Energy & Sustainability Consulting
Energy & Sustainability Consulting
As commercial real estate owners and lenders seek to reduce the carbon footprint of their assets and lending activities, AEI’s Energy and Sustainability services as well as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies are inclusive of net zero goals and climate risk.
From the due diligence perspective, AEI’s Building Assessments team is highly skilled in providing a holistic view of a building’s condition through incorporating Climate Risk & Resilience Assessments and ESG Sustainability Reporting into other due diligence assessments such as Property Condition Assessments (PCAs), seismic risk evaluations, energy efficiency and building energy performance assessments, structural and retrofit assessments, and more. From the OWNER and EQUITY perspective, AEI’s capital planning, energy, sustainability, and EHS team are able to ensure continued achievement of ESG goals and oversite of climate mitigation projects.
Natural Hazards & Climate Risk Resiliency
Climate Risk & Resilience Assessments may be obtained during acquisition due diligence or for investor reporting purposes.
Natural hazards evaluated in these services may vary based on the client’s needs to include those hazards caused by or made more extreme by climate change. Example hazards to be evaluated using available models may include:
- Advanced Flood Models (beyond FEMA mapping)
- Heat Stress (extreme temperatures resulting in increased energy costs)
- Hurricanes and Typhoons
- High Wind and Tornado
- Sea Level Rise
- Water Stress (drought-related risks)
- Wildfire Risk
Risk Evaluation
Review of most current climate modeling and risk mapping resources to identify the natural hazards most likely to represent a concern to a property
Vulnerability Assessment
Review of the property attributes and a site inspection to review the building components and condition in light of the identified natural hazards. This phase may also include a value at risk calculation.
Risk Mitigation
Identification of potential risk mitigation measures that could be employed to make the building more resilient. This phase may include cost estimates for these mitigation methods.
Property Condition Assessment (PCA) with Climate Risk & Sustainability Review
Property Condition Assessment (PCA) with Climate Risk & Sustainability Review for due diligence and cost estimating, relative to projected operational cost increases or other needed adaptations to meet sustainability and resiliency goals.
This climate-Informed PCA includes:
Climate Risk: Climate risk review and evaluation of replacement costs with climate change risk in mind.
Sustainability Checklist:
- Review of available commissioning or energy audit reports.
- Compliance with local audit or commissioning requirements.
- Verification of sustainability certification.
- Water consumption and cost attributes, including annual water consumption.
- Evaluation of electrical/gas consumption and cost attributes.
- HVAC and water heater equipment descriptions, age, remaining useful life, fuel source, etc.
- Types of lighting and window descriptions, age, remaining useful life, etc.
- Building Performance Audits (energy efficiency)
- Roof (solar opportunities) and existing systems
Facility Condition Assessment (PCA) with Climate Risk & Sustainability Recommendations
Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) with Climate Risk Review & Sustainability Recommendations for cost estimating relative to projected operational cost increases or other needed adaptations, including priorities and capital planning tables for future budgeting and achievement of sustainability goals.
US Resilience Council (USRC) Assessment
US Resilience Council (USRC) Assessment is an assessment of building performance with respect to safety, damage, and recovery. Seismic Risk Analysis (SRA) are offered with USRC ratings. The USRC is modeled after the US Green Buildings Council (USGBC®), which, through its LEED® rating system, has successfully engrained environmental sustainability into the public consciousness. The USRC rating system delivers information on the expected safety, damage and recovery of the building. Read more
Portfolio Physical Risk Vulnerability Assessment
Portfolio Physical Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment is a review of portfolio-wide climate risk data, with a determination of high-risk, moderate-risk, and low risk, accompanied by recommendations for on-site assessment by architects, engineers, or sustainability professionals for high- or moderate-risk sites.
ESG and Sustainability Reporting Consulting
ESG and Sustainability Reporting Consulting AEI assists our clients in meeting their ESG and sustainability reporting goals. Information may be collected on a stand-alone basis or within a concurrent property due diligence or facility condition assessment.
Examples of ESG property data points include:
- Review of available commissioning or energy audit reports
- Compliance with local audit or commissioning requirements
- Verification of sustainability certification
- Water consumption and cost attributes, including annual water consumption
- Evaluation of electrical/gas consumption and cost attributes
- HVAC and water heater equipment descriptions, age, remaining useful life, fuel source, etc.
- Types of lighting and window descriptions, age, remaining useful life, etc.
- Renewable energy installation, monitoring, and consultation
- Carbon footprint calculation and mitigation consulting
- Management of energy or climate resiliency upgrades
- ADA compliance assessments
- Corporate sustainability reporting
- Environmental Management/ISO implementation
Energy Audit and Sustainability Consulting
Energy Audit and Sustainability Consulting reviews a site’s current energy usage and proposes modifications to meet sustainability and resiliency goals. With these services, we support owners and investors, as well as lenders who are managing programs that provide preferential terms to borrowers who commit to certain energy or water savings measures.