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USAA Real Estate Company:
In Practice
USAA Real Estate Company, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of United Services Automobile Association (USAA), has more than $3.5 billion in assets under management and provides build-to-suit, management and leasing services for corporate and institutional investors. USAA was awarded ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Commercial Real Estate Partner Since 2001
Awards & Recognition
- Leadership in Energy Management 2004,2003
- Sustained Excellence 2007,2006,2005
- Sustained Excellence 2008
Contact Information:
USAA Real Estate Company
9830 Colonnade Blvd., Suite 600
San Antonio, TX 78230-2239
800-531-8182
In Practice
2: Assess Performance
2.3: Benchmark
Until benchmarking its buildings with Portfolio Manager, US EPA's energy performance rating system, USAA Real Estate Company management believed its portfolio to be highly energy efficient. However, initial results indicated that USAA Real Estate Company had much room for improvement.
Recognizing the importance of rating the energy performance of their facilities, USAA Real Estate has invested in providing the most complete benchmarking results possible. USAA utilized the services of ABM Engineering, the company's national operating engineering services provider, to maintain the most current data within the EPA's Portfolio Manager. USAA Real Estate has also used ENERGY STAR training tools to create an in-house training program for all management, asset management and engineering team members to explain each step of the benchmarking process. Since 2004 the building energy performance rating has become one of USAA Real Estate's key performance metrics for its corporate real estate portfolio. A commitment to benchmarking led USAA Real Estate Company to benchmark one hundred percent of its eligible space and resulted in a 62.5 percent increase in average energy performance rating by the end of 2004.
4: Create Action Plan
USAA Real Estate Company has clearly stated its goal is to further improve energy efficiency throughout their portfolio and if not to qualify for the Label, at least show year-to-year improvement in performance through the EPA's national energy performance rating system.
To articulate its goals and make them actionable, USAA Real Estate creates a global and site specific plan. On the global level, USAA Real Estate develops an annual Portfolio Strategic Energy Management Plan. The plan outlines eleven business activities: Commitment to Energy Management, Data Collection and Review, Benchmarking, Operating & Maintenance Procedures, New Construction Planning, Existing Facility Remodel/Upgrades, Technology Review, Energy Procurement, Product and Equipment Purchasing, Leasing, and Outreach and Training. For each activity, the plan outlines goals, strategy, and specific action steps at the corporate and facility levels.
On a site specific level, USAA Real Estate Company managers, in conjunction with ABM Engineering, create an ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Plan. The plan describes an overview of the property, establishes a baseline of energy management performance and achievements and sets goals for the following year. Specifying portfolio-wide and facility-wide energy management goals has resulted in an increased average energy performance and more than $2.6 million in savings for 2004 alone.
4.2: Determine Roles and Resources
USAA Real Estate Company's commitment to maximizing the value of its real estate through hands-on, intensive, creative, and service oriented property and facility management has lead USAA Real Estate to commit to ENERGY STAR through the development and implementation of a national energy strategy.
Upon the development of an aggressive energy performance strategy, USAA Real Estate recognized the need for additional expertise to help execute on strategy objectives. USAA Real Estate formed alliances with three service provider partner firms to create a widely skilled team to provide tangible results. USAA Real Estate outsourced its operating engineering team to ABM Engineering, formed a national agreement with American Energy as an energy consultant, and hired Servidyne to help USAA Real Estate gain recognition for their successes by earning ENERGY STAR labels for buildings.
With a well developed team, USAA Real Estate Company saved more than $2.6 million in 2004. At a 7 percent rate of capitalization, energy savings have increased USAA Real Estate asset value by over $37.6 million.
5: Implement Action Plan
5.3: Build Capacity
USAA Real Estate Company's strong upper management commitment extends to the ENERGY STAR program and energy performance. As further evidence of this commitment, USAA Real Estate takes several opportunities to share plans in process as well as successes.
Internally, USAA Real Estate proudly displays Strategic Energy Management plan and corporate commitment on the USAA RealCo intranet site. Expanded access to such documents and to ENERGY STAR information helps raise awareness of the impact energy efficiency can have on the organization's performance and its positive contribution to the community in the form of environmental benefits. USAA Real Estate has also trained managers and engineering team members on how to use the US EPA's energy performance rating system. After using ENERGY STAR training tools and working with the ENERGY STAR support team, USAA Real Estate created their own in-house training program.
USAA Real Estate often extends its institutional expertise to projects designed to build capacity within its industry. USAA Energy Team member Brenna Walraven promotes USAA Real Estate's commitment to energy efficiency at industry conferences and other meetings. For instance, USAA Real Estate tailored an ENERGY STAR training session within the context of a National Management & Leasing Conference.
