Owners and property managers in Boston are paying close attention to headlines this week as city officials announce plans to require the commercial real estate industry to publish annual reports on energy and water usage for public record. According to the Boston Globe, the Boston City Council has approved an ordinance that requires “annual reports on energy and water usage from commercial buildings over 35,000 square feet and apartment buildings over 35 units. The law will be phased in though 2017, with the first properties, commercial buildings 50,000 square feet or larger, reporting next year” (Edes, 2013).
It has been long argued that buildings are the biggest culprits for emitting green house gases and consuming energy and these new plans appear take a shot at addressing those concerns. Such plans are raising concerns of their own for those in the CRE industry, and more about this story can be found by clicking the full Boston Globe article here.
Source: Edes, Alyssa. (May 09, 2013). Boston Globe. Boston energy, water use law approved. http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/05/08/boston-city-council-approves-energy-water-use-ordinance/I8MxDJf8990tJm1xudjHFL/story.html
by Tom Palange on May 6, 2013
in Awards, FM
Today we wrap up our featured descriptions of the various nominees for the 2013 IFMA Boston Awards of Excellence. And the nominees for Sustainability Awards are:
CATEGORY: SUSTAINABILITY
99 High Street
Nominated by: Jones Lang LaSalle
99 High Street has undergone significant work to address, structural, cosmetic and energy efficiency improvements to reposition itself in the highly competitive high-rise tower class. Energy efficiency improvements include, installation of 8 Quattro DC Elevator drives, a new boiler plant reducing annual heating costs by 50%, the installation of nearly 4,000 new double pane thermal insulated windows reducing heating and cooling loads by 20%, improved central plant air handling units, a new cooling tower, garage free heat, and the utilization of single stream recycling, increasing the recycling percentage to 65% for the building.
Steward Health
Nominated by: Environmental Health & Engineering
Steward Health implemented an Energy Optimization Program to reduce energy consumption by a minimum of 10% without installing expensive capital equipment. An initial review of the hospital’s overall energy usage was performed to identify usage patterns, and real time data was collected. The primary opportunities for energy savings were identified that would achieve and exceed the 10% savings goal and maintain budget neutrality. Savings for 2012 exceeded the initial optimization target with overall energy savings of 14%, cost saving of $185,000 and a reduction in carbon emissions of over 1,000 metric tons of CO2.
Best of luck to all nominees! (To find out who wins, register and attend here).
