EPA Recognizes Transwestern With 2013 ENERGY STAR® Partner Of The Year -- Sustained Excellence Award

HOUSTON, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Transwestern's Houston headquarters today announced it has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2013 ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in sustainability practices and reducing overall energy consumption at its managed properties.

Transwestern's accomplishments will be recognized on March 26, along with other industry-leading firms, at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Transwestern, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2002, was previously recognized in 2004 and 2005 as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year and in 2006 through 2012 as a Sustained Excellence recipient – the first third-party commercial real estate services provider to achieve both designations.

"Transwestern has always had a long-standing commitment to energy conservation and sustainability," said Larry P. Heard, president and CEO of Transwestern. "We are also dedicated to providing best-in-class service to our clients. By providing sustainability services, we allow our clients to positively impact their bottom line through lower energy consumption and operating expenses. We have been making the business case for sustainability for nearly 15 years, and we will continue to do so."

"Transwestern has worked hard to fully integrate ENERGY STAR practices and standards into its national commercial office portfolio of buildings," said Al Skodowski, leader of Transwestern's sustainability services and 2013 board chairman for the U.S. Green Building Council. "While we have all done great work to make this award possible, there is much that can still be done to promote and improve efficiency. Transwestern looks forward to continued collaboration and leadership with the EPA to lead the industry to even greater efficiency in our building stock."

Having benchmarked more than 60 million square feet, Transwestern has an average ENERGY STAR portfolio rating of 81 and has reduced total site energy consumption across its managed portfolio by 1.185 percent, or 6.5 million kWh. Additionally, Transwestern's sustainability efforts have saved more than 35.7 million gallons of water and reduced CO₂ emissions by 402 million pounds.

Transwestern's multi-faceted approach to sustainability and energy conservation includes a dedicated team of sustainability experts, based out of the firm's Milwaukee office, which performs services including ENERGY STAR benchmarking, energy audits, building commissioning, LEED^® certification and more.

Additionally, the firm launched its GOOD, BETTER … BEST Sustainability Standard Practices program in 2012 that provides a method for office and industrial buildings to measure their sustainability performance, as well as concrete steps that will improve their ranking in the future.

The 2013 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 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. Award winners are selected from nearly 20,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

"The EPA is recognizing Transwestern for earning EPA's highest ENERGY STAR award – the 2013 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award," said Bob Perciasepe, acting administrator of the EPA. "Transwestern leads the field with its commitment to energy efficiency and demonstrates how all Americans can save energy, save money and create a healthier environment."

ABOUT ENERGY STAR
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. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. Nearly 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

ABOUT TRANSWESTERN
Transwestern is a privately held real estate firm specializing in agency leasing, property and facilities management, tenant advisory, capital markets, development, research and sustainability. The fully integrated enterprise leverages competencies in office, industrial, retail, multifamily and healthcare properties to add value for investors, owners and occupiers of real estate. Transwestern facilitates better decision-making for clients by combining penetrating local market intelligence and macro-market research through its affiliate, Delta Associates. Transwestern has 33 U.S. offices and assists clients through more than 180 offices in 36 countries as part of a strategic alliance with Paris-based BNP Paribas Real Estate. For more information, please visit www.transwestern.net and follow us on Twitter: @Transwestern.

SOURCE Transwestern