Three years into the “decade of action,” the urgent work of decarbonization is gaining clear momentum. Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins for a look at what’s ahead for the year.

Developed in collaboration with US DOE and NREL, LABBC’s Low Carbon Leaders initiative provides a platform for LABBC’s most ambitious Partners to develop replicable forward-looking strategies to decarbonize existing assets. A year in, our first cohort of Low Carbon Leaders are well underway developing asset-level action plans to achieve net zero by 2050.

With the rapid pace of technological innovation, the real estate industry is inundated with products that promise to cut, manage and optimize utility consumption. But what’s real? 

To help address that issue, LABBC is proud to introduce our building technology directory, a curated, searchable and actionable directory of the latest in emerging and market-ready building efficiency solutions. 

Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins in conversation with partners from the GSA's Green Proving Ground, venture capital firm Fifth Wall and USGBC-LA's Net Zero Accelerator to learn how you can leverage the directory to accelerate your organization’s decarbonization and water conservation work. 

Housing is essential to the health and resilience of our communities and there is an inextricable link between affordability and decarbonization. The owners and operators of our City’s affordable housing stock have limited capital and operational resources to access more efficient equipment, and diligently work towards quality-of-life improvements for their tenants without incurring additional financial burdens.

The Comprehensive Affordable Multifamily Housing Retrofit program seeks to pair affordable housing with decarbonization and local economic development through prevailing wage requirements. Among other affordability requirements, participating buildings have to comply with The Existing Building Energy and Water Efficiency (EBEWE) program.

Join LABBC’s Renee Daigneault in conversation with Angel Rodrigues of CHPC and Jake Tisinger of AEA for a discussion about:

-CAMR Requirements and application process
-Benchmarking and EBEWE Compliance 101
-Decarbonization resources to help you navigate the intake process
-Upcoming CAMR Virtual Workshops

Drought is not a new issue for Southern California, but this time is different. Water officials say that the last three years have been the driest on record and this January through March has been the driest winter ever.

LABBC’s water technical advisor Maureen Erbeznik will lead our guests from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) and the Pacific Institute through a roundtable discussion focusing on the importance of our current water crisis, unprecedented state and local measures, and how you can build a resilient water efficiency strategy.

Decarbonizing existing buildings presents a range of challenges, but Los Angeles has no shortage of creativity and innovation. As part of the ULI Greenprint’s Global Net Zero Imperative, LABBC partnered with ULI Los Angeles to convene a group of experts to assess the potential of distributed district energy as a strategy to decarbonize Downtown Los Angeles, starting with the cultural and commercial heart of DTLA, Bunker Hill.

Demand management and load shifting will be critical to realizing LADWP’s goal to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035.

LADWP has doubled participation targets for its Demand Response Program this season, providing meaningful financial incentives for buildings to shed loads during periods of high demand.

By combining demand response with retro-commissioning incentives, buildings can derive multiple benefits with minimal, if any, capital outlay.

The need for climate action is clear, but the way forward is not.

Where should investments be focused? How do we measure emissions reductions in a way that satisfies the scientific community, investors and the public?

Los Angeles is—and always has been—a leader in green buildings, thanks in no small part to LABBC partners. The city cemented its place at the top with the introduction of its Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency ordinance in 2016, the most comprehensive and forward-thinking policy in the nation.

Now, with the support of a broad coalition of local environmental and social justice partners, labor groups and industry leaders, Los Angeles is taking things to the next level.

Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins for a discussion with City of Los Angeles Climate Advisor Megan Ross and Urban Land Institute’s Marta Shantz.

Los Angeles—and the world—made great strides toward decarbonization in 2021.

In LA, LADWP unveiled LA100, a groundbreaking 100% renewable energy study; the city council kicked off development of a building decarbonization policy; and LABBC partners continued to raise the bar with new commitments to net zero carbon.

In Glasgow, COP26 cemented meaningful commitments to curb emissions, while calling on countries to “revisit and strengthen” their 2030 targets by the end of 2022 to align with the Paris Agreement.

As we step into 2022, it’s important to recognize not only how far we have come, but how much further we have yet to go. It’s time to recommit to making our buildings better and our communities healthier, more resilient, more equitable and more prosperous.

Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins alongside Urban Land Institute’s Los Angeles Executive Director Marty Borko for a look at what’s ahead for the year.

To reach our 100% clean energy targets, we must remake our buildings into a flexible energy resource.

Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) combine energy efficiency and demand flexibility with smart technologies and communications to deliver greater affordability, comfort, productivity and high performance to our homes and commercial buildings.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a “National Roadmap” for GEBs, but where does the rubber meet the road?

Join us in conversation with roadmap authors Andrew Satchwell and Ryan Hledik, alongside Kevin Powell, program director for the GSA’s Green Proving Ground, for a wide-ranging discussion.

How can commercial real estate investors get the data they need to execute on ESG priorities without bogging down negotiations in today’s hyper-competitive market?

Join us for a conversation with leading due diligence firm Marx Okubo and nationally recognized valuation expert Theddi W. Chappel of Sustainable Values to discuss key issues, trends and emerging tactics in this critical area.

Join LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins and Director of Outreach & Engagement Alek Diachenko in conversation with the enrolled participants of the LABBC Low Carbon Leaders pilot program.

The LABBC is preparing to launch a new Pilot Program called Low Carbon Leaders, where LABBC Partners will have the opportunity to collaborate with leading building scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Department of Energy, and local experts to develop new pathways to zero by 2050.

To kick off what promises to be a bright year for sustainability, take a look ahead at what the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge has in store for partners in 2021, including a preview of our 7th Annual Innovation Awards, our Technology Showcase, a new and exciting zero-net-carbon pilot program sponsored by the Department of Energy and more.

Join us to learn how energy efficiency can help us cost-effectively optimize existing infrastructure and support decarbonize of our electricity supply.

The W2 Challenge is BOMA International’s ground-breaking two-year initiative to support the commercial real estate sector in benchmarking water and waste consumption and improving performance.

Join GRESB Head of Americas Dan Winters, and Verdani Partners Founder and President Daniele Horton to learn the role of resilience in creating a sustainable built environment, and strategies to manage risks and take advantage of opportunities that future change will bring.

Your team works hard to save energy and water. The City’s most prestigious sustainability award, the LABBC Innovation Awards, recognize property owners and managers - like you - who have achieved exceptional energy and/or water performance over time. LABBC Executive Director David Hodgins provides an overview of the submission process, how the Finalists are selected, and more.

Reducing your buildings’ water use by 20% might sound like a lofty goal, but employing the right strategies will lighten your load and make the savings worth your while.

A successful energy and water strategy depends on a few basic fundamentals – strategic fit, clear contracts, and good data. If any one of these factors is missing, good projects will stall, and disputes will be inevitable.

The ULI Tenant Energy Optimization Program is a ten-step process that integrates energy efficiency into the pre-lease, design, construction, and post-occupancy phases to deliver energy savings of 30 to 50 percent, with an average payback period of three to five years and a 25 percent internal rate of return (IRR).

LADWP has revamped its Custom Performance Program (CPP) with enhanced features to tailor the program to better fit your project size and needs, expedite application processing, and maximize the ROI of your projects. Watch the recording for an update on the new program, and an interactive Q&A session with the LADWP team.

Each year the LABBC Innovation Awards recognize the City’s most innovative energy and water efficiency projects. This year the competition was more intense than ever, and all of this year’s Finalists are truly exceptional projects. Watch the recording to learn more.