ABN AMRO : Public sector real estate accelerating its sustainability improvements

The public sector can achieve major gains by accelerating the pace at which it improves the sustainability of its real estate. The Sustainable Investment Tool is an online application that allows owners of public buildings to see how they can save energy, reduce their carbon footprints and recoup their investments. Not only does the tool provide an immediate overview of measures that will save energy, those measures can be implemented and financed directly through the services of ABN AMRO Public Sector Clients.

The built environment is responsible for much of the CO2 emitted and the energy consumed in the Netherlands. The public sector now too faces the challenge of improving occupancy levels in buildings and offices, innovating and reducing CO2. 'It's ABN AMRO's ambition to play a leading role here and to accelerate the transition toward sustainable real estate in the Netherlands,' explains Rutger Schuur, Director of Public Sector Clients at ABN AMRO. 'Our focus isn't just on new development, but also and more importantly on the sustainability performances of existing buildings. The public sector accounts for a third of all the real estate in the Netherlands. The potential savings on energy costs in this portfolio can exceed 30 percent.'

The Sustainable Investment Tool that CFP Green Buildings has developed offers a platform that integrates the various possibilities for improving the sustainability of buildings, by quantifying and then displaying those buildings' sustainability performances. The online tool offers clients an overview of their assets, a benchmark for energy consumption and measures for reducing the CO2 emissions of each separate building. By interfacing with manufacturers and installers, it allows clients of ABN AMRO Public to request online offers there and then: by individual building or for an entire portfolio. These offers are based on the most commonly used measures that are available to real estate owners: from LED lighting, heating and insulation to installing solar panels and optimisation. As the tool also shows the savings and the payback periods, users can see at a glance what the costs and benefits are of improving the sustainability of their buildings and offices. 'The Sustainable Investment Tool is an exciting way of encouraging ABN AMRO's clients to start saving energy in their real estate,' comments Annemarie van Doorn, Director of DGBC. The Sustainable Investment Tool maps out the possibilities for saving energy by:

• Combining benchmark data with best practices for technology, operation, maintenance and management
• Comparing each building with at least 30 reference buildings
• Describing the measures in detail, to allow clients to plan and budget their sustainability efforts and energy savings
• Interfacing with leading installers and suppliers, to ensure reliability and guarantee implementation of the measures
• Offering the possibility to plan and monitor the sustainability efforts for each property separately.