High Performance Delivers Cost Savings and Tenant Satisfaction

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June 2018 • Issue #11



Efficient Federal Operations

Building Envelope

Executive Order 13834, Efficient Federal Operations, issued in May 2018, requires agencies to achieve performance improvements and cost reductions – including energy and water savings. The Impact of High-Performance Buildings demonstrates the sustained value of high-performance buildings as part of the federal government’s building portfolio.

High-performance buildings are essential to GSA’s mission to deliver value and savings in real estate, acquisition, technology, and other mission-support services across government. GSA is committed to providing safe, healthy, and productive workplaces for federal workers at the best value for the American taxpayer – a commitment supported by high-performance building strategies.


The Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles 2

Since 2006, the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings have served as a common set of performance goals for federal agencies to reduce the total cost of owning and operating facilities, while improving resource efficiency and providing safe, healthy, and productive built environments.  

    High Performance Delivers

    Aspinal

    The Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Grand Junction, CO, built in 1918 and modernized in 2013, is now one of the nation’s most energy-efficient historic buildings.

    Nearly $185 Million. That’s how much GSA could save across its entire building portfolio, if all its buildings met high-performance criteria. GSA’s high-performance buildings save energy and water, cost less to operate, produce less waste, and have more satisfied occupants compared with typical buildings. In short, they deliver cost savings and greater tenant satisfaction.

    These are the conclusions drawn from GSA’s recently completed study, The Impact of High-Performance Buildings, examining the performance of 200 of its federally owned and managed buildings over three full years. In this study, high-performance buildings are those that meet the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings and legacy stock buildings are those that do not.

    GSA is the largest owner/operator of office space in the United States and controls over 370 million rentable square feet. Within GSA’s owned portfolio, high-performance buildings comprise 27% of buildings and 40% of gross square feet. If the 100 legacy stock office and courthouse buildings in the study met the average performance rates of high-performance buildings, they could save over $44 million per year.

    GSA will leverage the results of this study to promote cost savings, technology advancement, and operational excellence in our nation’s federal buildings. These findings can help federal, state, and local agencies understand the benefits of tracking and reporting building performance data and investing in higher-performance building portfolios.


    Key Findings

    Compared to legacy stock buildings, GSA’s high-performance buildings have:

    • 23% lower energy use,
    • 28% lower water use,
    • 23% lower building operating expenses,
    • 9% less waste landfilled and
    • 2% higher overall tenant satisfaction.

    Energy and water savings are even greater when compared to industry benchmarks – 43% for energy and 35% for water. The bottom line? Higher performing buildings save money and resources.



    Don Horn, FAIA, is Deputy Director of GSA’s Office of Federal High-Performance Buildings.