The adoption of green building systems and technologies is now widespread among California’s premier office buildings. As measured by our Green Building Barometer, 54% of Class A office space in the state is now classified as green (defined as either Energy Star or LEED certified). This achievement is a striking improvement over the situation just three years ago, when only 26% of Class A space was certified green.
With the construction of new office buildings at an all time low, the increase in green space largely reflects the upgrading and certification of existing buildings. LEED certification is becoming almost mandatory for Class-A office buildings in the financial districts of the major cities:
In San Francisco the Transamerica Pyramid recently achieved the highest level of certification with LEED Platinum status.
Building codes in the state are now greener, so that where new construction does occur, green certification is now very likely to follow, such as at the Tustin Centre in Orange County.
The adoption of greener operations in commercial buildings is being aided by new tools and technologies that help building owners to go green. For example, in October the City of San Francisco and the Business Council on Climate Change published a Green Tenant Toolkit for commercial buildings. The toolkit uses many of the green leasing tools and strategies developed by the California Sustainability Alliance, and is part of a suite of initiatives that also includes green financing packages and legislative changes designed to encourage greener buildings.
Now Accepting Applications for the 2011 Sustainability Showcase Awards.
We are now accepting submissions for the 2011 Sustainability Showcase Awards! Now in its fourth year, the Sustainability Showcase Awards recognize the successful sustainable policies, programs, practices and technologies implemented by leading organizations in California.
We are seeking leaders in four categories:
Commercial Buildings: Any organization whose primary mission involves ownership and management of one or more commercial properties in California.
Multifamily Housing: Organizations that own and/or operate portfolios of one or more multi-family housing buildings in California.
Local Government: Cities, counties, joint powers authorities, special districts or other types of local governmental entities formed and operated pursuant to California state law that have a role in implementing California’s environmental policies.
Water Agencies: Water and/or wastewater utilities that provide wholesale and/or retail services to California residents and businesses.
Application forms can be downloaded here. Submissions are currently being accepted and will be received until midnight on January 20, 2012. The winning entries will be notified February 2012.
Green buildings first emerged in the late 20th century and are consistently being recognized within today’s market as positive additions to the real estate industry. Greater energy efficiency not only increases a building’s value by reducing the property’s carbon footprint, but also saves on overall operating costs. Despite the obvious environmental and economic savings, the real estate industry is currently lacking a consistent mechanism to account for energy efficiency characteristics in the process of determining property value. This gap leads to imprecise and often inconsistent valuations of commercial properties.
A green real estate appraisal standard would help close this gap by measuring the efficiency and sustainability value of commercial properties, thereby attaching increased asset value to higher-performing buildings. This would encourage banks to release capital for more energy efficiency projects, since it would be easier to assess property value based on money and energy savings. Since capital costs are the main barrier for efficiency upgrades and retrofits, creating a standard and getting banks on board would assist in creating new sources of funding in the efficiency arena.
A building performance data tracking system would also give appraisers a resource for comparable projects. Stakeholders from energy, financing, appraisal, and real estate service industries are currently lacking consistent data about the monetary and energy efficiency benefits of higher performing buildings. A green appraisal standard will provide these stakeholders with a consistent methodology to assess properties’ energy efficient and sustainable features in determining market value. This improved standard and data system would also provide incentives for greater investment opportunities into efficiency. Since green building has become such a positive trend, why not add standards that will boost funding sources for efficiency projects and bolster green jobs?
Currently, the U.S. Green Building Council, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Real Estate Roundtable’s Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), have made it a top priority[1] to establish a green real estate appraisal standard. Through a public comment process, they continue to press the Obama Administration to use their existing legal authority to establish these green standards.
Let us know what you think about a green appraisal standard.
Thomas Properties Group ranks first in environmental performance among publicly traded real estate companies in North America by the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).”
The GRESB initiative was created in 2009 to assess the environmental and social performance of public and private real estate investments. The overall goal is to reduce the real estate sector’s carbon footprint while creating shareholder value.
With a #1 ranking in North America, it is no surprise that Thomas Properties Group has also received the coveted 2011 Calibre Environmental Award. This award, presented by the Calibre Committee in concurrence with the International Interior Design Association, seeks to recognize the outstanding commitment to environmental stewardship of organizations that are not only an integral part of the design community but also have a profound impact on society as a whole.
TPG’s mission is “to make a positive and profitable contribution toward a sustainable future.” By following this mission, TPG has continually been at the forefront of sustainability development by focusing on their product, customers, and investors to reduce operating expenses, reduce carbon footprints, and improve occupant productivity. In 2008, TPG received our Sustainability Showcase Award, which recognizes leaders that are paving the way towards California’s clean energy and low carbon future.
Thomas Properties Group is committed to greening their entire portfolio of existing buildings and new developments, and continues to coordinate green efforts companywide with the help of Daniele Horton, the company’s full-time Sustainability Manager. Daniele is one of our Green Building Advisors, sits on the USGBC-LA Board of Directors, and chairs its Existing Buildings Committee. We are proud to have her as part of our team and want to congratulate Thomas Properties Group on receiving the much deserved GRESB #1 US ranking and the 2011 Calibre Environmental Award!
Starting July 2012, most T12 lamps will be phased out of production.
Are T8s the new T12s? According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s fluorescent lighting mandate they should be. Starting last year on July 1, 2010, the magnetic ballasts that operate T12 lamps were no longer produced for commercial or industrial applications. Since then, there have been progressively fewer T12 ballasts available for purchase and production has focused on the T8 and T5 systems.
Starting July 14, 2012, most T12 lamps will also be phased out of production, including the following[1]:
Most F40 and F34T12 lamps and almost all FB40 and FB34T12 U-lamps
All 75W F96T12 lamps
All 60W F96T12/ES lamps, with the exception of a few 700/SP and 800/SPX lamps
All conventional 110W F96T12 HO lamps that deliver fewer than 10,120 lumens
All 95W F96T12/ES/HO, unless they can provide at least 8,740 lumens
It’s definitely a good time to get on board with the more efficient T8 and T5s. These lamps have lower mercury levels, longer lives, contribute to LEED points and are at least 30% more efficient. Compared to the T12 system, switching to a T8 system can save $7.20 a year and a T5 can save up to $13.60.[2] If commercial and industrial owners make the switch there will be significant energy and money savings.
Speaking of savings, the Energy Independence Act of 2007 (EISA) has extended the tax deduction for qualifying projects that will be completed before January 1, 2014. By recognizing the availability of incentives and rebates currently offered, commercial customers can save on retrofits if they act fast. Once all the DOE mandates are in effect, removing less efficient T12 systems will become a regular practice and the only option for customers with the inefficient lighting system. Rebate and incentive programs will likely disappear when this happens, so retrofitting sooner may have its added benefits.
Efficiency standards for light bulbs will go into effect next year.
Next year, under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), increased energy efficiency standards for light bulbs will go into effect. This mandate will gradually increase the required efficiency of bulbs over the next few years. Starting in January 2012, the 100 watt bulb will be required to drop 30% so that it emits the same amount of light while utilizing only 72 watts. The increased bulb efficiency requirements will continue in 2013 with the 75 watt bulb and in 2014 with the 60 and 40 watt bulbs.
These EISA standards will produce huge energy cost savings while eliminating wasteful products from the market. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated that this new standard could save nearly $6 billion in 2015 alone. By significantly reducing the amount of electricity required to light America’s homes and businesses, mostly generated from coal-fired power plants, the standards will also reduce harmful emissions from those coal plants including emissions of mercury, arsenic and greenhouse gases.[1]
New labels for light bulb packaging, designed by the Federal Trade Commission, will also take effect in January and will highlight bulb measurements in lumens. While watts tell us how much energy the light bulb uses, lumens measure the brightness. These labels, similar to nutrition labels found on grocery items, will also include the bulbs’ energy costs, life expectancy, mercury levels (if any) and the lights’ appearance ranging from warm to cool.[2]
So what do these bulb changes mean for the commercial consumer? Simply put, customers will be able to save energy and money without losing the amount of light displayed. Since light bulb purchases will focus on brightness, ambiance and life length, the new labels will allow consumers to purchase the most efficient bulbs for their specific office, business and industry needs. With the new label it will also be easy to estimate the yearly cost of specific bulbs, letting commercial customers manage their budgets and make practical choices about which bulbs are the most cost-effective.
Despite the energy and cost saving benefits, many people are still skeptical about the changes. Will the market of incandescent bulbs be overtaken by compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs)? Certainly some incandescent bulbs currently on the market won’t make the cut, but they will not be banned, they will only need to be reinvented. By utilizing a halogen technology with the incandescent bulb, lighting companies can reach the new standards, which are currently available in the standard bulb shape.[3] Since this efficient technology is already accessible, and means savings for most customers, bulbs will most likely transition to these new standards even if the mandate wasn’t set to take effect.
Let us know what you think about the new bulb standards.
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