When choosing a real estate partner, GREEN is the advantage.
 

LEED GOLD Certification

In 2009 the building management team started an assessment of the requirements to have the building LEED certified.  This assessment led to the determination that most of the building's infrastructure had out lived its useful life.  Therefore, Metropolis, the ownership, funded a program that began in 2010 that not only allowed the building to obtain LEED GOLD Certification but also brought the infrastructure of the building to a level that was superior to any property in the CBD market.  A program that has exceeded $12 million dollars of investment that allows start of the art controls to communicate with new chillers and boilers providing highly controlled comfort levels at lower cost to the tenants.

The follow projects are representative of the ownerships commitment to sustainability and its commitment to those goals in time and money 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.

The Lighting Retrofit Project will result in the following:
 

• 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.

The Chiller Replacement Project will result in the following;
 

• 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 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.

Completion of the CT rebuild resulted in the following;
 

• 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 ever 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.

Pennzoil's Communication Backbone can provide the following:
 

• 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 BAS
 

• Challenge; replace the building's 4 current BAS's with 1 state of the art BAS with minimal interruptions to tenant operations.
• Result; project was completed October 2012.

Completion of the BAS Project will result in the following;
 

• Full Direct Digital Control (DDC) of the entire building's vital equipment which has resulted in better proactive response 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.

Our participation has resulted in:
 

• 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.

Completion of the DWP Project has resulted in the following;
 

• 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.

Completion of the Boiler Project will result in the following:
 

• 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.

Completion of the Capacitor Bank Project has resulted in the following:
 

• 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.

Completion of the window film install will result in the following:
 

• 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.