question
Is the energy crunch changing how you conduct business?
heard on the street
“Reckson strives to achieve optimum operating efficiencies at our properties. We are constantly undergoing a process of recommissioning our building systems to show that they continue to operate at peak efficiency levels. We also are participating with the utility companies in emergency demand response programs, which are the load-shift programs, to assist them during critical demand days.”
— Todd Rechler, senior vice president,
Reckson Associates Realty Corp.,
Melville, N.Y.
“Our buildings run very efficiently. However, there are additional steps we're taking from a short-term conservation standpoint. We've changed the set points on our thermostats in our buildings. We have turned off all outside accent lighting during the daytime. We have actually shut down one elevator per bank to reduce consumption. We're looking at de-lamping our buildings, which is removing light fixtures or light bulbs from building fixtures, while leaving the necessary light levels for safety and normal business. This is a very active program that we have been involved in since the first of the year, as a result of what we're [California] going through.”
— Stan Roualdes, executive vice president of property management and construction,
Shorenstein Co. LP, San Francisco
“We've actually taken a bit of a proactive approach to the whole question of energy. It was in the context of deregulation that we began our activities to better understand the energy-consumption profile of the properties that we handle. Our premise is that because we're seeing deregulation of the power industry, we need to take a unified approach to our portfolio of properties so that we can extract the most benefits. There's a direct correlation between energy savings and portfolio evaluation. There's some incremental benefit to be derived by our clients by getting involved with a program to maximize the efficiency through which our properties use energy.”
— Stephen Cordes,
managing director,
Clarion Partners, New York
“We're doing a whole host of energy-efficient installations that cut down on the waste of electricity. We have operable windows, so we don't use air conditioning extensively, and we're looking at everything from retrofitting boilers and chillers to more energy-efficient packages. We're working very closely with all of our tenants and our buildings on energy-conservation methods, and raising their understanding on what they can do to cut down on energy usage.”
— Jeanne Myerson, president and CEO,
The Swig Co., San Francisco
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