Programs & Pledges

Parmenter Realty Partners has taken various pledges and is participating in local and national programs related to energy efficiency. Below are some of our pledges and programs we are currently participating in.

 

NATIONAL PROGRAMS & PLEDGES

 

WELL Building Standard

Informed by the WELL Building Standard and more than 600 scientists, practitioners and other experts, the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management is a roadmap for driving resilience into the center of business policies and operational plans. It helps organizations address the health, safety and well-being of their most valuable asset—people.

Parmenter Realty Partners has committed to enrolling 100% of its properties in WELL HSR by 2022.  We have initially enrolled 14 properties in 2021, the first year of the program. 

Better Buildings Challenge

The Better Buildings Challenge is a voluntary leadership initiative with the goal of making commercial and industrial buildings across the country at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020, saving American organization more than $60 billion in energy costs. Through this program, partners join other industry and community leaders to create and share real solutions that reduce energy consumption, create jobs, and save money.

Parmenter Realty Partners has committed to a 20% reduction in energy use by 2020 across 5.7 million square feet of property. We also have a short-term goal of 15% savings by 2014.

Better Buildings Alliance

The Better Buildings Alliance is a U.S Department of Energy (DOE) effort to promote energy efficiency in U.S. commercial buildings through collaboration with building owners, operators, and managers. Members of the Better Buildings Alliance commit to addressing energy efficiency needs in their buildings by setting energy savings goals, developing innovative energy efficiency resources, and adopting advanced cost-effective technologies and market practices.

Parmenter Realty Partners is an active member of the Better Buildings Alliance, working on several committees to advance the understanding of energy efficiency in buildings.

The U.S. Department of Energy Asset Score Pilot

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is developing a Commercial Building Energy Asset Score program to allow building owners and managers to accurately assess building energy performance. The Asset Score program will act as a national standard and will include the Commercial Building Energy Asset Scoring Tool to evaluate the physical characteristics and as-built energy efficiency of buildings. The Asset Scoring Tool will identify cost-effective energy efficient improvements that, if implemented, can reduce energy bills and potentially improve building asset value.

Parmenter Realty Partners is volunteering properties to pilot test the Asset Score program, and provide feedback to the U.S. Department of Energy to help inform the development of the Asset Score making it as useful as possible to commercial building stakeholders.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Battle of the Buildings

The EPA hosts a yearly “Biggest Loser” style contest among commercial and public sector buildings to see who can save the most energy and fight climate change.

Parmenter Realty Partners completed in this competition in order to encourage energy use reduction within its own portfolio, and to spur competition across the industry as a whole.

The Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign is a program offering free guidance and recognition to facility owners interested in implementing energy efficient lighting solutions in their parking facilities. Joining the LEEP Campaign will provides access to tools and expertise to lower the facility’s operating costs through thoughtful design of a new site, or through a lighting retrofit of an existing site.

Parmenter Realty Partners is actively enrolling its parking garages in this program, and continues to investigate energy retrofit options at all of its parking facilities.

 

LOCAL PROGRAMS & PLEDGES

 

Lights out! Houston

Lights out! Houston is part of a long-term strategy to make Houston an energy conservation capital. The goal is to establish a sustained reduction in the use of non-essential electricity in commercial buildings. The downtown Houston area has approximately 35 million square feet of office space. It is estimated that by eliminating just 50% of the lights routinely left on overnight and on the weekends, the city can save 8.4M KW-Hours annually.

Parmenter Realty Partners’ Houston properties have committed to this pledge, and are reducing non-essential electricity consumption during night hours.

Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge

The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (ABBC) is a local initiative undertaken by the City of Atlanta and Mayor Kasim Reed to join the national Better Buildings Challenge as a Municipal Partner. The goal of the initiative is to join the public sector with businesses and nonprofit to implement substantive building upgrades toward the goal of improving participating buildings’ energy and water performance. The initiative began with Atlanta’s 400-block Downtown area, and has recently expanded into other metro areas including Buckhead.

Parmenter Realty Partners’ Buckhead Tower at Lenox Square was one of the first buildings to sign up for the challenge as soon as the ABBC expanded into the Buckhead area of metro Atlanta.

EnVision Charlotte

Envision Charlotte is a first-of-a-kind collaborative partnership among major employers, building owners and managers along with municipal and technology leaders in Charlotte. Its purpose is to create the most environmentally sustainable urban core in the nation by connecting numerous environmental programs and initiatives. By achieving this vision, it will demonstrate Charlotte’s national leadership as a sustainable, progressive, cost-efficient place to do business.

Parmenter Realty Partners’ Fifth Third Center in Charlotte was recognized as one of the Top 3 Charlotte high rise buildings in 2012 for saving energy.