The Tower Companies Drives Tenant Space Energy Reductions with Plug Load Pilot
Reducing plug load energy use in a multi-tenant office can be a challenge. Balancing tenant engagement with technology installation and everything in between takes careful planning, execution, and good communication – and the benefits of these efforts have not been well documented. To better understand the impact of plug load energy reduction strategies, The Tower Companies implemented a pilot program in one of their large office properties in downtown Washington, D.C. The pilot program measured and explored the differences in energy savings related to behavioral messaging campaigns targeted at reducing plug load energy use, and energy savings from advanced power strip (APS) plug load control technologies.
In collaboration with the D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), the Institute for Market Transformation, and a number of additional partners, Tower Companies conducted the pilot project and published results here. Through The Tower Companies’ participation in the Better Buildings Initiative, Tower worked with the Plug and Process Load (PPL) technical team to gain guidance and support on project design, implementation, and analysis. The PPL technical team offered educational materials on applicable plug load control technologies and best practices from fellow Better Buildings members who have engaged in plug load reduction efforts.
“The Tower Team learned a lot about implementing APSs in office spaces and how to be most effective when engaging with tenants to reduce energy. We were very happy to contribute to a project that will be a wonderful resource for our company moving forward and for the industry as a whole.” - Eugenia Gregorio, Vice President of Strategy and Sustainability, The Tower Companies
To learn more about implementing plug load energy reduction strategies in your own properties, the PPL technical team has a number of resources available: