This is the first white paper released since the August 14th blackout that links the inefficiency of office buildings to heavy demand, and tenuous supply conditions. As heavy demand might lead to rolling blackouts in the future, it is important that buildings become "smarter" through available technology as well as by tapping into natural systems. Ultimately, this paper links real estate to not only the power outage, but to the field of business continuity as well.
TORONTO,(PRWEB) September 16, 2003 - One month after the great northeast blackout, authorities have focused much of their blame on an outdated power grid – logical thinking, given this is the infrastructure supplying power across North America. But, how about the infrastructure that consumes power? How culpable were office buildings in contributing to the worst power outage in a generation? Gill Advisors has just released a timely white paper that directly links the energy efficiency standards of typical office buildings to conditions leading to excessive demand, and the possibility of rolling blackouts in the future. Rolling blackouts can adversely affect large organizations whose threshold for downtime is close to zero; therefore this also becomes an issue of business continuity.
Can this situation be managed? Absolutely," states Tony Gill, Managing Director of Gill Advisors there are a wide range of solutions that are making buildings significantly smarter. Whether these tap into natural systems that lower a buildings reliance on power, or use smart technology that automatically regulates the consumption patterns of buildings, different alternatives can be implemented on a micro or a macro scale that ultimately yield more energy-efficient facilities – thereby mitigating the risk of rolling blackouts in the future".
The paper offers statistics about power consumption of office buildings, and points out that increased standards of corporate responsibility have made it possible for public and private entities to launch a concerted effort to make buildings smarter on a mass scale. Beyond offering a review of some of the systems and technologies that contribute to making a facility smarter", the paper provides a snapshot of the landscape for smart buildings. Further, it provides a sampling of a selected number of smart buildings around the world, thereby demonstrating that energy efficiency can be achieved not only through construction on brand new buildings, but retrofits on older buildings, as well as upgrades to existing systems.
This white paper also delves into fundamental economies and diseconomies linking office buildings to energy efficiency. Andrew Thomson, President of Thomson Real Estate Advisors points out: If you look at the existing economics associated with a typical office building, you can easily list the reasons why they consume so much energy". The paper offers insight into how an office building can become smart, while remaining economic.
As business continuity planning moves to the front-burners of organizational strategy, the places where people work are playing an increasingly important role in that planning process. The specter of rolling blackouts is simply an unacceptable scenario for those companies who deem continuous operation mission-critical. The white paper provides some historical context, identifies problems and offers solutions and anecdotes that will assist business continuity planners, real estate executives and analysts make some sense out of the events of August 14th. This is one of the first papers linking the blackout to business continuity and real estate.
The paper is available online on the research page at www.gillinc.com.
About Gill Advisors Inc.:
Gill is one of the worlds first advisory practices that incorporate real estate strategy into the body of business continuity planning. With both an online and an offline component to the firm, Gill focuses on providing solutions based upon original research that are integrated into the body of recommendations tailored to the specific needs of its clients.
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tony Gill
Gill Advisors Inc.
+1 905 940 5399
www.gillinc.com
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