In This Issue

Picotte Is ‘Green’

Years of eco-friendly upgrades save tenants money and benefit the environment.

Picotte’s “green” practices embrace the latest innovations in energy-efficiency – and help tenants cut costs.

Picotte has invested in significant upgrades in all its office properties in recent years, and the results are good for the environment as well as for helping tenants cut energy costs.

For instance, when upgrading equipment like boilers and air conditioning units, Picotte invests in the most energy-efficient models available. Small new boilers that turn on only when necessary help cut costs compared to older, larger boilers, according to Joe Kelley, Picotte manager of tenant services.

Also, in some properties, Picotte has installed white albedo-rated roofs that reflect light and ultraviolet rays, reducing the amount of heat a building absorbs and thus the cost of air conditioning. And Picotte is upgrading to high-efficiency fluorescent lighting units and replacing all existing 35-watt fluorescent light bulbs with high-efficiency 24-watt bulbs.

“Tenants are very pleased — especially those that have their own electric meter,” Joe said. “Our constant upgrading of infrastructure helps them cut energy costs.”

Some Picotte tenants are national companies that, like Picotte, encourage energy efficiency and environmental awareness. After moving into 8 Southwoods Blvd. in Corporate Woods, Colonie, GE Enterprise Solutions installed a cutting-edge variable refrigerant volume air conditioning system that saves energy by allowing more individual control of heating and cooling in the building.

Picotte also just installed a new high-efficiency, state-of-the-art air conditioning unit or “chiller” in its property at 111 Washington Ave., Albany. It has low maintenance costs, quiet sound levels and uses a refrigerant with a no-ozone depletion potential.

Additionally, Picotte creates a healthier working environment for its staff and tenants by using environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals, HEPA filters in vacuums, and reusable microfiber mops and cloths that limit the amount of waste.

“Picotte has a long commitment to innovating and embracing green policy, practices and technology -- like refuse recycling, high efficiency lighting, and green cleaning techniques and products,” said Joe Miller, Picotte vice president of asset management. “Our energy management systems integrate our building equipment into our day-to-day operations providing optimum comfort at the least possible energy cost.”

An example of Picotte’s innovation is the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) building on 625 Broadway, Albany. Constructed by Picotte, this building was the first in New York State to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. LEED, which was created by the U.S. Green Building Council, is used nationwide to affirm the quality of environmental features in a building.

Picotte has a number of future projects planned, including installation of state-of-the-art regenerative-drive elevators that convert the heat generated by their braking system into energy that is fed back into a building’s internal electrical grid for use by other systems in the building.

"By lowering emissions, producing less trash and saving tenants money,” Joe continued, “Picotte provides a healthier work place benefitting both the environment and our tenants.”