Cost savings have been realized through sustainable retrofits on Plaza Tower One in Denver, CO. Built in 1987 and acquired by Clarion Partners on behalf of a client in 1996, Plaza Tower One is a 2-story, 468,885 sf Class A office building adjacent to a light rail stop. A number of improvements have been made over the past eight years that have reduced energy consumption by 2.3M kWh. Included are:

• A state-of-the-art, flat plate heat exchanger allows cooling without a chiller for six months of the year.
• Compact fluorescent bulbs replaced incandescent lighting, reducing energy consumption from 75 watts to 13 watts per fixture.
• Additional cost savings were realized by revising lighting schedules, installing infrared motion and occupancy sensors, and working with the local utility on the demand schedule.
• A MACH Energy management system was installed to better understand, monitor, measure, and control building energy expenditures.

On an inflation adjusted basis, utility related operating costs have been reduced $.99/sf during this period. Plaza Tower One currently boasts an EPA Energy Star rating of 92, marking a fourteen point improvement from their initial 2005 assessment.