Ventas, Inc. – Colin Curzi – 2019

Goals 

Ventas Inc. is one of the world’s foremost real estate investment trusts (REIT). An S&P 500 company headquartered in Chicago, Ventas is the premier capital partner to leading seniors housing, healthcare companies, and research institutions throughout the US, Canada, and UK. Ventas enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Colin Curzi to prepare a financial case for energy efficiency measures within their seniors housing portfolio. Curzi was tasked with proving the returns of LEDs to the Ventas investment committee and launching a green building pilot to certify the company’s sustainable properties.

Solutions

Curzi assisted Ventas in advancing its sustainability goals by focusing on two key initiatives:

Scaling Energy Efficiency
Curzi analyzed utility data and lighting upgrades to make the financial case for LED installations for more than 100 senior housing facilities. This efficiency upgrade represented a 200% increase in the number of LED-upgraded properties from 2018.

Launched Green Building Pilot
Colin designed and launched a pilot program to seek IREM Certified Sustainable Property certification for Ventas medical office buildings in California.

Potential Impact

Curzi’s recommended LED lighting upgrades represent $1.6 million in projected electricity savings and 11,420 metric tons of carbon in the first year. With a combined return on investment of approximately 11 percent, these projects build upon Ventas goals to invest in energy efficiency in its portfolio. Ventas’s green building pilot through the IREM® Certified Sustainable Property program will submit two buildings for review in 2019. If successful, they plan to extend it to several additional medical offices in California to improve their sustainability profile. These initiatives have shown that sustainability practices create additional value for Ventas shareholders through operating efficiencies, while preserving the planet.