Three Green Actions to Take While Occupants Work from Home

All over North America, office space is vacant or sparsely populated. Vaccinations for COVID-19 are gradually rolling out, but a return to onsite office work continues to be slow. While buildings are in a holding pattern, now is a perfect time for property owners and managers to make changes that are difficult when occupants are at work.

1. Solar installations

Surface-parking areas are a prime location for photovoltaic (PV) canopies. Unfortunately, the logistics of installing solar when parking lots are full are a nightmare, according to Ben Myers, vice president, sustainability at real estate investment trust Boston Properties. But during the pandemic, the company has completed six PV canopy projects at four different sites covering 1,100 parking spaces. At the Carnegie Center office park in Princeton, New Jersey, there is now 5.2 MW of PV—enough to power 70% of four buildings on the campus, he said.