GWL Realty Advisors - Partners in Project Green
Transcription
GWL Realty Advisors - Partners in Project Green
GWL Realty Advisors– Energy Efficiency CASE STUDY About GWL Realty Advisors Based in Toronto, Ontario, GWL Realty Advisors is one of Canada’s largest real estate investment advisors, with more than 825 employees and operating in major markets throughout Canada. They provide comprehensive asset management, property management, development and specialized real estate advisory services to pension funds and institutional clients. Their extensive experience in all aspects of real estate Building exterior of GWL Realty Advisors industrial portfolio investment, management and development across the office, industrial, retail, and multiresidential asset classes allows them to develop and implement portfolio, asset and development strategies that focus on creating long-term, sustainable value. Location Address: 90 Burnhamthorpe Rd, Mississauga, Ontario Phone: 905-275-6600 EMAIL: [email protected] Website: www.gwlra.com Energy Efficiency – Retrofit General GWL Realty Advisors significantly improved the energy efficiency in their industrial buildings situated within the Pearson Eco-Business Zone by upgrading outdated mercury thermostats in the warehouse area to programmable thermostats. To ensure the mercury in the old thermostats was disposed of properly, they were returned to the original vendor, who recycled it through the proper channels. GWL Realty Advisors continuously works with their tenants to improve the occupant experience within their buildings. When they noticed that the majority of tenants in their industrial building portfolio work during regular business hours, the company recognized the potential to save on energy costs and operate more efficiently by automating the thermostat system to turn gas heating on and off according to when occupants would be present in the building. This allowed the property management team to improve temperature control and increase comfort in their buildings while saving money and reducing environmental impacts. CASE STUDY Approximately 180 tenants were involved in the project, and 522 thermostats were retrofitted. Part of the project included educating tenants and their employees on how to use the thermostats and how to change the various functions. This training and education phase ensured that each tenant was engaged, understood the benefits, and supported the project. An Enbridge Gas rebate provided GWL Realty Advisors with $40 per thermostat for a total rebate of $22,080. Based on Enbridge Gas calculations, each thermostat retrofitted would result in a savings of approximately $170.00. Before starting any energy reduction project, check with the local utilities to see what incentives are available. Replacement of the thermostats was charged back to the tenants as operation costs which tenants, in the form of energy savings, recuperated within the first heating season. Going forward, GWL Realty Advisors industrial tenants will experience an average cumulative savings of $93,840 per year on their gas bills. This retrofit project will also save 304,326 M3 of natural gas and 540,330 kg of CO2 emissions on an annual basis. GWL Realty Advisors continues to be one of the leaders in the movement towards eco-efficiencies as they have realized that there are huge potential financial and environmental savings with very small investments. They hope to inspire other property management organizations and businesses to start with small but impactful changes that are easy to implement and make a positive difference to the environment and the bottom line. Before: The old mercury thermostats After: 552 thermostats retrofitted to new programmable thermostats throughout the Pearson Eco Business Zone