electric at 604-681-8338 and we can help you get starting on making your home efficient and beautiful.