Best Practice Guide

Commercial Office Buildings

Introduction

Planning an Energy Program

Funding and Approval

Lighting

Building Envelope

Central HVAC System

Distributed Generation

Demand Response

Commissioning

Procurement Policy

Water Use

Education

Tenants and Employees

Energy Efficiency in Telecommuting

Resources and Appendices

Lessons Learned


Adobe Systems Incorporated and Cushman & Wakefield

Arden Realty and next>edge

Cypress Semiconductor

Equity Office Properties

Glenborough Realty Trust

Natural Resources Defense Council

Qualcomm

Swinerton, Inc.

Transwestern Commercial Services


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Education

Tenants and Employees

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Even the most energy-efficient equipment is ineffective if individual behavior is not aligned with a company's energy goals. Energy and water waste often are the result of unintentional misuse. For example, leaving lights and office equipment on when the building is unoccupied wastes energy without providing any benefit. Likewise, opening windows while heating equipment is in operation cools a room quickly, but is wasteful and unnecessarily increases costs.

Building owners and managers can share their energy program results with tenants and customers alike. Companies that retrofit a lighting system, for example, can use the improvements to teach building occupants about the benefits and cost savings of new lighting technologies such as occupancy sensors and compact fluorescent lights. This enables building occupants to personalize the energy-saving lessons inherent in an energy program. Moreover, lessons learned can be taken home and used to reduce residential energy consumption.

Qualcomm in San Diego is involved in several energy and environmental efforts. Photo courtesy of Qualcomm, Inc.View Details.

Education programs also serve as positive public relations. A recent special survey on Californians and the environment from the Public Policy Institute of California found that a majority of Californians feel that the environment is a top policy priority, even over economic growth. A whopping 79 percent believe that all western states should increase energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2020. More than three quarters of Californians believe that steps need to be taken right away to counter the effects of global warming. Clearly, companies that respond to these overwhelming public concerns will be viewed as valued members of the community.

Peer-to-peer educational programs offer a way for building owners and managers to learn new techniques or to share their experiences. The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), for example, has launched the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP). BEEP teaches property owners, managers, and operators important strategies for optimizing their equipment, people, and practices. In partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR program, BEEP has and will continue to develop industry standards for operational excellence, document success through recognition programs, and communicate those successes to industry and stakeholders.

Education Sparks New Innovations

Education Sparks New Innovations

Education programs create a means for managers to learn from building occupants, as well. Be sure to include a feedback mechanism so that after learning about the value of energy efficiency, employees and tenants can offer suggestions. Not only does this generate new and innovative ideas for the energy program, it also actively engages people in thinking about energy and its use.


Some common ideas for collecting feedback include:

  • Prominently place a comment box near where employees congregate, like a cafeteria or locker room.
  • Offer rewards and other incentives for ideas that are adopted.
  • Brainstorm ideas as a group during trainings and meetings.
  • Add energy efficiency criteria to employee reviews; make energy efficiency a factor in career advancement.
  • Work with leasing staff to incorporate energy efficiency into marketing.
  • Routinely solicit suggestions from tenants of leased space.

Business Examples

As a construction company that specializes in green building, Swinerton Incorporated's Green Team includes over 40 LEED accredited professionals. Another 200+ employees have passed a Green training course and are able to provide practical, cost effective solutions across company activities. Employees, from upper management to project teams, are committed to the principles of green building and energy efficiency.


Swinerton shares its experience in a special website that describes green building projects. Informative articles are also available through the website.

The Natural Resources Defense Council's website offers green building education to the public, using its innovative and energy efficient offices across the nation as models. At the Santa Monica office, one of the greenest office buildings in the country, a storefront education center offers passersby lessons in green building as well as environmental topics like global warming, water pollution, and everyday toxins.

Qualcomm, Incorporated maintains a dedicated energy website and homepage with alert messages to keep employees informed of emergency situations. The website also provides information for employees about ways to save energy or complete renewable energy projects in their own homes.


In the public arena, Qualcomm personnel actively engage in energy related issues in regional and community organizations.

Transwestern Commercial Services offers energy news to its tenants through a regular newsletter. This information and related energy tips have received wide recognition and are greatly appreciated, especially by tenants who are sensitive to continued spikes in energy rates.

Glenborough Realty Trust routinely distributes public service announcements to its tenants and staff, providing information about energy projects being implemented and offering hints about ways individuals can reduce their energy consumption.

Property staff and leasing directors at Glenborough work closely together so that energy information is presented to prospective tenants, helping to inform their selection of high-quality office space.


Resources

Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Energy Efficiency Program.

U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Online Training.

BPG Appendix 5: FYP Education Boilerplate (PDF download, 5.6 MB)