Practitioners preferred this term because it more accurately reflected the multidisciplinary demands for specialized conditions in a wider variety of indoor environments, not merely manufacturing plants.
[1] The need for expertise in these categories varies widely depending on whether the facility is, for example, a single-use site or a multi-use campus; whether it is an office, school, hospital, museum, processing/production plant, etc.
[3] The result of this development was a jack-of-all-trades engineer who takes their specialization into a facility and helps it operate unhindered at its highest level of efficiency.
When working on certain projects, facilities engineers must meet the appropriate amount of resources such as hands and materials.
Other types of skills and projects can include inventive methods in order to increases in the energy efficiency of a facility.
For example, a team of engineering and technical professionals and facilities engineers at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California successfully implemented a multipurpose solar power grid capable of providing enough power to sustain 935 homes per day, while also providing shade in their parking lot.
[9] Due to a major advancement in industrial and commercial construction, in conjunction with a highly increased emphasis on energy efficiency, it is not uncommon for colleges and universities to have courses and degrees specifically allocated to facilities engineering.
These skills consist of: mechanical measurements, calculations, basics of HVAC, the piping included in systems and associated equipment, efficiency in electricity and power, induction motors and variable speed drives, electrical systems, wiring, and lighting.
However, the main focuses of these facilities engineering degrees tend to be on HVAC and energy efficiency.
[2] This in turn would not only benefit the prospective engineers and managers, but was also intended to help economically advance the industries in which these trainees work.
These certifications help to train engineers, supervisors, and maintenance managers in accordance with the methods necessary to maintain and efficiently work in and/or run a plant operating based on modern technological standards.
In the DoD, the field also encompasses Real Estate, Ranges and the management of Linear Structures such as roadways, fences, and pipelines.
Facilities engineer try to find new ways in order to improve efficiency and save power for industrial equipment and buildings.
[19] Some of the innovations involve smart lights, thermal curtains, cool roofs, green insulation and rainwater storage.