USAA Real Estate Company Earns EPA's ENERGY STAR® for Superior Energy Efficiency

SAN ANTONIO, March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- USAA Real Estate Company has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. This signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. USAA Real Estate Company is the only real estate company in America that has won nine ENERGY STAR awards.

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"We are extremely pleased and honored to be accepting the EPA's ENERGY STAR in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts," said Pat Duncan, Chairman and CEO.  Through this commitment, we are continuing our commitment of increasing energy efficiency as evidenced by our company's continuous improvement mentality through the use of ENERGY STAR concepts," said T. Patrick Duncan, Chairman and CEO of USAA Real Estate Company. "We also view our ENERGY STAR partnership as an important way to do our part in protecting our environment as a good corporate citizen."

Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. USAA Real Estate Company improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across the entire organization and by making cost-effective improvements to its building(s).  The company has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use from 12,087 households for a year.

"Improving the energy efficiency of our nation's buildings is critical to protecting our environment," said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. "From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA's ENERGY STAR."

To earn the ENERGY STAR, USAA Real Estate Company took the following actions:

• Reduced energy consumption by 5.22% kBtu and water consumption by 17% in 2010 saving over $1.9M
• Achieved Energy Star Leaders recognition for seventh straight year improving 13.9% over last year
• Benchmarked all office, hotel and multifamily properties using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, and 92% of USAA Real Estate Company's office building portfolio has an Energy Star Energy Performance Rating of 75 or higher
• Improved our portfolio average Energy Star rating by 81% since 2000 with an average score of 87 for 2010
• Using Energy Star tools and our commitment to continuous improvement, developed and further enhanced "continuous commissioning" platform for our Yardi Preventative Maintenance, which not only improved performance in 2010 but will continue to do so well into the future.

EPA's ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA's 1-100 scale may be eligible for the ENERGY STAR. Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, data centers, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship, and warehouses.

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes, and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved nearly $17 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 31 million vehicles.

About USAA Real Estate Company

USAA Real Estate Company, with over $6 billion of assets, provides co-investment, acquisition, build-to-suit and development services for corporate and institutional investors.  In addition the company provides investment vehicles for domestic and foreign investors.  The USAA portfolio consists of office, industrial, multi-family, retail and hotel properties.  USAA Real Estate Company is a subsidiary of USAA, which has served military families since 1922 and has become one of America's leading financial services companies.  For more information about USAA Real Estate Company, visit www.usrealco.com.

SOURCE USAA Real Estate Company