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Energy-Efficiency in Multi-family Buildings

A study sponsored by Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and Living Cities and conducted by Steven Winter Associates and HR&A Advisors provides additional evidence that energy retrofits can produce energy use reductions and cost savings in multi-family buildings. Martha Paschal, Malachite’s Managing Director for Capital Markets and a commercial real estate finance expert, recently spoke on financing sources for affordable apartment retrofits at a conference sponsored by CNHED in Washington, D.C. Martha and Malachite are also advising the District of Columbia on PACE (property assessed clean energy) finance initiatives.

 

CRE Convention Highlights Sustainability and Energy-Efficiency

The 2011 annual meeting of CRE, the prestigious Counselors of Real Estate, featured a panel on the value-add of sustainability and energy-efficiency. The panel, chaired by Theddi Wright Chappell, of Cushman and Wakefield, focused on the impact of sustainability and energyefficiency on commercial real estate valuations, development, asset management and finance. Joining Chappell on the panel were Victoria Davis, president of Urban Atlantic Development, Laurie McMahon of Cassidy Turley, and Malachite’s Leanne Tobias. The panel agreed that energy-efficiency and sustainability were adding value to a wide swath of commercial properties, and that savings associated with commissioning and other changes in energy operations frequently offset upfront costs in as little as 15-17 months.

 

National Institute of Building Sciences Probes Finance, Insurance and Real Estate

The National Institute of Building Sciences has established a multi-disciplinary council on finance, insurance and real estate to promote collaboration on U.S. building policy. Participants include architects, engineers, contractors and owners; insurance representatives, and REIT, lending and pension investment professionals. Malachite is represented on the council by Jim LaRoe.

 

China Issues Five Year Energy-Efficiency and Sustainability Plans

China’s Twelfth Five Year Plan is slated to construct an estimated 377 million square feet of green space in Beijing alone. Energy-efficient building retrofits are also a key area of spending in China: it is estimated that 25 percent of the building stock in medium-sized cities and 10 percent in small cities will need refurbishment or reconstruction by 2020. Leanne Tobias, Managing Principal of Malachite LLC, is helping Chinese officials learn from the U.S. experience. As a featured speaker at the Georgetown University's Global Education Institute, Leanne has been addressing Chinese delegations comprised of national, regional and local officials on planning and finance trends relating to green buildings.

 

ASTM Building Energy Performance Assessment Standard

ASTM’s 2011 Building Energy Performance Assessment (BEPA) standard, available from the American Society of Testing and Materials, provides a new foundational protocol for measuring energy efficiency in commercial and multi-family buildings. BEPA can be used in combination with Level 1 and Level 2 energy audits and standardizes benchmarking protocols. Malachite served on the ASTM Task Group that developed BEPA, and is applying the standard in its energy audit work.