LABBC CASE STUDY

PROPERTY OWNER
AvalonBay Communities

PROPERTY TYPE
Multi-Family Housing

SQUARE FEET
16 Buildings Combined:
5,434,191

16%

Reductions across portfolio since taking Ownership

8%

Reductions across portfolio since taking Ownership

2019 Innovation Awards: Portfolio of the Year Finalist

“AvalonBay knows that running a company through the bifocal lens of both short and long-term results is the key to success. And this means we take Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance seriously. Our commitment to ESG investments is at the core of how we plan and operate our Company. We know our stakeholders care about this commitment, and have high expectations which we continually strive to exceed. ”

MARK DELISI
Vice President of Corporate Responsibility,
AvalonBay Communities

PORTFOLIO DESCRIPTION

AvalonBay owns and operates high-quality, high-performance apartment communities across the country. AvalonBay has now completed over 150 LED lighting retrofits and over 20 weather-based irrigation installations at larger properties, including a number of communities in the Los Angeles area. 

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

In 2007, the Los Angeles Board of Education passed Green LAUSD, declaring its commitment to become the most sustainable and environmentally-friendly large urban school district in the country. LAUSD’s mission is to reduce energy and water consumption 20% by 2024 while supporting high-performance design, education and awareness programs, and campus ecology programs.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

AvalonBay was at the forefront of the LED revolution and areas of water efficiency such as weather-based irrigation, which were scaled across the company’s 280 property portfolio. Over the past five years, AvalonBay’s 16 Los Angeles properties have reduced energy use intensity 16% and water use intensity 8%.

2018 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Continued to retrofit communities with LED technology.

• Initiated a number of equipment improvements which will improve energy and water system efficiency.

• Expanded smart metering and demand response program. This program is designed to better align operational behavior with improved building data to reduce consumption and support grid peak demand events.

• Committed to setting science-based emissions reduction targets through the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

PROJECTS COMPLETED
BEFORE 2018

• Launched a new “Building Certified” policy requiring all new mid- and high-rise developments to pursue a 3rd party environmental certification (e.g., LEED, ENERGY STAR).

• Joined the LA Better Buildings Challenge in 2016 with a commitment to reduce energy and water consumption.

PRO TIPS

“Setting clear expectations and having a mutual agreement on an emergency protocol, and other important descriptions on the community between the installer and the on-site team is a must! This helps prepare everyone involve for any unexpected emergencies along the way”

WILLIAM ARIAS
Senior Regional Maintenance Director, AvalonBay Communities

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

All AvalonBay projects include a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy, which includes engaging community partners and residents to ensure any impacts are communicated well ahead of time and that questions or concerns are answered in a timely manner. In 2016, AvalonBay established a task force to engage residents on the California drought and offer education on water savings.

INNOVATION

AvalonBay builds and operates all its own properties, enabling the company to take a long-term view of sustainability and innovation. Implementing science-based efficiency targets will show how multi-family buildings can be both profitable and environmentally sustainable as we move to a low-carbon, renewable and sustainable future.