How to identify areas to cut office running costs with new benchmark
The annual cost of a typical air-conditioned UK office is £3 per sq ft in energy use, but this can vary considerably depending on how well a building is managed, says Jones Lang LaSalle.
The Real Estate Environmental Benchmark recently launched by Jones Lang LaSalle with the Better Buildings Partnership takes into account the often overlooked aspects of energy, water and waste costs as well as usage costs. It shows that offices in the lower quartile of the benchmark, with poorer energy management, are spending as much as £225,000 per year, while offices in the top quartile have far lower running costs at around £125,000 per year.
“The potential for cost savings for owners and occupiers who demonstrate good energy management practice is therefore clear,” JLL says. It says the benchmark can help to identify properties where running costs can be cut, and can also be used to compare the performance of buildings in a portfolio and across the industry. The benchmark can also be used as a tool to demonstrate lower running costs and better energy management to tenants, for example.
The benchmark also shows the environmental impact of buildings via their carbon footprint – a typical shopping centre (c. 200,000 sq ft TLA) has a carbon footprint of 1,2000 tCO2 whereas those in the lower quartile have footprints of as much as 2,400 tCO2 – the equivalent of 250 households.
