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CB Richard Ellis, Inc.

Partner of the Year — Energy Management
CB Richard Ellis, Inc.
Los Angeles, California

CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), Inc. is a globally operated, full-service real estate services company managing about 635 million square feet of property through its Asset Services division. Announcing its intention to become carbon neutral by 2010, CBRE is committed to working with all clients to reduce the environmental impact of their real estate holdings. Recognizing that energy efficiency is the first step toward overall sustainability, the company mandated that all office properties measuring more than 100,000 square feet be benchmarked using EPA's Portfolio Manager. Key accomplishments include:

  • Benchmarking more than 525 office properties, representing nearly 130 million square feet, by the end of 2007.
  • Completing a "best practices audit" for more than 300 properties, with additional progress implementing low-cost improvements.
  • Improving energy performance by 6.5 percent across more than 32 million square feet.
  • Earning the ENERGY STAR for more than 90 properties, with 64 additional properties currently eligible for and pursuing certification.
  • Leveraging EPA's ENERGY STAR training to provide the fundamentals of benchmarking and energy efficiency best practices to more than 1,000 employees, and partnering with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) to license and co-brand the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program.

CBRE is effectively addressing the challenges of implementing energy efficiency by training and organizing the more than 2,000 property managers, building engineers, and technical specialists that service 635 million square feet of managed properties. To build the necessary internal capacity for energy management, CBRE established an expert energy team featuring senior-level representation from management, operations, marketing, and procurement. The company also created the Green Knights, a voluntary organization with representatives from each of CBRE's 33 markets, to further catalyze change. The Green Knights serve as subject matter experts in their regions and participate in program planning.

CBRE is also educating clients about the importance of energy efficiency. This involves communicating effectively to distinct groups within the CBRE Asset Services division, which serves 1,000 different owners and more than 35,000 tenant organizations.

For 2008, CBRE is committed to benchmarking and initiating the implementation of cost-effective efficiency measures across its entire third-party managed portfolio.