News & Press

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA–(MSNBC through City of Los Angeles Press Room – Aug. 26, 2011) - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) General Manager Ronald O. Nichols and other city officials today celebrated the completion of one of the largest infill solar panel projects in central Los Angeles. Located at the Walter J Towers at 1930 Wilshire Boulevard, the project is managed by LA Building Management and was designed and built by LA-based ReGreen Corporation, with design input from both LADWP and the LA Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Dr. Walter Jayasinghea Los Angeles physician who emigrated from Sri Lanka as a young man, owns the Walter J Towers.

“Dr. Walter Jayasinghe’s story highlights how investing in solar isn’t just good for the environment, it is good for a business’s bottom line,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “We are working with our business community for more innovative and forward-thinking companies to reap the environmental and economic benefits of DWP’s Solar Incentive Program.”

“This is a great example of using local renewable energy to reduce energy costs. The collaboration between LADWP, ReGreen Corporation and Mr. Jayasinghe on this solar project will reduce energy costs for the Walter J. Towers and support the LADWP’s efforts to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said LADWP General Manager Ronald O. Nichols. “With the September 1 re-launch of our popular solar incentive rebate program, we look forward to working with many other City businesses and residents interested in achieving similar benefits through solar power.”

The Walter J Towers solar panel project uses 1,185 photovoltaic panels, elevated above the building’s surface parking lot, which will reduce the building’s annual energy costs by 30%. “Going solar was the right thing to do for our business, our tenants and this community,” stated Dilan Jayasinha, President of LA Building Management. “Putting such a large project in such a relatively small space that’s outfitted with older infrastructure required substantial planning and expertise. ReGreen delivered and everybody wins.”

ReGreen Corporation’s close, collaborative relationship with LADWP and the LADBS was critical to orchestrating this landmark effort. Sited in a densely populated urban area where infill projects are always complex, the Walter J Towers solar project broke new ground because of the extensive interconnection with LADWP’s power grid. “Never before has such a large solar panel project been installed over the surface parking lot of a classic office building, so close to downtown Los Angeles,” explains ReGreen Managing Director David Duel. “We’re pleased to have met those challenges, helped LA Building Management achieve significant energy cost savings and installed the project with zero upfront costs to them.”

Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, owner of Walter J Towers, is an enthusiastic supporter of employing technology to reduce energy consumption, as well as costs. “I’ve dedicated my life to helping people restore and maintain their health,” said Dr. Jayasinghe. “In a sense, these solar panels and other steps we’ve taken to reduce energy consumption at Walter J Towers are small but tangible actions toward helping maintain the health of this neighborhood and the planet.”

About LADWP

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP serves about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.ladwp.com. For the latest news about LADWP, please visit www.ladwpnews.com. Follow the Department on Twitter: @LADWP.

About LA Building Management

LA Building Management is a full-service management company for commercial property owners. They specialize in office and retail space and have served their clients for more than 20 years.

About ReGreen Corporation

ReGreen Corporation is an innovative energy services company that provides its more than 5,000 customers with cost-effective energy and water conservation solutions. The Los Angeles based firm has helped its customers achieve significant energy cost savings and optimal facility performance in more than 200 million square feet of building space throughout the western United States.

About Walter J Towers

Walter J Towers is comprised of two adjacent classic, high-rise office buildings at 1930 Wilshire and 2010 Wilshire, in the MacArthur Park community. Currently, the Towers are 95% occupied and are home to a variety of medical practices, as well as small and medium-sized businesses. The Towers are owned by Dr. Walter Jayasinghe. The native Sri Lankan first admired the buildings in 1972, while working nearby as a lab technician and completing medical school; he purchased them years later. His allegiance to the MacArthur Park neighborhood runs deep: for two decades, he operated one of the city’s first 24-hour, walk-in clinics there.

Los City Officials came together recently to celebrate the completion of a new solar installation in the center of the city. The Walter J Towers Project, on Wilshire Boulevard, includes 1,135 photovoltaic panels _elevated above the buildings parking lot. The solar canopy project is estimated to decrease the building’s energy costs by as much as 30 percent.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa touted LA’s efforts in provding incentives to businesses who invest in renewable energy sources. The  Walter J project will be eligible for more than $475,000 in rebates through the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) Solar Incentive Program. That program was actually placed on hold in April because demand was higher than the available budget, but the Department started accepting new applications this month. To encourage more solar adoption, the city has increased the budget for incentive payments to $60 million in the current fiscal year and anticiptes adding more money in follwing years.

Walter J is managed by LA Building Management. The solar project was designed and built by Los Angeles-based ReGreen Corporation, with design input from both LADWP and the Department of Building and Safety. “Never before has such a large solar panel project been installed over the surface parking lot of a classic office building, so close to downtown Los Angeles,” said ReGreen Managing Director David Duel.

Walter J Towers owner Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, a Los Angeles physician who emigrated from Sri Lanka as a teenager, said, “In a sense, these solar panels and other steps we’ve taken to reduce energy consumption at Walter J Towers are small but tangible actions toward helping maintain the health of this neighborhood and the planet.”

Property Managers Weigh In: ReGreen Corporation receives $2 million funding for 255 kW solar photovoltaic installation on carports for historic Los Angeles building

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18 2010 /PRNewswire/ — ReGreen Corporation, a leading provider of energy services in California, has received $2 million from Nara Bank (Nasdaq: NARA) to begin construction on a 255 kW solar photovoltaic installation at Metro Park Towers on Wilshire in downtown Los Angeles, CA.

Metro Park Towers on Wilshire is a 2-tower commercial office complex located in the mid Wilshire area of downtown Los Angeles.  The buildings, located at 1930 Wilshire Boulevard, have previously completed lighting retrofit projects through ReGreen to reduce their energy usage by 20%.  They are now taking the next step to generate their own energy through solar installations to increase their buildings’ efficiency even further.

ReGreen Corporation will provide Metro Park Towers on Wilshire a solar PV installation that promises to provide enough energy to power 15% of the buildings’ annual energy use.  Nearly 50% of the project cost will be covered by the LADWP Solar Initiative Rebate Program & Federal 1603 Grant for Solar Energy Program, resulting in an attractive efficient payback and substantial tax incentives.

The panels will be installed on top of carports in the tower parking lot, making it one of the largest urban in-fill solar projects to hit California.

“Solar and energy efficiency upgrades have become the best, new value-add strategy for building owners and managers,” said Suraj Bhojwani, Project Manager of ReGreen Corporation.  ”With this installation, Metro Medical Towers is turning a level parking lot into a clean energy-producing asset.  It is our hope that this installation sets the precedent for other building owners and managers to consider green alternatives for renewable energy and reducing operational costs.”

Installation is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.  For more information on the Metro Park Towers on Wilshire solar installation or other energy services inquiries, contact ReGreen Corporation at (213) 621-7664 or visit them online at http://www.regreencorp.com.

Additional energy efficiency solutions offered by ReGreen include:

• Energy Audits
• Lighting retrofits & upgrades
• Water conservation retrofits & upgrades
• PC Power Management
• HVAC Maintenance
• Solar/PV Installations
• Building Automation Systems

For questions regarding Metro Park Towers on Wilshire, please contact Lorianne Isaacson at (213) 413-1233

Los Angeles Office Towers to Adopt Solar, Energy Efficient Lighting

The Metro Park Towers commercial office facility in Los Angeles, California is being converted to a cleaner energy source while becoming more energy efficient overall, one project at a time.

The California energy services provider Regreen Corporation has taken the responsibility to complete both tasks. Regreen has already completed a retrofit of the lighting system within the buildings, slashing total energy use of the towers by 20 percent. On August 18, ReGreen announced it received $2 million from Nara Bank to install a 255-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the Metro Park Towers. The system will be installed on carports in the tower parking lots and pump out enough power to account for 15 percent of the facility’s annual energy use.

About half of the funding will be covered by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Solar Initiative Rebate Program and the federal renewable energy grant program, which is set to expire at the end of this year. The L.A. solar panel installation is set to be completed and ready for use by October.

Irvine Company and Westwood Gateway Reduces Annual Energy Costs With ReGreen Corporation Energy Efficiency Solutions.

When it comes to energy savings the Los Angeles based ReGreen Corporation continues to provide clients with unparalleled reductions in energy costs.  Irvine Company, one of the largest commercial and residential property management companies on the west coast, retained ReGreen to retrofit its lighting systems at the Westwood Gateway Towers in Los Angeles, yielding an estimated yearly savings of 35%, over $160,000 annually.  The 3, Class A, high rise buildings consist of over 820,000 sq. ft. and 3 parking garages, and is Energy Star labeled.

The main goal of every energy reduction project is to measurably reduce the kilowatt-hours (KWh) and kilowatt (KW) demand without reducing the quality of light.  ReGreen not only accomplished this goal but they also helped the Irvine Company qualify for appropriate rebates from the LADWP’s CLEO Program that helped subsidized over 60% of the cost for upgrades.

And the savings are not just measured in dollars and cents.  By replacing all of the existing light fixtures on the property with the latest T8 fluorescent technology, ReGreen was able to reduce CO2 emissions by almost 20 million pounds!  The annual energy savings experienced by Westwood Gateway is equivalent to powering 85 homes and removing 198 cars from the road.

Talk about seriously reducing your carbon footprint.  Irvine Company was so pleased with their results that they have since moved on to work on other energy efficiency projects with ReGreen to increase energy efficiency across their portfolio.

Benefits of ReGreen service solutions include:

* Increased employee productivity and safety
* Reduced maintenance costs
* Increased property asset values
* Reduced air pollution and minimized carbon footprint
* Efficient payback periods: 2 years or less
* Tax advantages: Up to $0.60/sq ft