420 Fifth Ave., a 610,000 s/f office condo building, has achieved Energy Star certification with a score of 77%, placing it in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. The facility is managed by Grubb & Ellis Management Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Grubb & Ellis Co.
"Between the sustainable design elements in the original blueprint and the energy usage upgrades implemented at the building by its management staff, this building has become a model for energy efficiency," said Karen Whitt, executive managing director of Grubb & Ellis Management Services.
Pursuing the Energy Star designation is consistent with Grubb & Ellis' sustainability strategy, which in part aims to include every building in its portfolio into the Energy Star database to ensure that energy usage is monitored and optimized. Led by Carolyn Austin-Younge, property manager of the 20-year-old facility, the property management team made a number of improvements with the intent of improving efficiency.
including installing variable frequency drives on a number of appliances and optimizing building systems to reduce electric and steam consumption.
According to the EPA, commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star designation consume an average of 40% less energy than typical buildings and also release 35% less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. EPA's national energy performance rating system provides a 1-100 scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a rating of 75 or higher is eligible for the Energy Star. Commercial buildings that can earn the Energy Star designation include offices, bank branches, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories and warehouses.
The Energy Star program was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the Energy Star designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the U.S. government. Tags: