HOUSTON – For the ninth consecutive year, Transwestern has been given the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award by the Environmental Protection Agency. This designation is given to those companies that illustrate consistent leadership in sustainability practices and reducing overall energy consumption.

“Since 1999, our energy management practices have consistently reduced operating costs across our managed portfolio by 20 percent through reducing energy consumption,” Vicki Hollon, managing senior vice president of Transwestern Innovation and Quality Assurance, tells GlobeSt.com. “This not only adds value for our clients and makes good business sense, but it is also good for the environment.”

Transwestern has an ENERGY STAR average portfolio rating of 74 and has managed to lower total site energy consumption by 37.6 million kBtu, throughout its managed portfolio. The company's efforts have saved more than 44 million gallons of water and reduced CO₂ emissions by 303,000 tons.

“Energy management, as well as other sustainable operating practices, are no longer optional,” Hollon says. “They have become part of Transwestern's standard operating procedures in all of our managed properties.”

The company is so committed to green efforts that in 2012 it started the Good, Better… BEST Sustainability Best Practices Program, which is meant to ensure that all Transwestern-managed properties are held to the same standards. The ENERGY STAR rating is a required part of the program.

“This program also allows Transwestern to continually raise the bar on energy efficiency – once all Transwestern properties are at the best level, we will increase the standards to continue improving operations efficiency,” Hollon says.

When considering new properties to add to its portfolio, sustainable practices and energy consumption are always taken into consideration. “Every property that we take over receives an energy audit and sustainability review at the very start to determine what improvements could be made,” Hollon says.

And it doesn't stop there. The company puts out Building Efficiencies, a publication that shares real case studies on how sustainable improvements have a positive impact on the bottom line. Plus, the on-site staff and leasing teams are educated regarding energy efficiency.

“All of our on-site staff are now trained to look for low- and no-cost ways to increase energy efficiency in their respective properties. Green Teams, comprised of building tenants, educate and encourage tenants to reduce energy consumption in their leased spaces,” Hollon tells GlobeSt.com “Our leasing teams have become better educated regarding energy efficiency through an internal video series, SustainABILITY, in order to better guide their clients in selecting energy efficient buildings.” 

Houston-based Hines also received the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, according to a release. The company has a portfolio that contains 185 ENERGY STAR buildings, totaling more than 60 million square feet. The portfolio's average performance rating is 82.4, which is 39.7% more energy efficient that the national average.

“We use ENERGY STAR in tandem with Hines' proprietary building management tools to support our engineering efforts to maximize performance, minimize risk and preserve long-term value,” says Hines President and CEO Jeffrey C. Hines, in a statement.