Advisor platform and the InSite Intelligence Platform that go beyond the traditional building control system and can be considered Fault Detection and Diagnostics software, which identify anomalies in the performance of critical equipment such as boilers, chillers, air handling units, pumps, exhaust fans, etc. In addition, we have deployed WellStat, a real-time indoor air quality monitoring system, at several of our buildings.
Training
All levels of Piedmont employees participate in events throughout the year with BOMA, NAREIT, NAREIM, and NAIOP which regularly cover environmental and climate change topics. In addition, we provide formal, on-demand, environmental training to all of our employees covering topics such as:
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climate change;
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environmental impacts of the commercial real estate industry; and
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guidelines around Piedmont’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
Additional details of our energy management strategy can be found in our Environmental Management Policy available on our website, www.piedmontreit.com under the ESG/ Environmental tab.
Industry Partnerships
We leverage industry partnerships including BOMA, ENERGY STAR, IWBI, U.S. Green Building Council, Green Lease Leaders, and GRESB to confirm and advance the environmental performance of our assets. During 2022, we were recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year, as well as an ENERGY STAR® Certification Nation Premier Member, and selected as a 2022 Green Lease Leader by the Institute for Market Transformation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance. We also made our inaugural submission to the GRESB Real Estate Assessment, achieving an overall 4 star designation and “Green Star” recognition. Finally, we are among five companies nationwide with the most BOMA360 certified buildings. Regarding our industry partnerships:
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We certify all eligible properties to ENERGY STAR every year. Ineligible properties include those that are tenant-managed, have low occupancy, or have a score under 75. During 2022, we increased the average ENERGY STAR score of our portfolio to 81, up from 79 in 2021.
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We certify every eligible property to BOMA 360 every three years. Ineligible properties include those that are tenant-managed or have low occupancy.
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Our LEED O&M assets are routinely re-certified as required by the LEED program.
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The Green Lease Leader program recognizes landlords, tenants and partnering real estate practitioners from a variety of sectors that incorporate green leasing to drive high-performance and healthy buildings. Piedmont was awarded the Silver recognition for using green leases to protect occupant health, increase energy efficiency, modernize buildings and improve tenant-landlord relationships.
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We continue to explore other 3rd party certification opportunities that further demonstrate our commitment to providing healthy, environmentally and socially conscious workplaces as they arise During 2022, we submitted our portfolio and building data to the GRESB Real Estate Assessment for the first time. In addition to understanding our performance compared to our peers, this endeavor allowed us to utilize GRESB’s Transition Risk Report and TCFD Alignment Report as a third party review of our current strategies and identify future areas for advancement.
As of December 31, 2022, approximately 87%, 95%, 50%, of our eligible portfolio was ENERGY STAR, BOMA 360, and LEED certified, respectively.
Programs
Property-Level Sustainability Plans
Each property team maintains Energy & Sustainability Action Plans. These action plans are used to track progress on identified action items and ultimately ensure progress towards our ESG goals. To spread those best practices across our other properties, we summarize the most impactful strategies into a list of Best Practices. This list includes recommended actions for improving the building envelope, lighting, and building control system.