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Green Upgrades Enhance Owners' and Managers' Investment in One City Center

Posted on: Wednesday, 30 September 2009, 13:02 CDT

PORTLAND, Maine, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The bottom line looks better than ever for the building owners and managers of One City Center -- an icon of the Portland, Maine, legal and financial district. Owners and managers have reduced operating and energy costs by 17 percent a year and anticipate additional maintenance cost savings of 50 percent or more for 2010.

Before upgrades were started last December, the Class A, 13-story office building was facing high energy costs, increased operating and maintenance costs and aging infrastructure systems. Owners and managers wanted to address these issues and create system redundancy for contingency purposes -- all with minimal disruption to building tenants.

This spring, building owners and managers completed infrastructure improvements that will reduce annual energy costs for the building by $78,722. Owners and managers will also benefit from a $137,084 rebate from the Efficiency Maine Business program which provides cash incentives to help businesses save energy and money while improving the environment.

In recognition of the importance of these upgrades and of the owners' and managers' commitment to efficient and sustainable energy usage, operational efficiency and environmental responsibility, Dirigo Management Co. and One City Center Associates, LLC, will each receive the "Trane Energy Efficiency Leader in Commercial Office Building Award."

Details of the award presentation:

• Dan Wendl, vice president, northeast territory, Trane Commercial Systems, will present the awards to Jim O'Donnell, president of Dirigo Management Co., which manages the property. O'Donnell will be accepting the award on behalf of both Dirigo Management and One City Center Associates, which owns the property.
• The awards presentation will be at 11 a.m. on Oct. 6 in the Preti Flaherty law firm, 13th floor, One City Center.
  

In addition to being good for the environment, the improvements undertaken by One City Center's owners and managers make good financial sense. Energy costs are usually the largest line item in the annual operating budget for an office building such as One City Center. Utility costs in Class A office space, for example, account for 25-30 percent of the building's operating costs with waste due to inefficiencies adding 15 percent to the calculation. In a 90-100 million square-foot portfolio, that can mean nearly $40 million in excess spending.(1)

"We undertook the improvements because they make financial sense, they benefit our tenants and they are good for the environment," said Fisher. "We're committed to providing the best office space for all of our tenants, and it's an added bonus that the improvements are good for the environment," said O'Donnell.

Customized Improvements Selected for Building Upgrade

Before selecting energy conservation measures (ECMs), owners and managers conducted a building assessment. They then used energy modeling software to evaluate the impacts of various improvements and to identify custom air handling and control systems for the building.

To minimize disruption to the tenants, improvements were completed during weekend hours over a five-month period. After completing the first floor, the project team evaluated the process and incorporated identified improvements into the subsequent floors. The mechanical space change-outs on each floor were completed on schedule.

Selected ECMs include:

• Dual supply fans providing redundancy should one fan fail
• Dual-circuited refrigeration cooling units offering redundancy should a circuit fail
• Conversion to systems using more environmentally responsible refrigerant
• Improvement of each mechanical space, enabling more efficient access to the spaces for maintenance needs, and safer operation and maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
• Upgrades incorporating direct digital controls into the existing pneumatic control system for greater reliability and responsiveness and decreased maintenance.
  

About One City Center Associates, LLC

One City Center Associates, LLC, is a privately held company which owns One City Center. Centrally located in the legal/financial district of downtown Portland, Maine, the 202,745-square-foot One City Center facility is a 13-level Class A office building with a striking contemporary design and a brick façade. The interior is adorned in marble flooring and brass ceilings with a beautifully appointed atrium.

About Dirigo Management Co.

Founded in 1984, Dirigo Management Co. is a market leader in both commercial and residential property management, offering a full array of services to the real estate owner/investor. All departments of the company (management, marketing, consulting and construction services) collaborate to maximize the owner/investor's return on investment. Whether a small, commercial, multi-tenant retail center or office tower; an apartment building or a large-scale condominium complex, owners/investors benefit equally from the critical mass offered by Dirigo Management Co.

About Trane

Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand - the world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and energy efficient environments - improves the performance of homes and buildings around the world. Trane solutions optimize indoor environments with a broad portfolio of energy efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, building and contracting services, parts support and advanced controls for homes and commercial buildings. For more information, visit www.Trane.com.

(1) Jones Lang LaSalle 2007 report

SOURCE Trane

Source: PR Newswire

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