The Leader - March/April 2008 - (Page 40)

real e stat e MaNaGeMeNt Reducing Energy Consumption: Sustainability at ABN-AMRO By stepHeN c. sMitH A BN-AMRO employs the equivalent of 106,000 full-time employees in more than 4,700 buildings in over 50 countries worldwide. While the majority of the company’s environmental impacts occur indirectly through financial investments, ABN-AMRO recognizes significant opportunities exist to reduce the company’s direct environmental impacts through influencing suppliers and optimizing internal resource use. The major, and perhaps most significant, component of internal resource consumption is the fossil fuel energy used in ABNAMRO’s leased and owned properties. To address company-wide building energy consumption, a pilot study was undertaken on 31 of ABN-AMRO’s buildings (representing some 60 percent of the total office portfolio by size) to quantify costs and opportunities associated with energy efficiency upgrades. Figure 1 details the relative kWh Usage per Seat count for the top-13 countries, as discovered in the pilot study. This study led to the ABN-AMRO Managing Board setting an energy reduction target of 10 percent by the end of 2008 (compared with 2004 levels). Achieving this target could save the company some $5.1 million in energy costs, with a commensurate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. A variety of technical and behavioral changes are being implemented portfolio-wide to achieve the targeted energy savings, including equipment scheduling, resource optimization, and employee education. One of the key challenges in mobilizing the sustainability program has been securing commitment from Facility Managers, e.g. when the energy target was first introduced in 2005, some facility managers were reluc- tant to volunteer their buildings for upgrades using the “there’s-no-roomfor-improvement” or “we’re-alreadyperforming-as-best-we-can” adages. To overcome this challenge, ABNAMRO provided them with in-house energy-efficiency toolkits. The main purpose of the toolkit, comprised of images, descriptions, and examples, was to stimulate facility managers to think outside the box and get new ideas for how they could improve their buildings. The toolkit was complemented with openness and encouragement from the corporate building management group. Building managers were encouraged to set their own energy targets above and beyond those set at the corporate level. This decentralized tactic of challenging individual building managers to set their own standard is proving successful at ABN-AMRO. 2 0 0 8 tHe le ade r 40 M arcH / ap r i l

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - March/April 2008

The Leader - March/April 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Taking CRM Programs to the Next Level A Commitment to Sustainability GSA’s National 3D-4D-BIM Program Sustainability at ABN-AMRO Getting to the Real Issues in Today’s Competitive Marketplace ManPower Consolidates Real Estate & Project Management with One Provider HP's Renee Leach and Team Como's Robin Harris San Antonio's Mario Hernandez Chicago Workplace, Mid-Atlantic, and Boston The Gold Standard: California Is the State for Innovation Pat Crumley: Education Is a Path to Success Postcards from the Edge Tribune's Stephanie Pater Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead EDP Continues Expansion in Asia-Pacific

The Leader - March/April 2008

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