Trizec takes energy savings to the next level.

To take its award-winning Energy Excellence Program to the next level, Trizec Properties, Inc. launched an Earth Day Post-it campaign targeting customers at its commercial office buildings nationwide.

Using Post-it notes--made of recycled paper--to reinforce powerful messages about energy conservation, Trizec reminded customers of practical steps they can take toward conserving energy in the workplace and beyond.

"Because energy is the third-largest line item in commercial property operating budgets, quantifiable energy reduction efforts are an effective way to control costs for building operators while also helping to preserve the environment," said Gerard Schumm, senior vice president of operations and chair of Trizec's energy committee.

"Our Earth Day Post-it campaign is a valuable tool to help raise awareness about Trizec's Energy Excellence Program among our customers and colleagues."

Since launching its Energy Excellence Program in 2000, and despite rising energy costs, Trizec has achieved $16 million yearly in cost avoidance through energy conservation across its 48-building, 36 million-square-foot nationwide portfolio.

Over a five-year period, Trizec has reduced its portfolio-wide energy consumption by approximately 14 percent, meticulously auditing and tracking the results. Trizec reached these striking results by investing more than $20 million in nearly 450 energy-efficiency upgrades--upgrades that have paid for themselves in just over two years on average.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Association of Real Estate Trusts (NAREIT) recognized the success of Trizec's ongoing initiatives in November 2005 with the capstone Leader in the Light Gold Award.

"Trizec's Energy Excellence Program is particularly impressive when yousider that the company has gathered quantifiable data to demonstrate its energy conservation accomplishments," said Stuart Brodsky, national manager, commercial property markets, for Energy Star.

Highlights of Trizec's efforts include: The purchase and installation of New York's most advanced chiller system, an 8,000-ton-capacity tri-fuel system with projected cost savings of up to 70 percent--at One New York Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Twice as efficient as its predecessor, this $16 million system will save the building $2.5 million a year in energy costs compared to 2004 and a 4 mega-watt cogeneration plant that is slated for installation at 1411 Broadway, a 1 million-square-foot midtown high-rise;

At a number of properties, Trizec's Energy Excellence Program provides further benefits such as backup and redundant power reducing the load on local utilities, advanced cooling and heating systems, additional capacity and alternative fuel sources.

"To manage costs, we take energy conservation to a whole new level, seeking out state-of-the-art technologies and techniques," Schumm added. "By going above and beyond industry norms, Trizec keeps costs in line while maintaining the high level of comfort and quality needed to attract and retain customers."

Trizec's energy program also has reduced fossil fuel emissions by 692,529 tons per year, including 1,878 tons of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas; 3,644 tons of sulfur dioxide, the main component of acid rain; and 687,007 of carbon dioxide--the equivalent of removing almost 125,000 vehicles from the nation's highways.