Super fun fact time! Do you know why revolving doors were invented? Not because they look cool, but as a way to open the doors in a building with pressurization issues. Have you ever been a building where doors slammed by themselves, or you noticed a door that seemed hard to open, or would not…
Category: Disclosure/Ratings
Water and Sewer bills are rising fast
A recent Wall Street Journal article pointed out that water and sewer bills have increased over 5.5% annually over the last decade, three times the rate of inflation. And that pace is likely to continue, due to aging water and sewer infrastructure. https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-is-paying-to-fix-outdated-water-and-sewer-systems-you-are-1521106201 If it hasn’t already, this will pinch the pocketbooks of apartment owners…
Tariff Impact on Energy Pricing
The tariffs proposed by the current administration could have an impact on the apartment industry. How? In energy cost increases. The tariffs will increase the cost of steel and aluminum used in pipelines and solar projects. This could impact the cost of energy. Also, if we have more plans here in the US using power…
Get Your Energy Data Here
Are you interested in getting free energy data? The U.S. government produces a wealth of information on energy pricing that you can use for budgeting and projections for your portfolio. The U.S. Energy Information Association (EIA), part of the Department of Energy, provides independent statistics and analysis which is used by numerous professionals in…
Benchmarking Requirements and ENERGY STAR®
Are you up to date on the mandatory energy benchmarking rules? Many cities around the country are requiring multifamily properties to report their utility usage for benchmarking purposes and many more cities are expected to follow suit. EPA created ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®, an online tool to measure and track energy and water consumption,…
Water Billing Issues in Atlanta GA
DeKalb County GA, Division of Watershed Management has been undercharging customers for water and sewer. Some owner/managers have received large bills, including back charges. If you have properties in served by this utility, watch your utility bills closely for back charges or long periods of estimations. The links below provide some history and a recent…
Zero Net Energy Communities – Say What?!
You may have heard the term “Zero New Energy” (ZNE) or “Net Zero” used to describe apartment communities recently. Perhaps you heard this and were thinking to yourself, “say what?!” Simply stated, a Zero Net Energy community or building is one that, on an annual basis, produces as much or more energy than it consumes….
Tying Sustainability and Efficiency Into Daily Operations
As industry professionals responsible for managing utility programs and ancillary services departments, we all tend to think about “big picture” and “high level” items. However, it is important to consider what our sites are doing on a daily operational level to support and reinforce some of the larger sustainability and cost savings initiatives that we…
LEED Certification in Multifamily – Does it matter?
For commercial buildings, studies have shown that LEED buildings have lower operating costs and better air quality than non-LEED certified buildings. For multifamily properties, the LEED certification process is a new trend and seems to be driven by market conditions or client demand. Millenials make up a huge part of the apartment industry and are…
Benchmarking using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
The following articles from the Journal of Utility Management magazine were mentioned at a session hosted by the Utility Management Advisory at the Real World 2016 conference. Whether you attended the conference or not, you may find these articles useful for learning more about benchmarking and EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®. “New multifamily score…