Developer honored as leader in energy efficient building.

The Albanese Organization of Garden City was honored as 'Business Leader for Energy Efficiency' by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit

The Albanese Organization, of Garden City, N.Y., was among 10 organizations selected for recognition as "Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency" as part of a conference and awards program that marked the 10th anniversary of Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP).

Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) is a regional nonprofit organization founded in 1996 whose mission is to promote energy efficiency in homes, buildings and industry in the Northeast U.S. through regionally coordinated programs and policies that increase the use of energy efficient products, services and practices, and that help achieve a cleaner environment and a more reliable and affordable energy system.

Albanese, which was nominated for the honor by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), was chosen based upon its commitment to energy efficiency as evidenced by a series of factors, including documented energy savings; energy efficiency investment and cost-effectiveness; comprehensiveness; commitment from management to continued energy performance; proven operations and practices; and overall organizational leadership.

"LIPA is very pleased and encouraged by the forward thinking of the Albanese Organization" said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. "By participating in our Clean Energy Initiative, the Albanese Organization is ensuring projects will be energy efficient and environmentally responsible while providing significant long-term financial savings."

Albanese, a full service real estate development, investment and management firm, in 2000 began the design on the country's first environmentally responsible residential high-rise building, The Solaire, in New York City, that, when completed in 2003, received a LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Buildings Council, and has since demonstrated a 35% improvement in energy use over code-compliant buildings.

Albanese recently completed its second green high-rise residential building, The Verdesian, also in New York City. And on Long Island, Albanese just completed a major renovation to an office building using various energy efficiency measures including an ENERGY STAR[R] rated roof, Enthalpy Energy Recovery system, and other measures that are contributing to approximately 18 percent annual energy savings.

High efficiency HVAC systems, motors, lighting and hot water heaters are among the efficiency investments Albanese has made in its buildings, partnering with LIPA and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to incorporate energy efficiency during the design phase. Albanese also utilizes computerized building management systems and contracts with third party commissioning agents to maintain facility performance.

"It's an honor and a privilege to pay special recognition to the Albanese Organization, as well as to LIPA for supporting them in their commitments to energy savings," noted Ashok Gupta of the Natural Resources Defense Council, president of NEEP and, along with Penni McLean-Conner of NSTAR, co-chair of the 2006 Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit. "The Albanese Organization is truly a model of 'best practices' that sets a fine example of how energy efficiency can achieve affordability, reliability and sustainability."

Other honorees at the Energy Efficiency Summit include Brown University (Providence, R.I.); the City of Claremont, N.H.; Equity Office Properties (Boston, Mass.); Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Waterbury, Vt.); Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine); New Atlantic Development Corp.(Boston, Mass.); New York Presbyterian Hospital (New York, N.Y.); Raytheon Co. (Woburn, Mass.) and Whitman-Hanson (Mass.) Regional High School.