Regency Centers increases energy savings by 75% annually

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers announced Thursday that, through its 2012 “greengenuity” program, it increased annual energy savings by 75%, achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for three projects, and tripled the amount of construction and demolition material recycled during the year.



“We believe our commitment to greengenuity leads to better risk management and cost savings, improves our communities, encourages innovation and is in the best interest of our shareholders,” said Mark Peternell, VP sustainability for shopping center owner Regency Centers. “Our 2012 performance metrics are the strongest yet in our ongoing effort to be responsible stewards of natural and economic resources.”



Regency measures its greengenuity progress through steady improvement in five key areas: green building certification, energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy and waste reduction.



The 2012 program highlights include:

• Three development and redevelopment projects achieved LEED certification, plus half of new starts are seeking the LEED designation;
  
  


• Energy-efficient lighting projects saved 3.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity, a 75% increase over 2011;
  
  


• Water savings stayed consistent at 106 million gallons through smart water management practices;
  
  


• Regency installed the company’s first solar energy system at a Boston-area shopping center which generated 296,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy for the year; and
  
  


• More than 13,522 tons of construction debris was reused or recycled, a 354% improvement over 2011.

The three projects achieving LEED certification were new development Market at Colonnade in Raleigh, N.C.; Mariano’s Fresh Market at redeveloped Roscoe Square in Chicago and redeveloped Granada Village in Los Angeles. Since 2009, more than 60% of the company’s major development and redevelopment projects have sought LEED certification, and of those projects started in 2012, nearly half are seeking certification.



Regency has reduced its energy consumption since 2010 by 5.9 million kilowatt hours. In 2012, the company saved 3.6 million kilowatt hours. Networked lighting controls at 96 shopping centers, which remotely control on-off schedules of site lighting systems, combined with LED lighting and more efficient HID lamps, account for the majority of these savings.



In the area of water conservation, the company has implemented smart water management practices at 98 properties. An example includes the implementation of smart irrigation controllers, which adjust the irrigation schedule based on local weather conditions and other parameters. As a result, Regency has reduced water consumption by 401 million gallons since 2009 and 106 million gallons in 2012 alone.



Regency installed a rooftop solar panel array at the Shops at Saugus, located in the Boston suburb of Saugus, which generated 296,000 kilowatt hours of renewable and zero-emission energy last year. Plus, the company purchased 2,600 Renewable Energy Certificates, or off-sets.



Since the introduction of a construction and debris recycling program, Regency has reused more than 16,994 tons of material on its development and redevelopment sites. As investment in Regency’s portfolio of shopping centers accelerates with an improving economy, more than 13,522 tons of the savings occurred in 2012.