Most of us have properties with Domestic Hot Water Systems at our Communities. What most of us don’t consider is how much energy we lose (and money) when we have crossover between our hot and cold water lines. Spoiler alert: Crossover most commonly occurs when a shower cartridge fails and cold water contaminates your hot…
Category: Consumption/Demand
What’s All the Gas About?
As we are all aware, utilities continue to be a challenge from the purchasing of commodities in deregulated states to budgeting. Since gas prices have continued to fall, many of us are investigating future pricing as a way to ensure our low pricing into the future. It is very important through 2016 to compare your…
Energy Efficiency Tricks to Stop Your Energy Bill from Haunting You
Here is an interesting article from the US Dept of Energy that is targeted at single family home owners, but much of it applies to multi-family housing as well: “Defend yourself from unwanted spirits and high energy bills by sealing air leaks around windows, doors and air ducts. Before air sealing, conduct a visual inspection…
Training Opportunities with ENERGY STAR® for Sept 2015
Upcoming Training Opportunities with ENERGY STAR® It’s back to school time and we’ve got some great courses ready for you! Click on the titles below to go directly to the webinar description. To register for upcoming trainings, click the links below or visit esbuildings.webex.com. If you won’t be able to attend, you can still view…
Survey on DC energy investment decisions
The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) are looking to interview apartment owners and managers about management and investment decisions that affect their Washington, DC multifamily portfolio’s energy performance. IMT’s Megan Houston, Senior Program Associate for Multifamily Finance, will be conducting 30-minute interviews over the coming weeks. Participants will…
Participation growing in GRESB survey
Here is an interesting article highlighting the growth and potential usefulness of participating in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark: “Since its inception in 2009, GRESB has annually surveyed and analysed the way real estate companies and funds approach and manage sustainability and the results that they achieve….” Read More Kent McDonaldKent works at RealPage…
What is GRESB and all this attention on benchmarking?
According to the GRESB website, “In 2009 three large pension funds joined forces to better understand their exposure to risks related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in their global portfolios of investments in property companies and private equity real estate funds… Five years later, sustainability reporting has become standard practice for a large…
Top Ten Sustainability Measures
Happy Earth Day! Sometime last year, I saw a list of top ways that commercial real estate professionals can make energy efficiency and sustainability a priority was published by Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International. Many of their ideas also apply to multi-family buildings, but a few of them maybe not so much. Here is…
Several states now encouraging electric vehichles
The West Coast states – not only California but also Washington and Oregon – have been aggressive about its support for electric vehicles (EVs). But did you know that the list of other “states” that offer encouragement for EVs include Maryland, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma,Utah, Hawaii, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee,…
EPA Recognizes the First Existing Apartments with ENERGY STAR Certification
In case you missed it: “WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced [Nov 13, 2014] the first existing multifamily housing properties to earn the new ENERGY STAR multifamily certification for superior energy performance. EPA recognized 17 apartment and condo buildings across the country for leading the industry in reducing energy use, increasing affordability,…