With climate-related events impacting assets worldwide, owners are intensifying their focus on implementation through data-informed decisions on energy-efficiency, electrification and decarbonization strategies that advance Net Zero goals and enhance asset value.
In this candid and practical discussion, sustainability leaders from BXP, Empire State Realty Trust, Hines, and Tishman Speyer will share lessons from the front lines of implementing portfolio-wide and project-level initiatives that reduce energy and curb emissions. Panelists will offer actionable insights on successes and challenges encountered during execution, ranging from operational constraints to change management and financing.
Owners will reveal how they prioritize interventions, allocate capital, and evaluate outcomes given finite resources. They will delve into the intricacies of project financing, examining the present economic challenges of electrification and using several examples to illustrate the wide range of financial instruments and levers that can be combined to execute the work. Tishman Speyer will compare the economics and funding approaches to electrification in new construction (270 Park – NYC’s largest all electric) versus their existing portfolio and ESRT will share how energy retrofits, even landmarks like Empire State Building, can generate ROI.
Presenters will then explore the role of technology in quantifying the results critical to meeting Building Performance Standards (BPS), including NYC Local Law 97. They will discuss the importance of real-time performance data in optimizing operations and decision‑making. BXP will share how technology-supported measurement and verification was crucial to the success of operating a heat recovery retrofit for the first time during an extremely cold NYC winter. Hines will share how real-time energy audits and building management systems refinements yielded significant reductions in energy without substantial CapEx.
Finally, the panelists conclude by providing an owners’ “insider” view. Each speaker will share the top items “they wished designers and project teams knew” to accelerate implementation and expand impact.
