The North American headquarters for Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation is an 11-story, 312,000 SF Class A office building in thriving downtown Nashville, TN.  The facility is occupied and managed by Caterpillar Financial Products Division and houses office space, full-service dining amenities, fitness center, and a data center.

In January 2008, in accordance with their commitment to sustainability, Caterpillar Financial decided to pursue LEED^® certification for existing buildings. Company leadership wanted to demonstrate their commitment to managing the building according to the principles of sustainable building operations. SSR’s sustainability group was hired to guide the process, identify energy saving opportunities, and have the building become LEED certified.

SSR conducted a LEED^® feasibility study of the commercial office building and after determining that achievement of LEED certification was possible, SSR was contracted to serve as the LEED consultant and facilitator and provided additional services including energy audits, retro-commissioning, and Continuous Commissioning^®. The building has installed low mercury fluorescent lighting and an effective recycling and composting program. The facility has also partnered with neighboring Vanderbilt University to convert Caterpillar’s cafeteria grease into biofuel. Through the implementation of SSR’s recommended sustainability and energy saving measures, Caterpillar has been able to reduce electricity consumption by 10%, water consumption by 22%, and reduced solid waste by over 50% — creating savings of over $1.5 million in energy costs through January 2016.

In March of 2009, the facility became the first privately owned commercial office building in the state of Tennessee to achieve LEED^® certification for existing buildings. In 2014, Caterpillar Financial became the first LEED Gold® recertified commercial facility in Tennessee.

SSR continues to provide energy consulting services on an annual basis. We utilize remote Automatic Fault Detection and Diagnostic Software to monitor equipment component degradation, control algorithm functionality, and monitor key quality metrics 24/7. This monitoring has enabled Caterpillar to reduce energy consumption in the building for eight consecutive years.