Powering Down Consumption for PMs

By implementing aggressive but cost-effective energy efficiency practices, the United States can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from buildings by 35 percent from projected levels in 2050, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Property managers play a pivotal role in that savings equation, says Katie Romans, spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, PG&E has made it its business to keep PMs in the loop of how—and where—it can streamline energy efficiency practices for multifamily properties.

“The easiest place to start is with lighting upgrades—which includes anything from exit lighting to lighting in garages,” says Romans, suggesting that managers switch out incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones. “HVAC system upgrades and making sure those are as energy efficient as possible will provide big results when it comes to energy efficiency.”

In the case of PG&E, the utility offers Energy Efficiency Rebates for Multifamily Properties to property owners and managers of existing residential dwellings that contain two units or more. PMs are encouraged to install energy-efficient products in individual tenant units and in commons areas, Romans says.

Currently, rebates are available for appliances and general improvements, boilers and water heaters, pool filtration pumps and motors and, of course, lighting and HVAC systems.

So far, the program has helped raise interest in energy upgrades despite the recent economic downturn.

“Upfront investments, especially for existing facilities, are a challenge,” says Romans, adding that providing rebates has prompted many PMs to be more proactive in their efforts to reduce utility consumption.

Watchful ways
On the East Coast, Bryan Kuester, vice president of Kuester Management Corp., has taken his own proactive measures to trim utilities costs at the 105 properties his company oversees. Dealing mainly with condominiums and townhomes, his tenants are now more aware of their consumption patterns thanks to a sub-metering device that tracks their lighting and water usage.

“We install a device on the water line that comes into the unit and captures that usage, sends the signal to a designated modem, which then goes to a Web site that lets us know what that tenant can be billed for,” Kuester explains. Instead of including utilities costs in the monthly condo dues, consumption is broken down on an individual basis, similar to that of a rental property.

“The result is that unit owners are more responsible for how much they are using.”

Additionally, Kuester Management has installed rain sensors on its properties’ irrigation systems that detect when rain is falling. That way, systems that operate on automated timers will not operate needlessly during rainstorms, Kuester says.

“There is even technology available now that acts as a weather station, with sensors that can sense a when a thunderstorm is coming,” he explains, which eliminates unnecessary water usage before it starts.

Taking the heat
Tony Drost, owner of First Rate Property Management in Boise, Id. and treasurer for the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM), is more economical when it comes to scaling back on sprinkler costs. To save on water, he recommends keeping the yard healthy through proper fertilization and weed control, nabbing problems before they sprout.

“Mow your lawn at a higher length so it retains moisture,” he suggests. “If the yard has a sprinkler system, water in early mornings and only increase water in stations [or areas] that need it.”

To keep the inside of homes cool, Drost recommends tenants—and in some cases, unit owners—leave their air conditioners on at a steady cooling temperature throughout the day if they are not home instead of turning it off completely.

“It can take many hours and a lot of hard work from the A/C to get to that desired temperature, which consumes a lot of power,” Drost observes. “So they actually end up using more power than if they would have left the A/C at a higher temperature.”

Additionally, basic measures, such as cleaning air filters and drawing blinds and curtains on the sunniest side of a unit are the most cost-effective measures for reducing utility consumption, he says. Such tactics are part of a PM’s larger mission of educating their owners and tenants on what they need to know.

“Communication, education, outreach, engaging them in a way that impacts them and shows how these measures affect the bottom line—these are the best ways to educate tenants,” Romans says.