When Transwestern took over management of the Demonet Building in 2009, one of the first things they did was benchmark, or measure and rate, the building’s energy performance. Robert Sloan, the building’s Chief Engineer, said benchmarking helped them see just how much energy the building was consuming. In just three years, with low-cost changes, they … Continued
Finding energy savings in a condominium building poses a challenge. How does a Board of Directors persuade hundreds of individual owners to practice energy efficiency? When Harry Richter, a consultant with High Rise Consulting, began working with the board of the 4600 Connecticut building, he knew there were ways they could save on energy costs … Continued
Bellwether Housing owns and manages 29 apartment buildings that provide affordable housing for more than 3,000 Seattle residents, many of whom are low-income families and seniors. Bellwether aims to keep housing costs as low as possible for its residents, which means keeping energy bills in check. Through Portfolio Manager benchmarking, Bellwether found that annual utility … Continued
When CB Richard Ellis and LaSalle Investment Management began working together in 2006 as the asset service and management providers for Seattle's historic Dexter Horton building, there was a mutual understanding that they would invest in the upgrades needed to make the building as efficient as possible. By using the EPA’s free benchmarking tool, ENERGY … Continued
Hines first began measuring and rating, or benchmarking, the energy performance of Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza using the EPA’s free ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool in 2000. It was an eye-opening experience. For the first time, Hines was able to compare the building’s energy performance to similar buildings in the Seattle area as … Continued
Brandywine Realty Trust is one of the largest full-service integrated real estate companies in the nation, with properties across seven states and the District of Columbia. The company strives to be a leader in sustainability and energy efficiency, achieving an ENERGY STAR label at 83 buildings (15.1 million square feet) in 2012. Brandywine utilizes two … Continued
Pyramid Companies, based in upstate New York, is the largest privately owned developer of shopping centers in the Northeast. The company owns and operates more than 17 million square feet of retail, entertainment, and restaurant property across New York and Massachusetts. Pyramid recently expanded its Carousel Center retail complex to include Destiny USA, a 1.3-million-square-foot … Continued
This study examines how streamlining can improve compliance with building energy codes. Streamlining is the practice of improving building regulatory processes to remove overlap and duplication and create more efficient administrative procedures. The study argues that streamlining not only makes building departments more efficient and effective at enforcing construction code requirements, but also improves customer … Continued
Since last year, the state of Georgia has had a requirement for mandatory building-envelope and duct-tightness testing, by certified individuals, on all new residential construction. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this requirement has improved compliance rates. Why? Read the case study to find out more.
Towns and cities including Dayton, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., regularly hire third parties to conduct construction plan reviews, reducing the expense to the local building department while increasing the level of quality assurance–and helping to ensure that all plans comply with energy and other codes.