The ROI of resiliency: Investing in facilities of the future

ABM Contributors

Suzanne M. Klatt, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs

Jenny Lee, Director of Growth & Operations

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Key Takeaways

1. ‍Climate volatility is now a financial exposure. Extreme weather and grid instability directly impact revenue, operating costs, asset value, and continuity. Resilience must be treated as enterprise risk management—not environmental positioning.‍
2. Infrastructure modernization delivers measurable ROI. Upgrading aging systems reduces energy spend (e.g., ~30% HVAC savings), lowers lifecycle costs, improves asset performance, and mitigates regulatory and compliance risk.‍
3. Electrification strengthens both efficiency and continuity. When deployed holistically, electrification reduces energy demand while enabling backup power, load control, and faster recovery during disruptions.‍
4. Integration prevents hidden operational risk. EV charging, microgrids, storage, and on-site generation must function as a coordinated ecosystem. Piecemeal upgrades increase grid strain and long-term vulnerability.‍
5. Intelligent energy systems create competitive advantage. Software-enabled monitoring, predictive diagnostics, and distributed energy infrastructure shift facilities from reactive maintenance to anticipatory operations—protecting uptime, stabilizing costs, and enhancing long-term enterprise value.

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The business risks associated with climate events have become impossible to ignore

A multi-day heat wave pushes a stadium's HVAC systems beyond capacity during a sold-out event, while spiking electricity costs 400%.

A parking garage floods knocking out electrical infrastructure, rendering EV charging stations, elevator systems, and digital payment kiosks inoperable for weeks.

Extreme weather takes down grid power to a cold storage warehouse as backup generator fuel deliveries are delayed by impassable roads, threatening millions in perishable inventory.

In 2025, U.S. CEOs ranked climate resilience as their top environmental priority, shifting their focus from “sustainability” to “resiliency.”  

Resiliency is more than just a buzzword: it’s a strategic approach to upgrading legacy infrastructure that reduces operational costs and addresses risks associated with increasing climate volatility. As of year-end 2023, the average commercial building in the U.S. was 54 years old. Addressing the need for resiliency often means replacing outdated systems that can lower property value, promote an unhealthy environment, and even cost more to maintain than an overhaul would.  

Resiliency is not a monolith; it takes the right tools, data, and people to deliver measurable, technology-driven efficiencies that prepare the built environment for the future.  

In part 1 of this series, we’ll demonstrate an approach to resiliency that delivers better performance across multiple business metrics. In part 2, we'll demonstrate why the right expertise, people, and culture are integral to delivering those results.

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The shift from sustainability to resiliency

Severe weather events are exposing infrastructure vulnerabilities and forcing building management companies to confront interlocking challenges around energy, water, and waste. Natural disasters are becoming both more frequent and more severe; in 2025, disasters cost $115 billion in damage, according to the New York Times. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2025 was one of the three warmest years on record, continuing the streak of extraordinary global temperatures.  

Amid economic and geopolitical shifts, enterprises are refocusing from emissions targets to operational resiliency. Resiliency offers a framework for anticipating and adapting to disruptions—complementing sustainability strategies, rather than replacing them.

However, it’s also about being prepared. Resiliency encompasses putting measures in place like backup power and electrical infrastructure so if a weather event hits, microgrids, generators, and other solutions keep the lights on and the supply lines running.  

“Rather than doing a little sustainability in one area and a green initiative in another, resiliency makes sustainability more mission-critical. Business resiliency ties green initiatives to ROI, and asks businesses to tie their sustainability work to real metrics,” said Suzanne M. Klatt, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs at ABM.

Simultaneously, businesses are seeking ways to improve resilience while managing costs. An old HVAC system, for instance, has both direct and indirect costs. Maintenance and small fixes add up over time, not to mention the impact on employee productivity, occupant health, and policy compliance, which all have intangible costs. On average, ABM clients cut their energy costs by 30% annually when they replace their HVAC.

This is just one small example of how resiliency creates a win-win for facility owners. Building and energy efficiency, transport, and renewable energy are among the top categories where cities and businesses are seeking urgent upgrades. Additionally, new regulations are on the horizon that will force companies to invest in more sustainable waste, water, and energy practices.  

The challenge: identifying smart, proven solutions that safeguard (and even advance) critical infrastructure while delivering real value in a world where climate and economic risks are mounting.  

For many leaders in operations and management, the question is not whether or not to invest in resiliency, but where to start.

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The case for electrification

Electrification, replacing technologies or processes that use fossil fuels with electrically-powered equivalents, is a compelling entry point for many enterprises. Electrification initiatives satisfy many resiliency imperatives: Electrification is typically more efficient, reduces energy demand, and has a growing impact on emissions as electricity generation is decarbonized. It also provides the necessary back-up power generation needed for critical business and entities.

Electrification is not just a carbon strategy. When designed holistically, it can be a continuity and resiliency strategy. Electrification allows facilities to maintain critical services, such as HVAC, IT, and lighting, during grid disturbances and other operational disruptions (including those climate-related). By replacing fossil systems (boilers, packaged gas RTUs, on‑site combustion) with efficient electric systems (heat pumps, variable‑speed drives, induction), clients can cut total energy demand and simplify the energy supply chain.

Industrial facilities provide an excellent case study in how electrification can be the strategic lever that optimizes consumption while supporting growth. Forward-thinking operators are moving beyond isolated upgrades to fully integrated systems that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance resilience. This includes:  

• Fleet electrification support, including ABM’s fleet electrification approach;
• Grid optimization, including smart charging, energy storage, and power factor correction;
• Operational integration, coordinating energy use across the fleet and facility;
• Financial benefits, from navigating utility incentives to reducing peak demand.

[Read more: Powering Progress: How Electrification Is Transforming Industrial Facilities]  

Electrification can lead to faster recovery and greater flexibility in how the site responds to outages or extreme weather, enabled by distributed resources and controllable loads. Efficient, electrified, and resilient facilities tend to have lower lifecycle operating costs, higher asset value, and stronger sustainability credentials.  

In 2024, ABM continued to make scalable electrification a real opportunity for both commercial and public infrastructure fleets. Power solutions address the complex needs of mission-critical fleets, including transit authorities and airports. ABM’s mission-critical infrastructure services portfolio helps:

• Prevent power outages and system failures
• Ensure rapid recovery and uptime after power disruptions
• Mitigate risk and the impact of unplanned downtime
• Maximize equipment efficiency, availability, and longevity
• Reduce overall energy consumption and operational costs

The results: EV infrastructure enabled over 4.5 million charging sessions, delivering more than 83.7 million kWh of energy that would otherwise have relied on fossil-fuel-based alternatives. We helped our clients avoid over 71 million kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.

Turnkey solutions for EV charging infrastructure go beyond design, installation, and maintenance. Through ABM’s Network Operations Center (NOC), we provide around-the-clock monitoring for infrastructure performance, allowing us to support clients with performance analysis, financing and incentive strategies, and integrated technology reporting.

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Resilience starts with integration

The electrification of everything is not a silver bullet solution. According to the IEA, electricity consumption is expected to grow. In fact, it rose by 4.3% in 2024 and is forecast to continue growing at close to 4% through 2027. EVs alone will put the electrical grid under duress. In fact, experts predict that this dramatic increase in EV energy demand could even have a “catastrophic” impact.  

Across the industry, the rush to implement EV has often meant taking shortcuts. Facilities buy off-the-shelf solutions and patch them together. 
Warehouses bring on EVs without realizing how they can overload the power grid. While these upgrades can yield short-term gains, they add long-term risk.  

The solution is an integrated approach.

“We talk about integrated facilities management and the whole lifecycle of a building: cleaning, engineering, maintenance, etc. Is the HVAC system as efficient as it could be? Does our services team have the right training? At ABM, we’re being proactive about reducing the bottom line with an initial investment,” said Suzanne M. Klatt.  

For operations managers to achieve true continuity readiness, microgrids, battery storage, EV charging, and on-site generation must function as a connected ecosystem. Resiliency can only be achieved when solutions work together: a whole-portfolio approach, rather than piecemeal upgrades.  

“Distributed energy and microgrids are being designed as core infrastructure that supports uptime, decarbonization, and cost control simultaneously,” said Jenny Lee, Director of Growth & Operations. “Across ABM’s portfolio, we see clients prioritizing microgrids that maintain critical operations during grid outages, as well as load prioritization and controls that dynamically balance cost and continuity.”  

RavenVolt, acquired by ABM in 2022, is empowering clients to implement on-site energy generation, renewable energy integration, and future-proofing strategies. RavenVolt’s approach ensures investments in resilient, sustainable solutions that deliver real, long-term value.

What does this look like in practice?

Solar technology forms the foundation of ABM's on-site renewable solutions, but the real transformation happens when generation meets intelligence. Our offerings create comprehensive energy ecosystems that deliver both immediate value and long-term resilience.

RavenVolt’s microgrids are a core component of this transformation. Microgrids are localized and independent energy systems that can generate, distribute, and manage electrical power within a specific geographic area. They operate either in conjunction with or independently of the main power grid, offering increased resilience, reliability, and flexibility. Microgrids provide invaluable on-site energy generation and boost resiliency for any businesses facing unexpected weather events.

Microgrids are often complimented by Battery Energy Storage Systems that don't just store energy—they stabilize electrical grids, smooth peak demand, enable deeper renewable penetration, and provide critical backup during disruptions. In an era of increasing grid stress and extreme weather events, storage transforms solar from an intermittent resource into a reliable asset.

Plus, RavenVolt’s PowerCap technology brings flexibility to every installation scenario. Whether deploying rooftop arrays on existing structures or designing ground-mount systems for maximum yield, each configuration is engineered to match the unique energy profile and spatial constraints of the facility it serves.

What distinguishes modern energy infrastructure from simple equipment installation is intelligence. RavenVolt Cortex serves as the nervous system of these deployments, providing continuous performance visibility, predictive alarm management, and automated diagnostic protocols. Monitored 24/7 in the NOC, Cortex allows RavenVolt to see power interruptions in real time and make on-the-spot adjustments to ensure a business is back up and running quickly.

Real-world examples

It’s one thing to talk about resiliency as a business metric, and another to move from theory to practice. RavenVolt was put to the test in 2024 during two emergency situations: Hurricanes Helene and Milton.  

Leveraging RavenVolt’s Cortex remote monitoring system, ABM proactively tested every generator in the storm’s projected path before landfall. This early action ensured that all systems were fully operational and prepared to support key facilities. RavenVolt technicians were also strategically positioned for rapid response once the storms passed.

When Hurricane Helene struck, RavenVolt's NOC coordinated the deployment of 40 portable generators while overseeing 16 separate outages across the affected regions. The generators maintained continuous operation through both the storm and subsequent restoration efforts, achieving 99.9% reliability. By comparison, typical power disruptions in the region averaged 23 hours, with some locations experiencing blackouts lasting nearly four days.

Hurricane Milton arrived merely two weeks later. RavenVolt's operations team navigated 22 distinct outage scenarios during this event. Equipment under ABM's oversight maintained 97.9% operational availability, even as comparable systems elsewhere experienced average downtimes of 20 hours, with some exceeding three days.

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Future outlook

Building integrated, resilient facilities requires the right tools.  

“We’re seeing a lot of software-enabled, modular, integrated electrification and power solutions strategy,” said Jenny Lee. “Software controls and analytics are embracing monitoring and real-time optimization, improving and holding high uptime, all while reducing operating cost. I also expect modular distributed generation to expand where and how resilience can be deployed, especially in constrained or climate-exposed environments.”  

What does this look like in practice? ABM partnered with the Georgia Institute of Technology to find ways to reduce campus energy consumption. Prior to the project, the Biomedical Engineering and the Environmental Science & Technology buildings, while occupying only 5% of the campus footprint, were responsible for nearly 30% of total energy use.

ABM implemented strategic upgrades to the buildings’ STEM lab ventilation systems and fume hood controls. The project reduced energy use by nearly 74% for the Biomedical Engineering building and 53% for the Environmental Science & Technology building. These improvements exceeded projected energy savings and are expected to deliver energy and operational cost savings of $11.7 million.  

The right tools make results like this possible on a wider scale.  

“The biggest area where clients are struggling to operationalize sustainability is in data. The integration of systems empowers facilities managers to prioritize their resiliency efforts. You can’t manage something you can’t measure: and with ABM Connect, we can demonstrate how to make cleaning more efficient and more green at the same time,” said Suzanne M. Klatt. “The key is adopting a data-driven mindset: show us the numbers, then let us manage those metrics to create building efficiency.”

Resilience is becoming the most meaningful sustainability metric—and electrification is its foundation when executed at scale. It takes an integrated approach to ensure electrification delivers business value, not just sustainable outcomes. With the right data, facility operators can get a much fuller picture of the levers driving cost savings, efficiency, and a better built environment.

Yet, resilience also requires ongoing operational execution—not just design or technology deployment. Read on for part 2, where ABM's experts share how people and culture can make all the difference in continuity readiness.