Effective August 1st, the water police will be active in California. California’s drought has become so significant that Mandatory water restrictions will be put into effect. If there is a violation, we will be fined. These fines will be targeting wasteful outdoor water use and cost up to $500 per day of offense. Things to…
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Water You Eating?
At lunch the other day, a friend of mine indicated that she knew how to save water because she was a “Drought Baby.” I asked her what that meant and she indicated that, because she grew up in the 1970’s (there was a serious drought in California from 1976-77) and that she was quite proficient…
Waste not, want not: the zen of composting
Once thought to be a luxury of homeowners, composting has moved its way from the back yard into the hearts and apartments of residents. Fear not: This is not your father’s composting bin. Then again, composting in apartments has already been around for a number of years in San Francisco, Seattle, and most recently, New…
Growing Your Community
Pizza parties are nice, but exactly how much pizza can your residents eat before it’s time to change the menu? Think community. Think garden. Think break away from the pizza party and grow something. Community gardens are the latest thing in building resident retention and a low-cost way to promote health and well being within…
The net value of Title 24 in California
If it’s the thought that counts, then Title 24 was a kind one. After all, when it was enacted decades ago in 1978, California was at the bleeding edge with its seemingly lofty goal of reducing energy use and standardizing building codes. Mainly it was so the state didn’t have to build more power plants….
Should the US export Natural Gas?
The Obama administration is now considering stream-lining the approval process for export license applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. The change is due to the Russian invasion and takeover of Crimea. The President hopes that exports of American natural gas to Europe and Asia will reduce their economic dependence on Russia. However, once US…
Are You Flushing Money Down the Drain?
An average renter uses 100 gallons of water a day. If that renter has a toilet with a leaking flapper, they could be using 300-500 gallons a day and not even know it. With the average cost of water and sewer charges approaching a penny a gallon nationally, that’s a lot of money flushed down the drain. …
Wireless charging for electric vehicles hits the road
Forget building costly charging stations for residents; forget the charging cable: breakthroughs in inductive charging for electric vehicles (evs) means drivers just park over a pad in the road to get more juice With no need to plug in to charge, it’s a breakthrough that should speed up the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EV)…
Is Multifamily Energy Management Finally Going Mainstream with Nest at the Center?
New advancements around thermostats, wireless, Bluetooth lighting, apartment automation appliances and more are energizing the energy management market. The big news is that Nest Labs announced a developer program for integration with other manufacturers’ products—through Nest’s cloud—and its first partner is Control4, so users of that energy management control systems can see the temperature on a…
2014 Smartest Energy and Sustainability Decisions
Lighting leads the way! Lighting retrofits were the smartest investment made in 2013. When you consider the substantial capital support for LED lighting made available through utility incentive programs, it is no surprise that lighting tops the list―with savings beginning almost immediately! Other smart investments that topped the list included energy management systems, building controls…