Commercial, Energy Efficiency  -  July 27, 2016

After big 2015, Cushman & Wakefield sets energy reduction sights to 2025

A Smart Energy Decisions exclusive  

This story is the tenth in a series of original features exploring the successes of a selection of corporations recognized by the U.S. EPA's Energy Star program for achievements in energy efficiency. Each company we've talked with for this series, made possible through our partnership with Energy Star, has a unique story about their efforts to reduce electric use across their organization. Taken in aggregate, we hope the series provides readers with a useful glimpse into the kinds of strategies being implemented across the commercial and industrial sectors as well as a deeper understanding of vetted, real-life tactics for cutting consumption.

Following the completion of series of mergers, commercial real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield has drawn on its years of experience in energy management to outline a new national energy management policy for the years ahead. 

In 2015, Cushman & Wakefield reported a reduction in annual energy consumption of 3% compared to 2014, while establishing a new energy reduction target of 10% by 2025. Getting there will require continued collaboration across the organization and the implementation of a variety of lessons learned, according to Allison Porter, Cushman & Wakefield's vice president of sustainability services. 

"Achieving a companywide goal like this depends not on a select few, but on a huge number of our colleagues on the ground and in the field, doing the right thing for our clients and the planet day in and day out," Porter recently told Smart Energy Decisions. "It also hints at the massive reservoir of creativity our people possess, which is necessary to produce this kind of continuous improvement."

Toward that end, Porter said Cushman & Wakefield believes that building a culture of energy efficiency means it must constantly reiterate messages of education and accountability. It also knows that repetition can get stale fast, and thus is constantly looking for innovative ways to communicate that support its culture, Porter said. 

"'Walking the walk' is the most important element of our energy management efforts, so continuing to achieve our energy performance goals, year after year, is the accomplishment we’re proudest of," Porter said of the company's 3% reduction in annual energy consumption in 2015 and the establishment of its 2025 target. "This achievement says a lot about our success in building a culture of energy efficiency, especially while integrating the three legacy companies that have combined to create the new Cushman & Wakefield." 

With all that in mind, Cushman & Wakefield's team put in work over the past year to establish a new national energy management policy for the combined company that will help meet that ambitious energy reduction target. It also issued an internal "national energy performance report" to track progress in each market it operates in, and developed a series of informational white papers that live on its intranet; topics covered by those white papers include, but are not limited to Energy Star benchmarking workbooks; how to benchmark industrial facilities; and energy conservation measures for commercial office buildings. 

Those two accomplishments are just two of Cushman & Wakefield's 2015 energy management wins, each of which contributed to its recognition as partner of the year for sustained excellence in energy efficiency program delivery. Others include the benchmarking of almost 950 properties representing nearly 192 million square feet;  earning Energy Star certification for nearly 200 buildings; conducting training sessions across the country for more than 100 brokers, as well as hosting more than 20 Energy Star training sessions for portfolio managers to educate associates, property teams and engineers.

Disclosure: Allison Porter is a Smart Energy Decisions advisory board member. 

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