ATCO Centre

Constructed in 1983, the ATCO Centre is located west of the central downtown core in Edmonton between the government and financial districts. In September of 2016, the 20 storey, class A office building achieved LEED® EB:O&M Gold certification.

Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. has managed the property since January 2009, at which point the owners and managers made a commitment to their employees, tenants, and investors to take a proactive and aggressive approach to incorporating sustainable business practices in the operations and management of their buildings.

The following case study was written using responses previously provided for a LEED Spotlight in January 2017, and is the result of an interview with Triovest’s Veronica Argueta, Property Manager, and Ana Julio, Director Property Management.

LEED contributes to energy efficiency and minimizes impact of carbon tax

Energy conservation practices are considered a top priority for both the ATCO Center’s owners and Triovest as third party property management. Due to their ongoing focus on sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental risk reduction, the property is ranked as the most efficient in the owner’s portfolio. In the fall of 2015, five year targets were set for ATCO Centre versus a 2014 baseline. In comparison to the baseline of 2014, energy has now decreased by 28% and water by 38%.

“With Alberta’s Climate Change Leadership Plan and associated carbon tax, it is forecast that Alberta’s most energy efficient buildings will see an additional $0.30 per square foot in 2017 and an additional $0.45 per square foot in 2018,” says Ms. Julio. “A carbon price of $20 per tonne will be applied to all electricity consumed in 2017 and $30 per tonne in 2018.”

“With the high energy efficiency rating of ATCO Centre, the impact of this carbon tax will be minimal, and initiatives like LEED EB:O&M certification will further offset this impact through improved operations and higher building performance standards.”

EB:O&M sets ATCO Centre apart from other commercial buildings

Through the investment of $230,000 for an intensive two-year retro-commissioning process with LEED consultants, WSP Canada, and the introduction of 11 new best-in-class sustainable operations policies, Triovest obtained LEED EB:O&M Gold certification for ATCO Centre with 67 points.

In addition to energy conservation and environmental risk benefits, LEED EB:O&M certification provides an evolving benchmark against which to maintain the building’s energy efficiency through ongoing commissioning and re-certification every 5 years.

“By achieving LEED EB:O&M Gold certification, ATCO Centre joins an elite group of certified buildings in Edmonton providing further market differentiation and appeal to a growing number of sustainability-conscious tenants,” says Ms. Argueta.

The benefits of certification

With LEED EB:O&M certification comes multiple benefits to staff, tenants, owners and the local community, including:

• A 260 CO2e tonne reduction in GHG emissions per year, which equates to taking 55 cars off the road for a year.
• Energy savings of 270 eMWh per year, equivalent to the energy use of 27.5 single family dwellings.
• $18,000 lowered annual operations costs predicted resulting in more capital available for further building improvements.
• Green Cleaning Program to protect occupants from harmful chemical toxins.
• 86% of waste diverted from landfill.
• High Efficiency Air Filtration to promote improved indoor air quality.
• ENERGY STAR score of 98 – performing better than 98% of similar facilities nationwide (updated monthly as Triovest receives the utility billings).