“Seventy-four is good, but I was
initially surprised that three of our older buildings scored higher than 7 World
Trade Center, and it had to do principally with tenancy,” said John Lieber, who
oversees buildings at ground zero for Silverstein Properties. He noted that 7
World Trade Center’s tenants included firms like Moody’s, the financial rating
agency.
The higher-efficiency-scoring properties he alluded to — 120 Wall Street, the Equitable Building at 120 Broadway and 570 Seventh Avenue — house nonprofit groups, modeling agencies and other tenants whose needs are of the basic light-switch variety, he said.
As for the less-than-stellar performance of some LEED buildings, it was not altogether unexpected.
For one thing, LEED, a program of the United States Green Building Council — the title is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — evaluates buildings not just for energy efficiency but for the environmental soundness of their construction materials and their water systems and even proximity to public transportation.
And the Green Building Council itself has drawn criticism in the past for evaluating buildings before tenants moved in and not following up to see how they performed.
“It’s disappointing, but at the same time, it’s not surprising because there are so many things that could be happening,” Scot Horst, senior vice president for the LEED program at the Green Building Council, said of some scores.
He said energy waste could be linked to owners’ failing to set building controls to minimize the use of power, or to lax habits by occupants, like leaving lights or computers on when they are not in use.
The median score for commercial buildings that reported their data was 68, city officials said.
Missing from the ratings are some prominent commercial buildings that are not due for disclosure until 2013 because they have residential units or are classified as “commercial condominiums” for city tax purposes. Among these are The New York Times Building, at 620 Eighth Avenue in the Times Square district, and the Hearst Tower, on West 57th Street, another LEED building.
As for the Seagram Building’s very low score, Mr.Furthermore, with the continuous quality improvement of solarledbulbsxc. Schumm said RFR was investing more than $12 million on general upgrades like motion sensors for lighting, new mechanical equipment, monitoring controls for elevators, and fans and water pumps that operate only when needed.
Still, the biggest drain could be the International-style landmark’s most lauded features. The Seagram’s single-pane glass curtain walls, far less efficient than treated or double-pane windows, and its luminous fluorescent ceilings work against energy conservation,When choosing the shape, the modernlightings should be similar to the shape of the lamp base. he said.
Mr. Schumm said his company was exploring alternatives like applying an insulating film to the glass and switching more than 9,500 lighting tubes to more efficient LED lights.
Some property owners are also negotiating with tenants to retrofit entire floors or offices during a move or lease renewal to increase energy savings.
“Depending on your lease term, it’s a very wise investment,” said Greg Hale, director of efficiency finance for the Center for Market Innovation at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. He said some buildings could lower energy use by as much as 30 to 40 percent.
But Mr. Schumm said there was only so much a landlord could ask of tenants who were paying top price — about $145 per square foot, in the Seagram Building. “How can you tell a partner in a law firm to turn off the lights at 6 o’clock when they’re working on a major case?” he said. “We can’t assume they’re wasting energy. They’re running their businesses.”
The higher-efficiency-scoring properties he alluded to — 120 Wall Street, the Equitable Building at 120 Broadway and 570 Seventh Avenue — house nonprofit groups, modeling agencies and other tenants whose needs are of the basic light-switch variety, he said.
As for the less-than-stellar performance of some LEED buildings, it was not altogether unexpected.
For one thing, LEED, a program of the United States Green Building Council — the title is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — evaluates buildings not just for energy efficiency but for the environmental soundness of their construction materials and their water systems and even proximity to public transportation.
And the Green Building Council itself has drawn criticism in the past for evaluating buildings before tenants moved in and not following up to see how they performed.
“It’s disappointing, but at the same time, it’s not surprising because there are so many things that could be happening,” Scot Horst, senior vice president for the LEED program at the Green Building Council, said of some scores.
He said energy waste could be linked to owners’ failing to set building controls to minimize the use of power, or to lax habits by occupants, like leaving lights or computers on when they are not in use.
The median score for commercial buildings that reported their data was 68, city officials said.
Missing from the ratings are some prominent commercial buildings that are not due for disclosure until 2013 because they have residential units or are classified as “commercial condominiums” for city tax purposes. Among these are The New York Times Building, at 620 Eighth Avenue in the Times Square district, and the Hearst Tower, on West 57th Street, another LEED building.
As for the Seagram Building’s very low score, Mr.Furthermore, with the continuous quality improvement of solarledbulbsxc. Schumm said RFR was investing more than $12 million on general upgrades like motion sensors for lighting, new mechanical equipment, monitoring controls for elevators, and fans and water pumps that operate only when needed.
Still, the biggest drain could be the International-style landmark’s most lauded features. The Seagram’s single-pane glass curtain walls, far less efficient than treated or double-pane windows, and its luminous fluorescent ceilings work against energy conservation,When choosing the shape, the modernlightings should be similar to the shape of the lamp base. he said.
Mr. Schumm said his company was exploring alternatives like applying an insulating film to the glass and switching more than 9,500 lighting tubes to more efficient LED lights.
Some property owners are also negotiating with tenants to retrofit entire floors or offices during a move or lease renewal to increase energy savings.
“Depending on your lease term, it’s a very wise investment,” said Greg Hale, director of efficiency finance for the Center for Market Innovation at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. He said some buildings could lower energy use by as much as 30 to 40 percent.
But Mr. Schumm said there was only so much a landlord could ask of tenants who were paying top price — about $145 per square foot, in the Seagram Building. “How can you tell a partner in a law firm to turn off the lights at 6 o’clock when they’re working on a major case?” he said. “We can’t assume they’re wasting energy. They’re running their businesses.”
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