“The wealth was nearer to you than you realized.” Hindu parable A man from India told a story of a rich man with many jewels and a lot of money in his pockets who is taking a long journey. As he begins his journey a thief begins to follow him, and the thief has set…
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Going Green is still tentative
Below is a link to an article about the tentative nature of “going green” in the multi-family industry. There are glimmers of evidence that this approach is financially beneficial, but no firm concensus. What I didn’t realize until halfway through the article was that this piece was written over 3 years ago! Not much has…
Getting Started with a Portfolio Wide Energy Management Policy
Getting your head around Energy Management is a difficult process. A good place to start is with a corporate policy to build consesus and guidance around. Policy can be described as a statement of commitment that contains procedures and protocols that can be used by senior management officers when guiding a Portfolio Wide Energy Management Policy….
Energy Star Appliance Ratings need Updating
This article from the USA Today points out that new energy efficiency ratings for appliances from Energy Star are long overdue. The companion article pointed out that “of the major appliances currently for sale at Sears.com, 84% of fridges, 92% of clothes washers, and 97% of dishwashers are Energy Star–certified. Every single front-loading clothes washer sold…
What do Energy Disclosure Laws and Electric Vehicles (EV) have in common?
How powerful would it be for property owners to know what their residents are going to do before they actually do it? To predict how they would react to certain amenities, or to intervene just before a resident loses loyalty and switches properties? Leading indicators can give owners a sense of where the economy is headed in the future, paving…
Los Angeles is going green
The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power is kicking coal, but it isn’t easy. In January 2011, the American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked the DWP as the 13th most hated company in America. They are working hard to turn around public perception including a program that involves an unlikely coalition of labor and environmental interests. …
Energy Management for Portfolios – Getting Started in 2014
Self-Check It is important for a portfolio or property to conduct a thorough self-assessment of its current performance, goals and requisite level of effort in 2014 before deciding to embark on an energy management program. For firms with energy management procedures already in place, it may be less of a reach to take on…
Hoarding light bulbs?
According to a recent article in USA Today, cheaper light bulbs are set to phase out during 2014 as consumers and businesses are forced to move to the more efficient (and more expensive) CFL or LED designs. Multifamily firms should consider if it makes sense for them to stock up on the old bulbs before they…
Getting Started with a Porfolio Wide Energy Strategy
Energy management is more than saving money—it is about understanding processes and energy patterns on properties, setting realistic goals and monitoring progress, and protecting natural resources while leveraging alternative ones. Adopting a portfolio commitment to energy best practices is one way that portfolios can meet today’s cost-cutting and long-term energy efficiency goals. A formal energy…
Understanding CBECS – A key foundation of the EPA’s Portfolio Manager
About the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) CBECS is a national sample survey that collects information on the stock of U.S. commercial buildings, their energy-related building characteristics, and their energy consumption and expenditures. The CBECS was first conducted in 1979; the tenth, and most recent survey, was fielded starting in April 2013 to provide…