At the 2010 National Apartment Association Education Summit, Dimitris Kapsis of American Utility Management and Louis Schotsky of Equity Residential presented a seminar titled, ‘Reducing Your Property’s Carbon Footprint’.
The term carbon footprint is used to express the total set of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) caused by an activity, organization, event or person. To make things simple, the term standardizes the measurement of these emissions by expressing them in terms of carbon dioxide emitted, or its equivalent of other GHGs.
The majority of energy used in commercial and multifamily buildings is for heating, lighting, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Domestic water heating – which includes household needs and outdoor sources like pools and spas – also comprises a good percentage of building electrical consumption.
Schotsky and Kapsis indicated that the three main ways to reduce a commercial property’s carbon footprint are energy efficiency or conservation, purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and developing on-site generating capacity.
They suggested that managers research their needs before an emergency and then focus their attention on the following as budgets allow:
- Preventative maintenance including cleaning coils, changing filters regularly and maintenance of motors
- Gear equipment upgrades toward high efficiency factors
- Stage boiler times
- Insulate all accessible piping
- Adjust thermostats according to time of day and day of week
- Install an Energy Management Control System – Equity Residential has developed their own in conjunction with AUM
- Reduce domestic hot water temperatures
- Take advantage of free cooling
The presenters also recommended a lighting evaluation of the property be performed. Items to consider are over-lighting and under-lighting, lighting run times and light fixture efficiency. In addition to installing CFLs, LEDs and solar powered lights to replace incandescents, a multifamily lighting retrofit should include an investment in timers, motion and daylight sensors. These measures help shave additional kilowatts off your bill, cut back on maintenance requirements (longer lives of higher efficiency lamps) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Have a pool? Where municipal regulations allow, cover it. Reduce the water temperature to 78° and seriously consider installing a solar pool heater. Although these small changes seem insignificant, a TIAA-CREF case study revealed one property achieved an annual savings of $14,000 just by reducing the pool temperature from 82 to 78°!
Beyond the immediate utility savings, reducing your asset’s carbon footprint may have a positive affect on its resale and long term value, particularly as the cost of grid-produced power escalates. Green property management professionals may also want to consider purchasing RECs or investing in a program of on-site generation in the form of solar, wind, geothermal or fuel cell technology. (There are many government credit and tax incentives, rebates and private grants available to finance a portion of these systems.)
There has not been a a great deal of emphasis on the concept of carbon reduction in multifamily, but the same steps suggested for energy reduction and water conservation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to lowering the expenses of managing the property, these practices will help green property managers proactively address the climate crisis.
Guest post by Monica Jean, a student at Columbia University in New York City. She enjoys writing and wants to make the global community greener.
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