According to James Green, regional manager of engineering services for Hines, the energy star rating is achieved by reporting the facts of the building and its energy use to the EPA which then compares that information with similar buildings using the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey as a guide. If a building's rate of energy efficiency falls within the top 25%, it qualifies for the energy star.

Green contends that the program has not only saved the company money but has also made the leasing process easier by making the building more appealing to potential tenants. "Energy is available for the tenant should they need it," he tells GlobeSt.com. "The building can maintain its energy consumption. Tenants don't have to limit their growth and we don't have to increase the cost of our electrical system. It also helped tenants reduce their operating costs." Green notes that the process also increases the value of the building itself. He estimates that the company spent $1.3 million on hardware to improve energy efficiency.

Among the features installed in the buildings were T12-25 Watt fluorescent bulbs which, says Green, improve the quality of lighting and provide an appropriate level of light. Hines installed 30,000 of these bulbs in the buildings at a cost of $130,000. Abatements from the local utility company Nstar were $65,000 and Green puts the savings at $74,000 per year. Electronic ballasts were also installed rather than the older style magnetic ballasts and in combination with the new lighting he puts the savings at $80,000 annually.