BOMA International Wins 2017 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International has been recognized with a 2017 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. BOMA International now has received a total of ten ENERGY STAR awards, making it the most decorated commercial real estate association.

The 2017 Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. Winners are recognized for their contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency achievements, including setting and achieving aggressive goals and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes and buildings in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. The accomplishments of BOMA International and its fellow winners will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 26, 2017.

BOMA International received its first ENERGY STAR award in 2007 and will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency, which is integrated into a number of its programs and initiatives, including:

• The success of BOMA’s Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP®) v2.0 and the development of BEEP Plus and BEEP for Industrial. First introduced in 2007, BEEP quickly became the industry standard for energy management training, reaching tens of thousands of property professionals. BEEP was redeveloped, refined and updated to reflect the latest industry trends, new technologies and best practices to help the commercial real estate industry reduce energy consumption and improve the energy performance of commercial real estate assets. In 2016, BOMA developed BEEP Plus to provide a more advanced, in-depth look at BEEP concepts and BEEP for Industrial to help meet the unique demands of industrial properties.
• The BOMA Energy Performance Contracting (BEPC) model, first released in 2008 and updated in 2015 to reflect new and emerging industry best practices. BEPC provides a conceptual framework and supporting template documents to help private building owners and operators develop and execute investment-grade, energy efficiency retrofits to enhance asset value. Since 2008, the BEPC toolkit has been used to facilitate projects in more than 20 cities across five continents.
• The expansion of Building Re-Tuning Training, which was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation and BOMA local associations. This program teaches property professionals how to correct operational problems that lead to energy waste in properties through no- and low-cost solutions. The program now includes information for building systems with and without building automation systems (BAS).
• Annual conference offerings, including the “High Performance Buildings” education track and the Green Pavilion, which highlights solutions and products to help property professionals stay ahead of the energy management curve.
• Various publications, including Commercial Lease: Guide to Sustainable and Energy Efficient Leasing for High-Performance Buildings, the industry’s first green lease guide now in its second edition, and Working Together for Sustainability: The RMI-BOMA Guide for Landlords and Tenants, a free eBook created in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Institute that provides a framework for tenants and owners to share the benefits of energy efficiency savings.
• The BOMA 360 Performance Program® and The Outstanding Building of the Year® (TOBY) competition, both of which require applicants to complete benchmarking through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. BOMA 360 evaluates buildings across several areas of operations and management, including categories covering energy management and sustainability. The TOBY Awards are the commercial real estate industry’s highest honor recognizing quality in buildings and excellence in all facets of building management, including energy management and green policies and procedures.
• Several public-private partnerships to increase energy efficiency for various building systems. In conjunction with the DOE and the Better Buildings Alliance, BOMA helped launch the Advanced Rooftop Unit Campaign (ARC), the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign and the Interior Lighting Campaign (ILC). These programs help property professionals access technical support to implement energy efficiency retrofits.
• Ongoing cumulative accomplishments in the areas of advocacy, education, research and other industry initiatives, many of which have been supported by grant funding for energy efficiency initiatives from real estate software developer—and BOMA International Cornerstone Partner—Yardi.

“BOMA International is proud to receive its tenth ENERGY STAR award,” said BOMA International Chair Brian M. Harnetiaux, senior vice president of Asset Management at McCarthy Cook. “A decade since first winning an ENERGY STAR award, we remain committed to promoting energy efficiency within the commercial real estate industry by providing building owners and managers with the tools, education and resources they need. We also congratulate our many member companies who have been honored with 2017 ENERGY STAR awards for their sustainability efforts.”

For more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program and a complete list of 2017 winners, visit www.energystar.gov/awardwinners.