WORLD PROPERTY CHANNEL ®

Gerald Hines

(HOUSTON, TX) -- Hines, a privately owned international commercial real estate developer based in Houston, TX, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA as a Partner of the Year for the sixth time and the third time Hines has received the Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award.

Hines was cited for "continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency," according to the EPA.

The company will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC March 18.

"Hines has continued to demonstrate exemplary leadership among Energy Star partners for more than a decade," says Alyssa Quarforth,  U.S. EPA Energy Star Program Manager for Commercial Properties.

Alyssa Quarforth

"The ability to continually reduce energy consumption over long periods of time requires creativity and discipline, and Hines has been highly successful in this area - while also broadly promoting the Energy Star partnership to clients, employees and tenants."

Hines' portfolio of  Energy Star buildings consists of 147 facilities and more than 75 million square feet. With a weighted-average performance rating of 88 (38 points higher than the national average), the portfolio is 41.5 percent more energy efficient than the national average, the company says in a prepared statement.

"This translates into a savings of $1.35 per-square-foot per year, as well as estimated annual greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing 100,000 automobiles from the road," according to the statement.

Hines is also a leading developer in the EPA's Designed to Earn the Energy Star program, which recognizes buildings designed to achieve superior results in energy efficiency. Twelve Hines projects have earned this designation.

"In addition to emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency to its tenants, Hines offers its "Green Office for Tenants" program to enhance sustainable operations within tenant spaces," notes Hines President and CEO Jeffrey C. Hines.

Jeffrey C. Hines

"Energy efficiency is one of the most important value drivers in today's real estate economy,"  says Hines.  "We use Energy Star in tandem with Hines' proprietary building management tools to maximize performance, minimize risk and preserve long-term value."

Jeffrey Hines says Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leed® program. Last week, Hines announced that its portfolio of developed, owned and/or managed properties in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leed program had exceeded 100 million square feet, representing nearly 200 projects.

"Sustained Excellence Awards are given to organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches, and showing others what can be achieved," according to the EPA.

Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the  Energy Star program.

Energy Star was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency.

Hines's  historical and current portfolio of projects under way, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,111 properties representing more than 451 million square feet.

The company has offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries with  and controlled assets valued at about $22.2 billion.

Gerald D. Hines, founder and chairman, started the company in 1957. His son is Jeffrey C. Hines. 

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