Pennzoil Place

Sustainability

Partnering with the US DOE, USGBC, and the White House’s BETTER BUILDINGS CHALLENGE

LEED GOLD Certification

In 2009, the building management team began assessing the requirements to have the Pennzoil Place LEED certified. This assessment concluded that most of the building's infrastructure had outlived its useful life. Therefore, in 2010, building owner Metropolis Investment Holdings Inc. began funding a program for the building to obtain LEED GOLD Certification and elevate the infrastructure of the building to a level that was superior to any property in the CBD market. More than a $15 million dollars investment, the program has allowed state of the art controls to communicate with new chillers and boilers providing highly controlled comfort levels at low costs to the tenants.

The following projects are representative of the ownership’s commitment to sustainability and its commitment to those goals in efficiency and cost effectiveness going forward.

Restroom Fixture Replacement - LEED GOLD Certification Related Project

Challenge: Replace 100% of building toilets and urinals to the required low water flow standard.
Result: This project was done completely in-house by our engineers who replaced approximately 500 toilets and 200 urinals after hours with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
We also installed over 300 low flow faucet aerators and approximately 700 no touch flushometers.
Completion of this project has reduced our monthly water consumption by approximately 30%.

Building Lighting Retrofit - LEED GOLD Certification Related Project

Challenge: Re-lamp over 23,000 light fixtures with the latest low consumption lamps and ballast with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Payback was realized at 2.6 years.
We received a CenterPoint rebate of approximately $178,000.
Result: Pennzoil Place reduces over 5,785,000 pounds of CO2 from the installation of new technologies on this project per year.
Over 126,000 gallons of fuel saved per year.
857,408 grams of sulfur dioxide reduced per year.
419,000 grams of nitrogen oxide reduced per year.
Lowered mercury levels by up to 92% in most fluorescent lamps used on this project.

Complete Chiller Replacement - LEED GOLD Certification Related Project

Challenge: Demo 5 chillers and replace with 4 chillers with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
We received a CenterPoint rebate in excess of $650,000.
Result: New chiller electrical consumption is reduced by approximately 35% in comparison to original chillers.
Elimination of Ozone Depletion Potential (R-11 vs. R123).
Higher equipment reliability and lower maintenance cost.
Compliance with all of the latest code requirements.

Cooling Tower (CT) Rebuild

Challenge: Rebuild all 5 CT cells with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Result: The entire CT was rebuilt without incident and no interruption to the law firm located directly below the CT.
Extend the useful life of this critical component at least another 20 years.
The efficiency of the CT was increased by approximately 40%.
Water and chemical loss through bypass and drive were virtually eliminated.

Installed a State of the Art Fiber-Optic IP Communication Backbone

Challenge: Install a Communication Backbone system that will accept virtually every known communication protocol over one unified system.
Result: We now have the most advanced Communication Backbone on the market which is available to our tenants.
A unified communication system over the fastest internal network available on the market.
An economical alternative for tenants that will allow for less initial investment and faster move-in times when compared to other buildings.
An economical way for tenants to install state of the art CCTV and Access Control to their lease spaces.
Access to other features such as Video Conferencing, VOIP Phones, Digital Signage, Wireless Access, Internet, Television, and Enhanced Cell Phone Coverage.

Replace the Building Automation System

Challenge: Replace the building's 4 current systems with 1 state of the art BAS with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Result: Project was completed October 2012.
Full Direct Digital Control (DDC) of the entire building's vital equipment which results in better proactive response times to potential problems.
Better ability to monitor and receive alarms, history, and trending information.
Reduced operating costs through cost savings strategies made possible by the new BAS.
YTD Overtime Air Billing was up by approximately $190,000 in the first full year of implementation because of our BAS upgrades and new scheduling procedures.

Demand Response

Challenge: Participate in current DR programs offered by ERCOT and CenterPoint without sacrificing tenant comfort.
Result: We have successfully participated since June 2013 to present in the DR with minimal impact to our tenants.
Additional savings through incentives and reduction in Demand charges and KWH usage.
Being recognized as the model to emulate in large commercial office buildings. Our approach is uniquely effective.

Phased Replacement of the Building Domestic Water Pumps (DWP)

Challenge: Replace the current DWP's with state of the art DWP systems with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Result: We have replaced all 3 DWP systems as of August 2012. In addition we have installed a new Cooling Tower Makeup System.
Reduction of electrical consumption by approximately 50%.
Precise water pressure service throughout the building.
High equipment reliability and ability to monitor remotely.

Replace Original Boilers

Challenge: Replace the current boilers with state of the art boiler systems with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Result: We have replaced both 500 HP boilers with 6 of the best state of the art condensing modular boilers on the market.
Reduction of natural gas consumption by approximately 30%.
Reduced boiler run time due to the thermal efficiency of the new boilers and increase recovery time.
Eliminate the problems that go along with the previous condensation issues.
Greater redundancy - 6 vs. 2 boilers and an almost infinite operating scalability.

Phased Replacement of the Building Capacitor Banks

Challenge: Replace the building's Capacitor Banks with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Result: We have replaced all 4 Capacitor Banks as of December 2012.
Optimum power factor correction and related savings.
Low maintenance costs.
Greater equipment reliability and useful life.

Install 3M window film on the south tower slope

Challenge: Install window film on the south tower slope with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
Result: We have installed window film on 4 floors of the south tower slope.
Solar heat rejection by 64%.
Reduced glare for tenants by 83%.
Reduced UV light by 99.9%.
Greater tenant comfort in those areas.
Less than a 2 year payback.

Want to know more about how to lessen your impact on our environment while lowering operating costs? Contact us at greeninfo@transwestern.net