NEW YORK CITY-Jones Lang LaSalle has announced that the energy efficiency program at the Empire State Building has exceeded guaranteed energy savings for the second year in a row, saving $2.3 million and providing a new model for building retrofits that is now being rolled out nationwide.
In 2009, the Empire State Building, President Bill Clinton and Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a comprehensive retrofit at the landmark property to reduce costs, increase real estate value and protect the environment. In 2011, the Empire State Building beat its year-one energy-efficiency guarantee by 5%, saving $2.4 million, according to the announcement. In year two, the iconic property surpassed its energy-efficiency guarantee by nearly 4%.
“The Empire State Building retrofit project is two for two, dramatically exceeding projected energy savings for the second straight year and reducing costs by millions of dollars,” says Anthony Malkin,president of Malkin Holdings, which owns and operates the famed structure. “This effort clearly demonstrates the sustainability leadership of The World's Most Famous Office Building and that integrating energy efficiency into building upgrades can significantly enhance the value of any real estate asset while also protecting the environment.”
Adds Bruce Lindsey, CEO of the Clinton Foundation, in the announcement, “As one of the world's most recognizable buildings, the Empire State Building's retrofit serves as a model, and proves that retrofitting existing buildings is the best way for a city to become environmentally, and economically, sustainable.”
The core base building energy-efficiency retrofit at the Empire State Building is complete, with the balance of the projects to be finished as new tenants build out high-performance workspaces. Once all tenant spaces are upgraded, the building will save $4.4 million a year, at least a 38 percent reduction of energy use that will cut carbon emissions by 105,000 metric tons during the next 15 years.
The retrofit project focused on eight innovative improvement measures addressing core building infrastructure, common spaces and tenant suites. Improvement measures performed by Johnson Controls Building Efficiency and Jones Lang LaSalle included the refurbishment of all 6,514 windows, installation of insulation behind all radiators, a chiller plant retrofit, new building management systems controls, new revenue-grade meters serving the entire building, and a web-based tenant energy management system.
“The success from the Empire State Building retrofit project further demonstrates that thoughtfully applied energy-efficiency investments can deliver unparalleled returns through a combination of lower energy, lower operating costs, and increased building valuation," says Iain Campbell, vice president, Global Energy and WorkPlace Solutions, Johnson Controls. “When implemented under a performance contract, the energy savings are guaranteed, ensuring a no-risk investment and a smart business decision.”
The retrofit has attracted new Empire State Building tenants over the past two years, including LinkedIn, Skanska, LF USA, Coty Inc., the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and Shutterstock.
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
