GTC to Save 500 MWh a Year in Váci Greens D

By the end of the second quarter, the building's owner and operator, GTC Hungary, will reduce the building's current energy demand and thus its operating costs by 20%, or around 500 MWh.

The "Breeam in Use Excellent" rated Váci Greens D, with its 16,000 sqm of usable floor space, is home to major automotive, financial services, and FMCG companies.

"Although GTC Hungary's real estate portfolio is relatively young, even a five-year-old commercial property can achieve measurable and significant energy savings through a full-scale energy efficiency upgrade. "With a rapidly changing energy market, predictability and energy efficiency are now such a priority that, after Centerpoint and Váci Greens D, we will be implementing these retrofits in all of our domestic projects by 2025," says János Gárdai, chief operating officer of GTC Group.

He notes that "The ongoing development will not only meet the needs of tenants who are committed to environmental sustainability but will also bring tangible cost savings for the companies in the form of reduced operating fees. The energy classification of the building will be upgraded from CC to BB as a result of the improvement."

A complex energy efficiency assessment carried out by Re-Energy Ltd. last year was immediately followed by a design phase, which will result in a full energy upgrade of the Váci Greens D building by Q2 2023. As heating and cooling account for more than 60% of the energy consumption of office buildings, the investment is primarily aimed at replacing and supplementing the previous environmental control systems with state-of-the-art heat pump solutions. These will cut down the primary energy demand of the building not only through their well-known energy efficiency but also by recycling residual heat.

To improve the efficiency of the heating and cooling systems, the building's water pumps will be replaced with variable frequency drive pumps, so that the water circulation system, which regulates the temperature of the building, will always use electricity based on the specific consumption demand. This is supplemented by the modernization of the building's monitoring and control system and the regulation of the mechanical wiring network. The renewable BMS will allow for more precise and efficient monitoring.

In addition to the energy-intensive systems, the operator has reviewed the lighting system in the building's common areas, the elevators, and all equipment with a significant impact on energy consumption. In light of this, an essential component of the modernization program is the switch to new-generation LED technology, with on-demand, zone-by-zone lighting using motion sensors, which will further reduce the building's electricity consumption. The retrofit is anticipated to result in annual energy savings of 500 MWh, or approximately 20%, for Váci Greens D. 

Following the modernization of the Centerpoint office building in 2022 and the refurbishment of the Váci Greens D building, GTC Hungary will begin energy efficiency retrofits in six more of its properties in 2023, and will upgrade all remaining buildings thereafter. Depending on the energy needs of each tenant, these investments can reduce their annual energy consumption by up to three months' worth of energy costs. GTC Hungary also has an agreement with MVM Next Energiakereskedelmi Zrt. for the Váci Greens D building to use 100% green, domestic renewable electricity starting this year.