Elme Communities: Energy performance

Better Buildings Challenge Partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide source energy use intensity (EUI) and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline. Washington REIT's portfolio consists of more than 30 buildings and nearly 8 million square feet. Since 2015, Washington REIT has improved energy performance by an average of more than 3% each year. Energy savings have been achieved through implementation of both operational improvements and equipment replacement with efficiency upgrades. Schedules, setpoints, and other low-cost measures have been identified with tools like Energy Intelligence Software and through hands-on site assessments like ENERGY STAR’s Treasure Hunt. In addition, numerous capital projects have been implemented since our base year, including lighting retrofits, installation of high-efficiency condensing boilers, and other HVAC upgrades.

*Energy consumption during 2020 was significantly lower than a typical year since COVID-19 disruptions resulted in temporary building closures and reduced occupancy for much of the year. 

Looking at the percent improvement in energy performance across all facilities can provide insight into how an organization is saving energy. Washington REIT has achieved energy performance improvement of greater than 15% at 7 of its properties. There are 8 properties that have experienced an increase in Source EUI.  These properties have been targeted for future energy efficiency improvements.

Property-level energy performance metrics, including EUI and percent improvement to date, are critical to track progress over time and identify opportunities for additional energy savings. Washington REIT's portfolio consists of properties with a wide range of baseline EUI values, most of which are from 50 to 300 kBtu/sq. ft. The majority of properties have shown energy improvement since 2015. The properties located near or below the 0% axis may present good opportunities for further savings.