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| Empire State Building is going green Property services firm Jones Lang LaSalle and its program partners unveiled a landmark energy sustainability program for the iconic property that will reduce the Empire State Building's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 38 percent. Once completed, the building is expected to achieve an ENERGY STAR score of 90, placing it in the top 10 percent of efficiency for Class A buildings, a major feat for a pre-war property. In addition, the Empire State Building will pursue LEED Gold building certification. The Empire State Building's retrofit program carries an initial cost of approximately $20 million and will result in annual energy savings of $4.4 million once implementation is complete, with the majority of work expected to take place within two years. The program will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 105,000 metric tons over the next 15 years, equivalent to the annual emissions of 17,500 cars. Eight major projects are being implemented, including: a 6,500 window light retrofit, the introduction of radiator insulation; improved tenant lighting, daylighting and plug upgrades, air handler replacements; a chiller plant retrofit; a whole-building control system upgrade ventilation control upgrades and new Web-based tenant energy management systems. The program will also encourage property tenants to reduce energy use through: • Pre-built spaces will save $0.70 - $0.90 per square foot in operating costs annually for an additional cost of $6 per square foot; • The introduction of pre-built designs to configuring or reconfiguring space that verifies reduction of energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions with online calculators supplied by the project team; • Sub-metering tenant spaces to measure usage reductions and assist in carbon reporting efforts. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |