Mark Delisi, senior director for corporate responsibility at AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE: AVB), joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2017 Leader in the Light Working Forum at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas.
Delisi discussed AvalonBay’s plans to expand its solar power capabilities. With assets located on both the East Coast and West Coast, the company’s portfolio is particularly well-suited for solar power, he said. Additionally, incentives for solar installation are “excellent,” according to Delisi.
“We’re looking to expand [solar power] as much as we possibly can across the portfolio,” Delisi said.
Delisi also stressed the importance of tying sustainability and corporate governance issues directly into the company’s business model. “I think you’re just going to see more and more of that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Delisi highlighted a project underway at AvalonBay to install smart meters in the majority of its New York high-rise apartment buildings. The process allows AvalonBay to “get an EKG on the buildings, in terms of how they are operating real-time,” Delisi said. He added that the company plans to expand the project in due course.