Coast to Coast:
Three of district energy’s brightest ENERGY STARs
Courtesy Unico Properties LLC.
Skinner Building
Seattle, Wash.
District energy provider: Seattle Steam Co.
Service provided: steam for space heating
and hot water
Year connected to system: 1927
Year ENERGY STAR-labeled (rating): 2008 ( 95)
Address: 1326 5th Ave.
Facility type: office and retail
Total square feet served by Seattle Steam Co.:
205,866
Year constructed: 1926
Building owner/property manager: Unico
Properties LLC
An elegant eight-story building that is home to
offices and several luxury retailers, including
Brooks Brothers, St. John Boutique and Gucci.
Also houses the historic 5th Avenue Theatre,
called “a national treasure” by Helen Hayes,
which has been a showplace for vaudeville,
movies and Broadway productions for more
than 80 years.
The Skinner Building sought the ENERGY STAR
label as part of its efforts to achieve LEED for
Existing Buildings certification. Unico Properties’
Clarence Clipper says obtaining an ENERGY
STAR rating and LEED certification “is the
responsible approach to managing an office
building, reducing our carbon footprint and
reducing utility costs for our tenants. We
believe many tenants seeking a new location
look for buildings that are well-managed and
have reasonable expenses. Our ENERGY STAR
certification speaks to that.”
Other ENERGY STAR buildings served by
Seattle Steam Co. (years labeled):
Century Square (2008)
Federal Office Building (2000, 2008)
IBM Building (2008)
Jackson Federal Building (2008)
One Union Square (2005)
Plaza 600 Building (2007)
Puget Sound Plaza (2008)
Seattle Tower (2008)
Second & Seneca Building (2000, 2007)
Two Union Square (2005)
WaMu Center (2007)
Washington Mutual Tower (2007)
Courtesy NWC Limited Partnership.
Wells Fargo Center
Minneapolis, Minn.
District energy provider: NRG Energy Center
Minneapolis
Service provided: steam for space heating
and domestic hot water
Year connected to system: 1988
Year ENERGY STAR-labeled (rating):
2008 ( 95) 2004 ( 83)
2007 ( 95) 2003 ( 78)
2006 ( 87) 2002 ( 75)
2005 ( 86) 1999 ( 80)
Address:
90 South 7th St.
Facility type: office tower
Total square feet served by NRG Energy
Center:
1, 105, 105
Year constructed: 1987
Building owner/property manager: Hines
A 57-story downtown landmark designed by
Cesar Pelli & Associates in a style recalling early
20th-century Art Deco skyscrapers. Features a
full-block pedestrian promenade with a 100-ft-
high skylit rotunda on one side and formal
lobby on the other. Major tenants include Wells
Fargo Bank, Faegre & Benson, and KPMG LLP.
Building has received awards from the Urban
Land Institute, the National Association of
Industrial and Office Properties and the Building
Owners and Managers Association.
On supporting customers like Wells Fargo in
pursuing ENERGY STAR, NRG Energy Center’s
Jerry Pittman says, “Our goal is to serve as a
credible, useful resource to our customers and
help them improve their energy efficiency and
‘go green.’ ENERGY STAR is the natural first
step to becoming either Green Globes- or
LEED-certified, and we want to support that
next step as well.”
Other ENERGY STAR buildings served by
NRG Energy Center Minneapolis (years
labeled):
225 South Sixth (1999, 2001-2008)
Accenture Tower at Metropolitan Centre (2002-
2005, 2007-2008)
100 Washington Ave. So. (2008)
Ameriprise Client Service Center (2007-2008)
Thrivent Financial (2007)
U.S. Bank Plaza (2001-2008)
US Bancorp Center (2006, 2007)
Campbell Mithun Tower (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007)
Courtesy Grunberg Management.
280 Trumbull Street
Hartford, Conn.
District energy provider: Hartford Steam Co.
Service provided: steam for space heating
and domestic hot water, chilled water for space
cooling and data load
Year connected to system: 1997
Year ENERGY STAR-labeled (rating): 2008 ( 91)
Address: 280 Trumbull St.
Facility type: Class A commercial office tower
Total square feet served by Hartford Steam
Co.: 699,300
Year constructed: 1984
Building owner/property manager: Grunberg
Management
A 28-story office tower with some of the most
expansive views of Hartford and the surrounding areas. Located in the heart of the central
business district, across from the Hilton Hotel
and Hartford Stage. Was named the Building
Owners and Managers Association’s Building of
the Year in 1999 and 2000. Major tenants
include Prudential Financial, UPS Capital and
the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.
Building was renovated substantially in 1999
and 2005, when the lobby was substantially
refurbished.
Energy efficiency improvements are a key element in Grunberg Management’s long-term
plan for the building. The firm views earning
ENERGY STAR both as a way to be environmentally and socially responsible and as a means to
stay competitive in the industry, by reducing
utility costs and becoming a more efficient user
of those utilities.
Other ENERGY STAR buildings served by
Hartford Steam Co. (years labeled):
Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection (2005)
St. Paul Travelers (2006-2008)
One State Street (1999, 2002, 2006, 2008)
Phoenix Life Insurance Co. (2007)
State House Square (2004-2008)
