Lean & Green
Posted: Oct 03, 2008
By: Elizabeth Millard
In commercial real estate, design and construction that adhere to LEED standards for energy efficiency and green building continue to be popular, but that doesn’t mean older buildings are being left out of the green revolution.
As many property managers and tenants are finding, even small changes in building operations can have a major, lasting impact toward long-term efficiency gains.
“People believe that energy costs will continue to rise at a rate that’s higher than normal, so they’re thinking about how to get ahead of those increases in their operational strategies,” says Mark Reiling, principal, at real estate and property management firm Colliers Turley Martin Tucker (CTMT).
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Sometimes, just changing key pieces of equipment can make a difference, Reiling notes. For example, at International Market Square in Minneapolis, which is managed by CTMT, intelligent motor controllers were installed to monitor controllers were installed to monitor and regulate the amount of power that goes to each piece of equipment in the building.
The controllers quickly saved 20 percent, Reiling says, and another 20 percent was saved with the use of surge protectors that prevent types of small energy surges that happen when equipment turns on and off.
“There’s definitely interest in the big stuff like underground water tanks, green roofs and solar panels, but the payback for components like those are still a long way out,” notes Reiling, “Putting in controllers or doing more recycling are things that can be done now, and can impact short-term energy costs.”
With experts predicting a teeth-gnashing winter for heating prices in both the commercial and residential realms, boosting efficiency before the snow falls is likely to keep getting more popular.
Creating more awareness among a building’s tenants is also crucial, as it can increase the type of smaller efforts that bring efficiency to homes, such as turning off lights and computers, or increasing recycling. Even encouraging more bicycle commuting can be beneficial, since it increases air quality in parking garages when fewer cars are coming in every day.
In its quarterly newsletter, Normandale Lake Office Park highlights efforts such as theses, and gives tips on recycling, says general manager Theresa Elveru. The office park has also implemented changes such as restroom remodeling, with low-flow toilets and urinals.
“Things cost money, so there’s a limited amount you can do,” she says. “But over time, the savings add up.”
In its tenant newsletters, CSM includes Xcel Energy marketing materials related to energy efficiency and also gives advice on recycling. In addition to creating greater involvement from tenants, CSM is gradually changing its lighting to more energy efficient versions—whenever a bulb burns out, a more efficient type of bulb, called a T8, is installed, says John Ferrier, the company’s director of architecture.
Tenants have also asked for tips on getting the most out of their HVAC systems, since many of the units are older, and CSM is also looking into ways to revamp warehouse space to bring in more natural lights.
“These types of changes might seem minor,” says Ferrier. “But in spaces that are older and less efficient, even changing the lighting can become a big deal.”
LONG-TERM THINGKING
These types of operational changes could be more widely routed in the next few years, Reiling believes, especially if the buzz over LEED certification begins to quiet down.
“Some companies are finding they can follow the LEED criteria but they don’t necessarily want to pay the major fees to get the certification,” he says. “So, I think in the future you’ll be seeing more claims of a building being ‘LEED compliant,’ which means that they’re using energy efficient strategies and green materials.”
Also likely to be a greater trend are recommissioning reports, in which engineering consultants come into a building and do a year-long study, recommending changes in operations and equipment. Normandale recently had a report done, and Elveru notes that it resulted in several significant upgrades.
For instance, an infrared scan done of the tope of the office park’s four buildings revealed that a good deal of energy was being lost through one of the roofs. The roof was sealed, and Elveru noted that they’re already seeing energy savings for the building.
In the next few years, another shift will be landscaping around commercial buildings, with growing emphasis on drought-resistant narive plants, Ferrier adds. Although exotic species might be pretty, they can take a good deal of water, and this past summer proved challenging for many companies that wanted their green space to stay green.
“There is a list of both major and minor things, from HVAC to landscaping, that can make a difference in terms of efficiency,” says Ferrier. “Tenants of commercial buildings are actually excited about how much they can do.”
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