Grubb & Ellis joins DOE pilot

Grubb & Ellis joins DOE pilot    Grubb & Ellis Co., a Santa Ana, Calif.-based real estate investment firm, on Tuesday said it is one of eight U.S. corporations, and the only commercial real estate services provider, to be selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in the pilot program for the Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership.
   The partnership is designed to improve building efficiency through an international network of government agencies, national-level certification programs and other public-private sector organizations.
   U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, along with his counterparts from Japan, India, Canada and the European Commission, announced the program this week at the Clean Energy Ministerial, a gathering of ministers from 24 governments, in Washington, D.C.
   In addition to Grubb & Ellis, pilot program participants include 3M, Cleveland Clinic, Dow Chemical, Marriott International, Nissan, Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
   The goal of the program is to cut energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, save money and create jobs through an internationally recognized certification program driving the development of policies, procedures and training programs to enhance the energy performance of commercial buildings and industrial facilities, which together account for nearly 60 percent of global energy use.
   As a participant in the pilot program, Grubb & Ellis will implement an energy management system in selected buildings it manages, establishing baseline and target performance levels and measuring and verifying energy use, which will help refine the initiative in advance of large-scale deployment over the coming years.
   Grubb & Ellis is represented in the Department of Energy's Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance by Michael Groppi, senior vice president of energy, sustainability and technology solutions, who co-chairs the organization's Existing Building subcommittee, and Robert Sprinker, vice president, who serves as chairman of the HVAC subcommittee.