In March 2021, the Swire Properties Operations team in Miami, U.S.A. entered the Business Efficiency 305 Challenge (“BE305”). Initiated by the Miami-Dade County in Florida, the contest challenged companies across the county to reduce electricity and water consumption by 25% against a 2019 baseline by the year 2026.
Throughout 2021, the team took steps to meet these targets, including:
- Replacement of traditional lighting with LEED-recommended lighting.
- Installation of a lighting management system that provides full timed control of the entire lighting system.
- Installation of an energy management system that allows the team to focus on and understand areas of high-power consumption.
- Replacement of the irrigation system with high-efficiency time clocks and valves that have reduced irrigation leaks and waste by approximately 15%.
- Installation of automatic water valves on cistern tanks, increasing rainwater utilisation by approximately 30%.
When annualised, electricity bills site-wide have been reduced by 3.1 million kWh or 20% compared to 2019. Water consumption has also been reduced by 7% compared to 2019, saving a total of 17,312 m3. The Miami team is confident it can reach the BE305 targets in advance of the 2026 target year.
These reductions were particularly noteworthy as they were achieved when the portfolio added four new F&B outlets (typically large water consumers) and experienced an increase of visitor traffic of 5.5% compared to 2019.