The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the US Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance announced the 2015 Green Lease Leaders. The recognition program distinguishes property owners, tenants and brokers who are effectively using the lease as a vehicle to drive energy and water savings in commercial buildings.
The 2015 Green Lease Leaders are:
Landlords
Tenants
Brokers
All of the Green Lease Leaders are also committed to achieving a 20 percent energy savings goal in 10 years through the Energy Department's Better Buildings Challenge.
Those selected for Green Lease Leader designation use lease clauses that improve sustainability on several key fronts such as allowing for sharing of the costs of energy-saving improvements, ensuring spaces are built out to energy-efficient standards, and increasing transparency by obtaining and sharing access to energy consumption data and ENERGY STAR scores between tenants and landlords.
Green or energy-aligned leases have the potential to cut energy consumption by up to 22 percent in leased buildings, according to a new study released by the Institute for Market Transformation. IMT's report, “What’s in a Green Lease? Measuring the Potential Impact of Green Leases in the US Office Sector” lays out several of the clauses that owners may want to include in a green lease.
This year, Green Lease Leaders own or lease 415 million square feet in North American buildings. This year’s leaders also represent nearly every major property type, including offices, retail space and manufacturing sites.
