Spring arrives with a familiar shift in mindset. Temperatures start climbing, cooling systems wake up, and planning cycles pick up momentum. For facility and energy leaders, it's also a natural moment to step back and ask: are we prepared for what the rest of 2026 is going to bring?
The honest answer, for most organizations I talk to, is "we're working on it." And that's a fair place to be. But the leaders I've watched navigate volatile years most successfully tend to share one trait. They plan holistically and proactively. They look at energy, facilities, and capital together rather than in silos. And they act in spring on decisions that protect them in summer, fall, and beyond.
Based on what my team and I have seen and heard, here’s a practical look at what's likely ahead and where the leverage points are.
Energy Volatility Isn't Going Away
If you've been waiting for markets to stabilize before making a procurement decision, 2026 isn't likely to reward that patience. Energy prices remain volatile[1], and the factors driving that volatility, grid strain from electrification, weather uncertainty, shifting supply dynamics, aren't short-term disruptions. They're the new baseline.
That said, volatility is something to plan for, not wait out. Spring is also a shoulder season for energy procurement. Demand is lower than it will be in peak summer months, which often creates a more favorable window to evaluate contracts, lock in rates, and position your organization before the heat drives prices and urgency higher.
The organizations that manage energy costs well in uncertain markets tend to do three things: they understand their exposure, they make procurement decisions on a schedule rather than in reaction to headlines, and they use data to drive flexibility into their contracts. Timing matters. A strategic approach to electricity and natural gas procurement doesn't eliminate market risk, but it meaningfully reduces downside.
The leaders I spend time with have internalized something we say often at Mantis Innovation: facilities leaders really only have two levers on energy. Buy it better, or use less of it. Most organizations need both working together. A procurement win partially offset by inefficient operations is a missed opportunity. The two sides need to be coordinated.
Are Your Buildings Ready for Warmer, Less Predictable Weather?
Spring is a good time to ask a straightforward question: if temperatures climbed 10 degrees tomorrow, would your buildings perform the way you expect?
That question isn't hypothetical. Weather has become harder to predict, and the operational stakes of HVAC underperformance are real. Equipment that's running but not tuned adds to energy spend. Controls that aren't calibrated create comfort issues and cost spikes. Assets that have been deferred through winter carry risk into peak cooling season.
This is where I come back to something I believe deeply: well-planned maintenance dollars can save big capital dollars. A well-timed BMS tune-up, a controls audit before peak season, proactive HVAC maintenance heading into summer, these aren't just good operational practice. They're financial decisions. The cost of a planned intervention is almost always a fraction of the cost of an unplanned failure when your systems are running hardest.
The question to ask your team right now is simple: are our critical systems tuned and ready, or are they just running? There's a meaningful difference.
Spend Wisely Now to Stay Flexible Later
One of the patterns I've seen play out across industries is that organizations that invest in the right things early in the year tend to have more financial flexibility when challenges emerge later. The reverse is also true. Deferred maintenance and reactive energy decisions compound. They erode budgets, constrain capital, and put operations in catch-up mode.
Spring is a window. Efficiency projects and targeted asset work completed now deliver operational benefit through the summer. Data-driven facility asset management helps you see which assets carry the most risk and prioritize accordingly. That's not about doing everything, it's about doing the right things at the right time.
Budget pressure is prevalent for most organizations right now. But the organizations that treat early-year investments as protection against late-year surprises tend to manage that pressure better. Strategic spending now preserves optionality later. Reactive spending later, driven by equipment failures or unplanned demand spikes, doesn't.
Why a Holistic View Changes the Outcome
Where we spend most of our time at Mantis is helping organizations connect the dots between energy procurement, efficiency, asset health, and facility data. These aren't separate workstreams. They're levers on the same outcome: managing cost, performance, and risk across a portfolio.
The challenge is that most organizations manage them in silos. Procurement is handled by one team. Maintenance by another. Capital planning by a third. When those conversations don't intersect, decisions get made in isolation. A procurement strategy that doesn't account for consumption trends leaves savings on the table. A capital plan that doesn't factor in energy impact misses ROI. A maintenance budget that's disconnected from peak demand exposure creates unnecessary risk.
Smart, connected building solutions and integrated data platforms are part of how organizations break down those silos. So is having a partner who sits across both sides of the energy challenge. Mantis occupies a specific position in this market: we bridge procurement, facility maintenance, and efficiency, so the decisions work together rather than around each other. That positioning isn't accidental. It's where we believe the most value gets unlocked for clients.
What We're Hearing at Industry Tables
We're spending a lot of time at industry tables this spring. Conversations with facility leaders, energy managers, finance executives, and operations teams across sectors.
What we're hearing is consistent. People are navigating real budget pressure. They're managing aging assets with constrained capital. They're watching energy markets closely and not always sure when or how to move. And they're looking for partners who understand both sides of the challenge, not just one.
We're also hearing genuine curiosity about what others are doing. How are organizations prioritizing capital when everything feels urgent? What procurement approaches are holding up in volatile markets? How are teams using data to make faster, more confident decisions?
Those are the conversations worth having. If you're attending industry events this spring or want to compare notes on how your peers are approaching 2026, we want to be part of that dialogue.
A Final Thought
Volatility doesn't have to mean instability. Organizations that plan thoughtfully, invest in strong data, and execute with discipline tend to hold their footing when conditions get harder. That's not a complicated formula, but it does require intentionality.
The teams I respect most in this industry aren't the ones with perfect conditions. They're the ones who keep their heads down, prepare their buildings, manage their energy costs with discipline, and make decisions based on facts rather than reaction.
Spring is the right time to get that work done. We're here to help.
Ready to prepare your facilities and energy strategy for the rest of 2026 and beyond? Contact Mantis to start the conversation.
Darrell Whitley is the President & CEO of Mantis Innovation, an independent facility performance and energy efficiency firm helping commercial and industrial organizations spend smarter, operate more efficiently, and prepare for the future of energy and facility management.
