Simple Energy Conservation Strategies for Apartments and Condominiums

As a water and energy conservation expert I have travelled around the U.S. to develop strategies for cutting utility expenses for apartment owners.  The question I have been asked the most goes something like this.  "We have changed out the light bulbs, replaced the windows and installed low-flow fixtures, now what do we do?"

One of the challenges I face when I hear this question is that in 95% of the buildings I look at, the residents are separately metered for electrical usage.  Even though there are a number of options to save inside the living space owners and property managers have no economic interest in reducing in-unit consumption (this is not universally true - some ownership groups are interested in the total cost of living in the unit which includes the cost of utilities).

With these constraints, the opportunities that are left fall in 3 categories: heat, water and gas.

Heat refers to how do you heat the living and common areas?  Water refers to landscaping, swimming pools and low-flow fixtures.  And gas refers to the central hot water system (boilers or commercial hot water heaters and recirculating hot water).

Observation of resident's habits is one method I use to determine what my recommendations are for a specific property.  For instance, at one property I worked at in Tucson, near the University of Arizona, we were on site and the property owner and his design team was working on color schemes for the facelift that the property was undergoing. 

When it comes to color I have two recommendations.  First, ask someone else - selection of colors is not one of my strengths.  Second, if your building is in a hot climate zone like Tucson, either paint your roof white or use white (or light) colored roofing material.  White reflects the sun's rays better than any other color, so if you are repairing or replacing your roof - use white.

As I wondered about the property I looked for opportunities for conservation. Were they over watering?  What was the building water pressure? What types of windows were installed?  Were they sealed properly?  What about window treatments?  Were trees (or cacti, in this case) properly placed to provide shade from afternoon sun?

I stopped in the office area which had a large atrium (vaulted ceilings - an air-conditioning nightmare) with a sizeable sitting area surrounding a gas fireplace.  I sat down on one of the couches to cool off and grab a bottle of water (did I mention it was 105ºF outside?).

As I looked around I could see the office manager and her assistant in their offices wearing sweaters - did I mention it was 105ºF outside?  Then I began to notice how many residents were coming into the atrium area through one of two doors on either side of the room.  Both doors lead directly to the outside where it was currently 105ºF!

Most of the residents were not coming to see the office staff - they were stopping by to check their mail boxes.  Once I realized this, I noticed that the doors were oversized - glass doors that were 10 feet high.  Every time a student came inside to check their mail a 3' wide by 10' high opening released the expensive cool air into the ambient 105ºF environment.

Fortunately since they were remodeling the property the solution was to move the mailboxes outside near where the residents parked their bicycles (most of the resident's rode their bikes to school).  A simple solution that was relatively easy to implement, reduced energy costs and was even more convenient for the students and the mail carriers.

The moral of the story is sometimes you need to stop for a few minutes and observe how your building is being used.  If nothing comes to mind, you can always ask an expert.  There are a few new technologies and strategies that are low cost and easy to implement.