Managing our portfolio

NORWALK, CONN., Jan. 6, 2011 – ArdenACCESS, a remote monitoring, control and demand response system that provides more efficient building operations and cuts costs for commercial real estate tenants, has won GE approval as an ecomagination innovation.

ArdenACCESS is being piloted in 22 properties in Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle and California with plans to expand across the U.S. in 2011. Arden Realty is a unit of GE Capital Real Estate.

Studies conducted over the last year by GE Capital Real Estate show energy efficiency programs such as ArdenACCESS are a key influencer for office tenants signing leases in North America and Western Europe.

Ecomagination is a business initiative to help meet customers’ demands for more energy-efficient products and to drive reliable growth for GE.

“Getting ecomagination approval requires significant effort," said Joaquin de Monet, president and CEO, Arden Realty. “This achievement demonstrates ArdenACCESS is an innovation that’s reducing the carbon footprint of commercial real estate – and is raising the bar on energy efficiency.

“More important, it clearly underscores its value to tenants," he added.

The goal of the automated platform is to reduce electricity use, associated operating costs and CO2 emissions across the portfolio. A tenant in a 140,000 square foot office building could reduce energy consumption by 9% -- or about 250,000 kWh annually, avoiding over 150 metric tons of CO2 emissions. That’s equivalent to the yearly emissions of 30 cars.

De Monet added, "ArdenACCESS has joined a group of about 80 ecomagination approved products. The evaluation is stringent and conducted by both GE and by independent third parties. We’re proud ArdenACCESS meets this very high standard."