BOMA/NY helps energy users avoid last year's mistakes

Real Estate Weekly, Dec 27, 2000

With the rollercoster pricing of electricity this past summer still fresh in the industry's mind, BOMA/NY's sixth annual Energy Awareness day, held in conjunction with the New York Energy Buyer's forum, focused on sharing. cost-saving opportunities. The event, held on Nov. 1, featured a seminar format topped off by the BOMA/NY luncheon, with Dr. Jerome Blue of the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority serving as the keynote speaker.

Two of the event's three sessions focused exclusively on financial issues. First of all, energy pricing and purchasing options were reviewed to determine what happened to electricity pricing since April, and what to expect in the future. Gas and steam pricing fluctuations were also discussed, with a special overview of the recent Con Ed steam pricing settlement and a long-term view of supply.

Led by Lindsay Audin, president of Energywiz, Inc., the panel featured NY ISO's director of communications, Thomas Garlock, Tony Giorgio of Con Edison steam services ,and Susan Filgueras of Colonial Energy, Inc.

The second session examined the information revolution and how it can make a practical difference in the life of a building operator. With an abundance of incentive offers and opportunities on the market today, the BOMA/NY panel focused on how to buy cheaper and smarter, consume less energy, and manage more effectively.

During the last session, BOMA/NY members Michael F. Flatley, CEM, the engineering manager of ABM Engineering Services, and Dan Levin, director of energy services at Great Forest, Inc., led Energy Awareness day participants through the various monetary incentive programs, illustrating where opportunities for savings exist and how to take advantage of them. They were joined by John Aheam of NYSERDA, Elizabeth Perry of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and Richard Friedman of the City of New York's Department of Business Services.

Led by Wayne Vanderschuere, a principal at Energy Innovators, the session featured four differing perspectives. Representing the consumers was John Lembo, director of energy for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Pamela Rose, of Honeywell Portico Services, spoke from the controls company-perspective. Speaking on behalf of the independent energy providers was David McGeown, director of energy information services for AES NewEnergy. Completing the panel with a software company's point of view was Lee Parker, project manager for Silicon Energy.

At the monthly luncheon that followed the forum, Dr. Jerome Blue, senior vice president of project development and management for Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority traced the history of Batter- Park from it inception to its global role today as an energy-sensitive development and site of the first green high-rise residential tower in America.