Top executives from 19 commercial real estate companies, including Hilton Hotels (Nasdaq: HLTH) and the Walt Disney Corporation (NYSE: DIS), launched the Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA) last week in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The business and government leaders met in New York City to discuss the aims of the partnership, which was created to hasten the adoption of energy conservation measures in commercial real estate buildings.
Currently, commercial buildings account for 18% of the nation’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
“The deployment of new energy efficient technologies and adoption by both public and private sectors are vital to achieving substantial change in building energy use throughout the U.S.,” said Scott Hine, acting program manager of DOE’s Building Technologies Program. “This collaboration will help speed the adoption of high-performance, energy-efficient buildings by the commercial real estate sector.”
CREEA links building owners and operators with applicable research and technologies being developed at DOE’s National Laboratories. It is the second energy alliance launched by the Department of Energy in the commercial buildings sector. The Retailer Energy Alliance, with members such as Walmart, Target and Macy’s, was launched in 2008.
In addition to serving as forums for sharing information on best practices, the alliances also serve as a collective buying voice for the industry to encourage building material suppliers to create more energy efficient equipment.
CREEA and the Retailer Energy Alliance are part of the Department’s Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI), which aims to achieve market-ready, zero-energy commercial buildings by 2025.
The CREEA Steering Committee includes executives from CB Richard Ellis, Cushman & Wakefield, Grubb & Ellis, Jones Lang LaSalle, MGM Mirage, Transwestern, U.S. General Services Administration, USAA Real Estate Company, Wyndham Hotel and Resorts, American Hotel and Lodging Association, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Building Owners and Managers Association, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, and the Real Estate Roundtable.
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