Learn from the Best: Past Webinar Series
Click the links below to learn best practices, innovative technologies, and communication strategies from energy management leaders, as well as sector-specific lessons learned and guidance.
Energy Management Best Practices
- Discovering Energy Savings with Treasure Hunts – April 29, 2020
- Strategies for Setting Effective Energy Performance Goals – May 28, 2020
- How to Develop Playbooks and Employee Guides for Energy Efficiency – June 24, 2020
- Lighting up Energy Savings with LED Upgrades – December 3, 2020
- Discovering Energy Savings with Treasure Hunts – September 12, 2019
Innovative Technologies
- Innovative Technologies Part 1 – Battery Storage – September 10, 2020
- Innovative Technologies Part 2 – October 8, 2020
- Innovation in Energy Management – June 25, 2019
Communications and Engagement
- Communicating Your Energy Plans and Achievements – November 18, 2020
- Success Stories on Holding ENERGY STAR Competitions – October 17, 2019
- Celebrate Earth Day with Energy Efficiency Education – April 4, 2019
Sector-Specific
- How to Leverage Brokers to Promote Energy Efficiency – July 18, 2019
- Success Stories on Holding ENERGY STAR Competitions – October 17, 2019
- Engaging Commercial Tenants in Energy Efficiency – December 5, 2019
Energy Management Best Practices
Discovering Energy Savings with Treasure Hunts
Wednesday, April 29, 2pm ET
- Watch the recording.
- Download the slide deck. (PDF, 2.6 MB)
During this webinar, Tyler Puls (Des Moines Public Schools) and Barry Abramson (Servidyne) presented on their experiences using Treasure Hunts to engage building staff in finding new ways to save energy. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of their lessons learned.
Treasure hunts engage and focus a team on saving energy
EPA’s resident expert on Treasure Hunts, Walt Tunnessen, emphasized that Treasure Hunts aren’t just a walkthrough, they’re a strategy for engaging employees and managers to focus on energy efficiency — to find opportunities to save energy and establish an action plan to ensure the savings measures are implemented.
EPA has off-the-shelf resources
EPA has Treasure Maps (i.e., checklists) for specific building types, step-by-step-guides, detail sheets to calculate potential savings, and opportunities for recognition. Download these resources and learn more at www.energystar.gov/treasurehunt
Take it one building at a time
Tyler’s team has conducted Treasure Hunts for the past three years, and they’ve found that focusing on one building allowed them to take the time to dig deeper and find items that were missed in the past, like set points off in automation systems and malfunctioning air handlers.
Once you start hunting, you can’t stop
DMPS is working toward 100% LED facilities, and Tyler said the treasure hunt energized their building staff to find any remaining lighting that needed to be retrofit.
No finger-pointing (or walking the plank)
Both Barry and Tyler acknowledged that the emphasis on positivity and collaboration yielded a refreshing approach for everyone involved. Tyler’s teams weren’t caught up pointing fingers for potential mistakes, and Barry could build a stronger relationship with his clients.
Example 1: How East High School saved thousands on energy costs
Tyler’s team used EPA’s Treasure Map for K-12 Schools during the walkthrough of East High School. It suggested what to look for and they used it to capture notes. They found that most issues could be corrected immediately and with minimal labor. For example, they found a mini-fridge’s exhaust vent directly next to a thermostat. Ultimately, they identified projects with a simple payback of 2 years (with utility incentives) that will save the school district thousands of dollars.
Example 2: The mystery of the similar buildings with different energy usage
Parmenter Realty Partners has eight buildings that are situated in several office parks where all the buildings are nearly identical. Despite this, the buildings differed in their ENERGY STAR scores. To solve the mystery, Servidyne conducted a Treasure Hunt in each building. Most of the fixes involved things that were happening during unoccupied periods. Some of the key opportunities included: AHU schedule adjustments; after-hours mode for minimum chiller load; lighting control repairs; Saturday on-demand HVAC; static pressure and temperature resets; and unoccupied floor setback. By the end, Servidyne found an average of 5% savings and around $21,200 total.
In addition, now that their office tenants have largely shifted to telework, Parmenter is expanding their findings to the entire buildings. The team estimates that by applying the strategy to 28 floors, the original savings of $1,700 will be generated every two weeks.
For all the details, watch the recording.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Barry Abramson, Principal of Servidyne
- Tyler Puls, Energy and Environmental Specialist for Des Moines Public Schools
Strategies for Setting Effective Energy Performance Goals
- Watch the webinar recording
- Download the slide deck (PDF, 6.9 MB)
In this webinar, Ben Myers (Boston Properties), Jessica Loeper (CommonWealth Properties), and Jim Soutter (Hudson Pacific Properties) presented on the strategies their organizations used to set effective energy performance goals. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of their lessons learned.
“When there’s a public scoreboard, people play differently”
Ben’s team at Boston Properties recognized the importance of developing the tools for measurement, management, and disclosure to collect the necessary data to set energy and sustainability goals. He added that when that data is widely available and transparent, teams will be significantly more motivated to find and implement solutions to reach those targets.
Boston Properties success drivers: things you need to do to achieve your goals
Boston Properties has unlocked savings of $31M in operating costs to date and contributes much of its success to the following methodology:
- Maintain detailed historical energy performance information through a tool like EPA Portfolio Manager
- Create strong partnerships with operations, property management, and engineering
- Gain buy-in from senior leadership to define the purpose and support implementation
- Build broad stakeholder support through talking to customers, investors, and partners
- Develop a clear and strong business case
Reducing carbon emissions requires an evaluation of Scope 1, 2 and 3 sources
Jessica’s analysis found that most of the carbon emissions in the CommonWealth Properties portfolio came from Scope 2 sources, indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. This indicated that the company should focus their performance targets on the efficiency of their buildings and researching utility buying options through Green Power Purchasing plans and Renewable Energy Credits.
Setting performance goals is just the beginning
Success is not achieved with the goals alone, and Jessica provided some key insights on what to do next.
- Find a pathway to achieve your goals – consider local and national incentives, examine where emissions come from and what the company can control, and use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to target specific properties
- Implement Programs – measure and verify real-time performance
- Communicate Results – host events, display emissions posters, develop sustainability leasing flyers, and post elevator and lobby signage
When early corporate goals are achieved ahead of schedule, its time to get serious
Jim’s team at Hudson Pacific Properties ran into a similar predicament that many companies experienced in the last few years, that they achieved their first ESG goals considerably ahead of schedule. Instead of resting on their laurels, Hudson Pacific Properties used that as a lesson that it can go deeper. The company expanded benchmarking to 100% of the spaces, invested in RECs, strengthened internal leadership, enhanced internal management, and increased marketing and communication.
Achieving performance targets starts with board-level commitments and continues down through the organization
Hudson Pacific Properties developed the following action plan to achieve its goals:
- Make a commitment from board-level sustainability committee, down through the organization, and corporate and tenant business practices.
- Assess performance with complete data benchmarking and tenant engagement surveys with ESG questions
- Set a variety of goals that show progress across key areas, including: portfolio-wide goals, net zero carbon in operations, and net zero waste in operations
- Create and implement long-term strategies incorporated into capital improvement plans, exploring innovative technologies, energy retrofits in older properties, and sharing of best practices with engineering and property management teams throughout the company
- Evaluate progress through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to benchmark performance, identify tools for real-time performance monitoring, and solicit tenant feedback and input
- Recognize achievements to encourage and promote best practices through highly visible internal programs and performance bonuses.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Jessica Loeper, Vice President at Verdani Partners
- Ben Myers, Vice President, Sustainability, at Boston Properties (BXP
- James Soutter, Vice President, Engineering of Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP
How to Develop Playbooks and Employee Guides for Energy Efficiency
Wednesday, June 24
Playbooks and employee guides can be an effective method to convey best practices for energy efficiency as well as listing ENERGY STAR resources that are available. Join us to hear how three ENERGY STAR Partners have successfully developed employee playbooks and guides. Allergan will share how they developed an employee guide outlining what individuals can do. Lockheed Martin has developed an Energy Playbook program that has been rolled out in 2020 as part of the corporation’s new Go Green goals as a means to identify best practices and opportunities across the enterprise while also measuring success in all matters relating to energy efficiency. The new playbook was utilized for the first time at a large facility in March 2020 with plans to review the ten highest energy use sites over the next three years. Welltower developed the “Performance Playbook: A Guide for Senior Housing Efficiency and Excellence”, a user-friendly guide containing best practices, efficiency measures, and a library of ENERGY STAR tools and resources customized for the senior care industry.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Kirby Brendsel, AVP of Sustainability & ESG, Welltower
- Dave Gontarz, an environmental engineer on the Lockheed Martin Corporate Environmental, Safety, and Health (CESH) energy team
- Scott Jordan, President of Building Integrated Services
- Tom Pagliuco, Executive Director, Global Energy Engineering at Allergan
Lighting up Energy Savings with LED Upgrades
Thursday, December 3, 1pm ET
Replacing lighting with efficient LEDs continues to result in substantial savings for commercial buildings. Join us to hear from three ENERGY STAR partners who have installed LED lighting and realized savings. Bimbo Bakeries will discuss their journey towards installing LED lighting in 80% of their bakeries, with LED lighting installations planned for the remainder of the bakeries by 2020. The savings from lighting alone account for at least 15% of their electrical consumption. Food Lion will share how they completed a rollout of LED sales floor lighting by upgrading 163 stores. The savings from the 2019 installs is over 40.6 billion BTUs. Ozinga Bros, Inc will discuss the lighting retrofits of five maintenance shops with LEDs. The combined projects will save $5,500 per year, and they were able to receive nearly $4,000 in utility rebates. In addition to better energy efficiency, the new lights make their shops brighter and safer.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Leslie Adebayo, Corporate Sustainability Manager for Bimbo Bakeries
- Nathan Onchuck, Energy and Sustainability Manager at Ozing
- Sean Shropshire, Energy Engineer for Retail Business Services (RBS)
Discovering Energy Savings with Treasure Hunts
During an Energy Treasure Hunt, groups of people walk around a building looking for opportunities to save energy. Treasure Hunts focus on quick fixes with a short payback period. Hundreds of organizations have used Energy Treasure Hunts to reduce their facilities’ energy use by 7 to 15 percent.
During this webinar, you’ll hear from two ENERGY STAR partners that have used Treasure Hunts as a way to improve day-to-day operations and engage building operators and employees in “discovering” treasure in their facilities. In addition, we’ll provide an overview of new resources available from EPA to help your organization plan and host a successful Treasure Hunt in time for Energy Awareness Month this October.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Leslie Adebayo, Corporate Sustainability Manager for Bimbo Bakeries
- Alena Hutchison, ENERGY STAR Communications Team, EPA
- Michael Roberts, Director – Energy Services and Central Energy Plants for Atrium Health
Innovative Technologies
Innovative Technologies Part 1 – Battery Storage
Thursday, September 10
On-site battery storage systems are becoming a viable option to help commercial buildings manage demand for grid supplied electricity. Join us to hear how two ENERGY STAR partners have implemented battery storage projects at their buildings.
Hines will discuss their battery-storage system which they piloted at a property in California to help efficiently regulate the energy flow from the grid, avoiding peak rates. Using a financing plan that eliminates upfront costs, they were able to install a 100-kilowatt-hour system, which uses advanced software and data analysis. To date, the system has provided cost savings to the property and the software interface has provided additional tools for their engineering team to further optimize the building’s energy efficiency. Additionally, Kilroy will discuss how they’ve implemented 9 battery storage system projects with a total capacity of 4.6 MW.
Kilroy Realty Corporation (KRC) has installed 9 battery storage projects, which total 4.3 MW in capacity. KRC installed the batteries to ease strain on the grid as California moves to an all-renewable electric energy portfolio, as well as increase Net Operating Income at their buildings.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Sara Neff, Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation
- Gary Petersen, Senior Engineering Manager at Hines
Innovative Technologies Part 2
Thursday, October 8
Commercial buildings are implementing a variety of innovative technologies as part of their energy management plans. Join us to hear about the experiences from two ENERGY STAR partners. Vornado will share how they have piloted technologies such as induction unit valves. Yardi will discuss how they have achieved cost savings and maximized performance using artificial intelligence (AI) to manage sophisticated building controls.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Dan Egan, Senior Vice President for Energy and Sustainability at Vornado Realty Trust
- Randy Moss, a Consultant at Yardi
Innovation in Energy Management
Commercial buildings are finding creative ways to reduce energy use by encouraging tenants to modify behaviors that impact energy use, installing efficient equipment, and testing out cutting-edge technology. Join us to hear how two ENERGY STAR Partners have saved energy through innovative approaches.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Gregg Fischer, Director of Energy Systems under the Design + Construction Sustainability and Utilities division of Tishman Speyer
- Al Scaramelli, Managing Director at Beacon Capital Partners
Communications & Engagement
Communicating Your Energy Plans and Achievements
Wednesday, November 18, 2pm ET
Communicating your energy plans and achievements both internally to employees and externally to the public can be informative, motivational, and fun. Join us to hear how and why three ENERGY STAR industrial partners implemented creative communications plans. CalPortland will share how they’ve implemented a variety of effective forms of communication, including training videos about their energy management plan, plant tours, an ENERGY STAR Showcase, K-12 school outreach, community fairs, advertising at a rodeo, sponsoring a crash derby car, and more. Celanese will discuss Energy Sparks, an energy training tool developed for communication to sites to motivate discussions and their Energy Small Bites program which they developed to promote Earth Day and energy awareness. Raytheon Company will share their employee engagement videos, Virgin Pulse “Save Energy” Challenge, and monthly energy outreach to inspire employee action on energy and water conservation.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Steve Coppinger, Vice President of Engineering Services for CalPortland Company
- Tracy Fialli, Senior Principal Energy Engineer working at Raytheon Technologies
- David Reid, Senior Manager, Global Energy and Productivity for Celanese
Celebrate Earth Day with Energy Efficiency Education
Are you looking for ways to educate your building or facility occupants about saving energy? Are you trying to get the word out about your building’s energy efficiency improvements? Join us to hear from two ENERGY STAR partners with successful energy education strategies.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Alena Hutchison, ENERGY STAR Communications team, EPA
- Jessica Loeper, Vice President at Verdani Partners and Director of Sustainability for CommonWealth Partners
- Kelly Stemcosky, Communications Specialist for Sustainability at Corning Incorporated
Sector-Specific
How to Leverage Brokers to Promote Energy Efficiency
Training brokers to promote the energy performance and sustainability achievements of your buildings is key to attracting clients and executing green leases. Three ENERGY STAR Commercial Real Estate Partners will share how they provide energy efficiency training for brokers and recognize their accomplishments.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Jennifer Leitsch, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility at CBRE
- Sara Neff, Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation
- Rachel Schiftan, Sustainability Project Manager for Cushman & Wakefield
Success Stories on Holding ENERGY STAR Competitions
Are you looking for a fun way to engage your building occupants? Join us to hear from two ENERGY STAR partners that have successfully run internal energy efficiency competitions.
We’ll also review off-the-shelf, co-brandable tools and resources that EPA has created to help you “Build Your Own Battle.”
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Crystal Frost, Sustainable Behaviors and Conservation Program Leader at The Boeing Company,
- Alena Hutchison, ENERGY STAR Communications Team
- Sean Shropshire, Energy Engineer for Retail Business Services (RBS)
Engaging Commercial Tenants in Energy Efficiency
The people who work in your office building, retail store, warehouse, or other commercial building can make or break your efficiency strategy – after all, they often consume most of the energy. Learn how two ENERGY STAR partners engage tenants and occupants to save energy. We’ll also give an update on the status of the forthcoming ENERGY STAR Tenant Space recognition program.
Speakers (click for full bios):
- Christopher Cayten, Principal at CodeGreen Solution
- Dan Egan, Senior Vice President for Energy and Sustainability at Vornado Realty Trust
- Cindy Jacobs, Senior Advisor in the Commercial and Industrial Buildings Branch, within the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at US EPA.
- Craig Haglund, Program Manager for Commercial Real Estate and Multifamily, in the Commercial and Industrial Buildings Branch, within the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at US EPA.