Former Massey Knakal brokers start new careers in green industries
January 29, 2009 04:40PM By Jovana Rizzo
Ted Houvouras
Two ex-Massey Knakal brokers have found new careers in the green building industry. Ken Hillman left Massey Knakal recently to become the director of business development for GreenStreet Corp., a green construction and consulting firm with offices in the Tri-State area.
Hillman said green construction is fast becoming part of the future of real estate because more buildings are seeking LEED certification, and building codes are in the process of adopting green standards.
In Mayor Michael Bloomberg's state of the city address last month, he talked about working with the City Council to develop "the nation's first law to require existing private sector buildings to improve their energy efficiency." He also discussed creating jobs in green construction. Both were part of his plan to reduce the city's carbon footprint 30 percent by 2017.
Reducing a building's carbon footprint may sound nice to landlords, but what can really convince them to go green, especially in this economic climate, is how much money they can save by doing so, according to Ted Houvouras.
Houvouras left Massey Knakal in November to become the metro New York managing director of the Management Group (TMG), a company that installs temperature regulation systems in hotels, hospitals, universities and other buildings. TMG recently installed the system in the Soho Grand hotel.
The system automatically adjusts a room's temperature if it's occupied. During the winter, if a hotel room is sitting empty, as many in New York City are these days, the heating temperature is automatically lowered.
"We save building owners up to 43 percent on their energy expenses," Houvouras said. "Owners are extremely conscious of cutting costs right now."
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Comments
Anonymous
Sounds like the wave of the future
Comment #1 Posted By: Anonymous 02/11/09
Russ Walters
This is incredible! With savings of this magnitude who could possibly say no to such a system. The ROI must be exceptionally low.
Comment #2 Posted By: Russ Walters 02/12/09
Steve Keller
Hmmm...so two people started a business based on non proprietary zigbee thermostats (which they don't mention the technology anywhere but that's what it is) and claim 43% savings repeatedly with only a microscopic disclaimer at the bottom that your results "may vary." Hate to play the skeptic here, but installation in one or two hotels does not a statistical sample make. And, if a hotel is being asked to fork over significant dollars on a start up system, what happens if these two good looking (or at least one since the other didn't post his pic) gentlemen fail to make it in their first five years of business? Hey I wish them well but a lot of major players are jumping on this band wagon that have the investment dollars and software developers to weather the storm long term. I would be very wary of investing in a start up that claims nearly half of your energy bill savings without including outlets, tv's, and lighting in their controls.
Comment #3 Posted By: Steve Keller 01/07/10