ATLANTA and DENVER, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- As pressure to reduce carbon emissions mounts, CoreNet Global, the worldwide professional association for corporate real estate and workplace management, urge its members today to dramatically increase energy efficiency in office and industrial buildings.
The recommendations come in a new 10-month long study, "The Energy Challenge: A New Agenda for Corporate Real Estate," released today at the opening of the CoreNet Global Summit in Denver. CoreNet Global, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute, concluded that global enterprises are not taking advantage of simple, low-cost energy efficiency steps that can yield big dividends in cost savings and increase corporate image.
In the report, CoreNet Global and the Rocky Mountain Institute provide a checklist for corporations and service providers to jumpstart efforts to "go green" in their buildings.
Corporations are urged to: -- Communicate a vision to freeze current emissions with a timeline to realize 50% energy reduction -- Involve suppliers by adding energy and sustainability requirements to all RFP's -- Measure progress by establishing systems to measure energy utilization and costs Service providers are urged to: -- Adopt and promote 60 percent energy reduction by 2010 -- Track and communicate energy savings, strategies, and investments to clients and peers -- Emphasize energy and sustainability benefits in all RFP's -- Adopt minimum of LEED (R) Certification or equivalent standard for all new development
"Our survey found a high level of awareness about the advantages of energy savings in corporate facilities," said Eric Bowles, Director of Global Research for CoreNet Global. "What's most concerning today is how few companies are translating that awareness into broad action."
"The opportunity is for corporate real estate executives to act," said Dr. Prentice Knight, CEO of CoreNet Global. "Adoption of measurable, voluntary reductions in carbon emissions by responsible corporations may one day mean fewer government-imposed mandates requiring them," Knight added.
"Fifteen years ago, there were multiple barriers to making buildings energy efficient on a large scale," said energy analyst Amory Lovins, co- founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute. "Today, many of those barriers still exist - but more and more companies are discovering the benefits of breaking through them. The obvious payoffs are reducing energy costs and improving the
workplace environment, but there are also dividends in terms of reputation and relationships with the public, policy makers, regulators and employees."
The report includes the results of a survey of more than 240 corporate real estate executives and an evaluation of 15 corporate success stories. Among the report's data and findings are:
Although cars and manufacturing sites may be more visible reminders of carbon emissions, buildings are responsible for more pollution than either industry or transportation. Buildings account for 40% of total energy utilization and commercial buildings represent nearly half of that amount. In large cities, such as London, energy used in buildings is nearly 75% of total energy utilization.
In 2003, buildings were linked to the emission of more than 2.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, while transportation ranked at only around 1.8 million metric tons and industry at about 1.6 million metric tons.
There is growing recognition of the importance of energy efficiency in corporate real estate. Relative to other issues impacting real estate over the next 10 years, 83 percent of executives ranked sustainability as important or most important and 94 percent ranked energy efficiency as important or most important. More than two-thirds of executives expect budgets devoted to sustainability and energy efficiency to increase over the next five years.
Less than half of corporations have energy policies or consumption targets in place. Only 40 percent of those surveyed say corporations are making use of quantitative targets, and only 42 percent say a company-wide energy policy is in place. Less than a third say that a senior-level executive is in charge of energy management. Only five percent are linking employee compensation incentives to energy efficiency.
Low-hanging fruit - Energy savings that come with either low or no cost - is being overlooked by the majority of corporations. Less than a third of survey respondents said their companies devote resources to identifying and implementing low-cost or no-cost energy efficiency measures.
Various case studies offered during the CoreNet Global Summit in Denver highlight the bottom-line financial, social and environmental advantages of energy conservation, carbon emission reduction and other forms of sustainability. Companies including Adobe Systems Inc. have demonstrated substantial short- and long-term return on investment through their low-cost energy savings approaches.
The Denver Global Summit is the only conference dedicated to the bottom line business strategy for sustainability in corporate real estate and the workplace.
CoreNet Global
