Carter Real Estate is seeking Energy Star certification this year for all eligible properties in its 25 million-square-foot management portfolio.

The Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm is auditing more than 175 buildings, at a cost of $3,000 to $6,000 per building. Those meeting the criteria will be submitted for certification. The data also will be used to help operate the buildings more efficiently, the company said.

Carter hopes to reduce energy consumption at the properties by 30 percent by 2012, saving millions of dollars. Many of its initiatives will have an immediate return on investment, but others will average between one and three years, the company said.

" It is our responsibility to ensure our clients' properties are managed in the most cost-effective and resourceful manner," Holly Hughes, executive vice president of Carter's Property and Facility Management Group, said in a statement. "Energy efficiency has always been an important component of building operations at Carter, due to both financial and environmental concerns."

Six properties under Carter's management have earned the Energy Star award since January: Satellite Place 300, 400 and 600 in Gwinnett County; River Park in Norwalk, Conn.; Four Penn Center in Philadelphia; the Fifth Street Towers in Minneapolis; Corporate Center I and II in Tampa; and Hidden River I and III in Tampa.

Carter is awaiting a reply to its application for Energy Star certification for its headquarters at Atlantic Station in Midtown.

The federal Energy Star program was created in 1992 to help businesses and homeowners save money and protect the environment through the use of energy-efficient products and practices.

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