CURRENTS Summer 2016

EJ Leaders | Building Technologies | 101 Resources | Energy Code Resource Favorites | Residential Savings Innovations

Green Leases | COP21 Video: Oakland and Richmond | CAEECC | Lessons from Germany

By Jordan Decker, Local Government Commission

Most traditional building leases charge for energy using a standard rate (for example, a per square foot rate) and break the connection between the cost of a tenant’s energy bill and the amount of energy a tenant consumes. This not only takes away the direct cost-saving financial incentive an energy user typically has to save energy – it also reduces the building owner’s incentive to make energy-saving improvements to the building.

Luckily, this is an issue that has been recognized for years, and the proliferation of “green lease” language in building leases has reconnected energy users and savers to energy costs – and savings. Green leases (also called energy efficient leases, or high performance leases) are becoming common practice in Class A commercial real estate, the federal government, and markets with notable energy, cost and/or carbon savings-focused tenants and/or owners.

It’s no surprise that California’s local governments are getting on board to both promote green leases in their communities to help reconnect building owners and tenants with savings opportunities – and are also exploring how these leases can be leveraged in their own leased spaces. The Port of San Diego is considering a sustainable leasing policy, and new program to provide tenant incentives for agreeing to green practices, and has generously shared their Sustainable Incentives Best Practices Assessment they had prepared earlier this year covering best practices in incentive approaches to support tenant energy efficiency. Other local governments have shared a wealth of other resources, posted here, including:

• The City of Portland’s Green Tenant Improvement Guide;
• RMI and BOMA’s joint Working Together for Sustainability: The RMI-BOMA Guide for Landlordsand Tenants
• A gov/industry working group supported by San Francisco Dept. of Environment developed this Green Tenant Toolkit;
• The Commercial Real Estate Engagementpage of the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) points to a number of resources that IMT works on, including:
  • Lease forms and case studies;
  • Another case study from Pyramid Companies here;
  • A green primer for retail;
  • Guidance on developing, negotiating, & implementing green leases here;
  • You can also view a green leasing recorded webinar from last summer, featuring IMT and Unico Properties.
• The U.S. Department of Energy also provides some great green lease text available here;
• The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) also provides energy efficiency-specific lease guidance here;
• Through the California Sustainability Alliance, a set of green leasing tools and a 2009 report on green lease challenges and opportunities is available here;
• federal/GSA green lease language is available here.

You can get the latest on green lease information on the Coordinator website here.