(HOUSTON) – Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that it has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency.
Hines will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 18.
This is the sixth time Hines has been recognized by the EPA as a Partner of the Year and the third time Hines has received the Sustained Excellence Award.
Hines’ portfolio of ENERGY STAR buildings consists of 147 facilities and more than 75 million square feet. With a weighted-average performance rating of 88 (38 points higher than the national average), the portfolio is 41.5 percent more energy efficient than the national average. This translates into a savings of $1.35 per-square-foot per year, as well as estimated annual greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing 100,000 automobiles from the road.
Hines is also a leading developer in the EPA’s Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR program, which recognizes buildings designed to achieve superior results in energy efficiency.
Twelve Hines projects have earned this designation.
“Hines has continued to demonstrate exemplary leadership among ENERGY STAR partners for more than a decade,” said Alyssa Quarforth, U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Program Manager for Commercial Properties.
“The ability to continually reduce energy consumption over long periods of time requires creativity and discipline, and Hines has been highly successful in this area – while also broadly promoting the ENERGY STAR partnership to clients, employees and tenants.”
In addition to emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency to its tenants, Hines offers its “GREEN OFFICE for Tenants” program to enhance sustainable operations within tenant spaces.
“Energy efficiency is one of the most important value drivers in today’s real estate economy,” said Hines President and CEO Jeffrey C. Hines.
“We use ENERGY STAR in tandem with Hines’ proprietary building management tools to maximize performance, minimize risk and preserve long-term value.”
Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED®program.
Last week, Hines announced that its portfolio of developed, owned and/or managed properties in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program had exceeded 100 million square feet, representing nearly 200 projects.
About ENERGY STAR Awards
Sustained Excellence Awards are given to organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches, and showing others what can be achieved. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency.
For more information visit www.energystar.gov.
About Hines
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,111 properties representing more than 451 million square feet With offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $22.2 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.