"That's helped provide more attention to sustainability, to focusing on how property owners can make their properties operate more efficiently," she says, adding that the clients and owners with which Transwestern works were on board with the process. "We presented it to them that we wanted to make the commitment on their behalf that would, in the end, return cost savings and better efficiencies to their assets which should make those assets more valuable," Schwarz explains.

Interestingly enough, sustainability can be achieved through straightforward measures ranging from examining run schedules of current climate-control systems, to researching software packages that might help boost operations efficiencies while saving costs, all the way to purchasing, implementing and using automation systems.

"Often what happens over time is that a manger will respond to tenant calls and make minor changes to accommodate hot or cold complaints," Schwarz says. "What's intended as a temporary adjustment doesn't go back to a normal schedule. So one activity might involve going back and reviewing equipment schedules to make sure they're what you intended them to be in the first place, and that they're in-line with the requirements of your leases." Furthermore, she goes on to say, having preventative maintenance programs in place can help protect against emergency shutdowns.

Does this mean that sustainability is as easy as examining a run schedule? Not necessarily. "Sometimes, depending on the age of the building, owners may have to consider upgrading equipment," Schwarz explains. "Older equipment isn't as efficient as the new equipment being developed. This would require a payback analysis to determine when it's time to do the upgrades."

The next step for Transwestern is to put its program in place to monitor progress toward sustainability, "not only on a regional basis, but on a national basis," Schwarz says. "That's the model we presented at the Energy Efficiency Forum." Through that program, Transwestern will be able to notice trends, and those trends can help see where success is taking place, and then take what works and apply it to other regions.

"When we're dealing with owners that may be in different regions, we end up delivering a coordinated and consistent service," Schwarz says. "What owners get on the West Coast, they can anticipate receiving on the East Coast."

NOTE: This is the first of two articles covering this topic.