Office Buildings Are Becoming Greener Post-Coronavirus, Experts Say

Before the coronavirus crisis, Hudson Pacific Properties was preparing to roll out a new mobile app for its office tenants within the next year and a half. Hudson Pacific had been piloting the digital community bulletin board, which would allow tenants to communicate with property managers in real time, and wanted to make sure it worked properly in a few buildings before introducing it across the company’s portfolio.  

But as soon as the coronavirus hit, Hudson Pacific changed gears and fast-tracked the rollout period for the app from 18 months to 22 days.

Five Trends Show How U.S. Cities and Counties Are Getting Renewable Energy

Cities are a core driver of climate change, accounting for more than 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Precisely because their communities are such big emitters, local governments can be at the forefront of tackling climate change and leading the switch to clean energy.

New data shows how cities are making this change by signing deals that move their own municipal operations—and in some cases, their entire communities—away from fossil-fueled electricity and toward renewable energy

Report: Cities, States Must Mandate Building Retrofits to Meet Climate Crisis

Retrofitting buildings to reduce their energy use is one of the most powerful tools to reduce carbon emissions, yet at current rates, most offices and homes will not be retrofitted for decades or even centuries, a new report warns. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) report, released Monday, calls for cities and states to mandate retrofits of inefficient buildings by requiring them to meet standards that cap their energy use or carbon emissions—a policy that 10 leading jurisdictions have adopted, including many in just the past 18 months.

Webinar: Future-Proofing Your Portfiolio: COVID-era CRE Strategies

As commercial buildings sit at reduced or zero occupancies, owners, investors and on-site teams are challenged with implementing health & safety strategies (and incurring associated costs) in prep for re-openings in the face of evolving uncertainties. Looking ahead, cost cutting will be challenging as tenant and guest safety is the top priority.

Unlike many other industries, CRE is uniquely positioned to embrace initiatives that could help absorb the incoming economic slump. This webinar, presented by Commercial Observer will bring together CRE leaders for a discussion around strategies for future-proofing their commercial portfolio -- how the insights from the last several months can inform a more strategic path ahead.

Webinar: Behind-the-Meter Distributed Energy Resources - Best Practices for Integrating DERs Into Commercial Buildings

Presented by the Department of Energy (DOE) Better Buildings program, this webinar will focus on the strategic integration of DERs in commercial buildings. Join speakers from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Kaiser Permanente for a discussion of methods and best practices for integrating and optimizing the performance of renewables, thermal energy storage, and battery energy for load flexibility. There will also be a Q&A led by DOE's EMIS and Renewables Integration Technology Research Teams.

When: July 08, 2020 at 10 - 11am PDT