Brian Montague, senior vice president for energy and sustainability at GGP Inc. (NYSE: GGP), joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2017 Leader in the Light Working Forum at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas.
Montague said GGP has met its goal of a 300 million kilowatt hour reduction in energy use in the period from 2011 to 2017. The reduction reflected the impact of LED lighting and HVAC upgrades, energy management system projects and solar installation, according to Montague.
Looking ahead, solar energy will have a “huge impact” for GGP, Montague said. He noted that during the last few years, solar panels have increased their output from 250 watts per panel to 400 watts. Costs have also fallen in line with increased productivity.
“We think it’s a really good investment,” Montague said.
Montague also commented on ways GGP is working with its tenants to increase their support for sustainability initiatives. Some of the areas GGP is focusing on include waste and tenant build-out, Montague said.