ARM Manages Energy Efficiency Assets For The Long Term

The Business

American Resurgens Management Corporation (ARM) provides portfolio management services, on-site management and leasing services, and development services for institutional and high-net-worth individual real estate owners.

From its Boise office, ARM provides the asset management and leasing services for the owner of the Washington Group Plaza, a 590,000-square-foot, class A, office complex.

The Challenge

ARM wanted to improve the energy efficiency, sustainability, and occupant comfort throughout the complex in Boise. They began to address these concerns in 2007 with help from Idaho Power.

The Solution

ARM replaced nearly 8,000 light fixtures, many with occupancy sensors or other energy-saving controls.

The project also included:

• Installation of a new, fully-automated building operating system for the heating, ventilation
• An Air conditioning (HVAC) system
• Numerous variable frequency drives
• A new, energy efficient 800-ton chiller.

The Outcome

“The savings has been very significant,” ARM Project Manager Tom Houston said, “especially when you see how much energy can be saved from changing one light bulb—and we changed thousands.”

The Savings

The energy efficient upgrades will reduce long-term energy costs and are expected to save more than 6,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year—enough electricity to serve approximately 450 average-sized Idaho homes for one year.

The incandescent-to-compact fluorescent light (CFL) change-out alone will save about 510,611 kWh per year, the equivalent carbon dioxide emissions offset of planting nearly 97 acres of trees.

The Bottom Line

Idaho Power’s Custom Efficiency program provided incentives to ARM valued at approximately $700,000.

“This is a great program,” Houston said, “especially when you consider it paid for itself within two years.”