I’ve been writing about the trials and tribulations of energy conservation in a master metered condo high rise (see More Musing on Master Metering).
Montgomery County, Maryland offered $1.7 million ( from federal economic stimulus funds) for energy conservation projects in commercial buildings and high rise apartments. My condo board agreed to apply. We were recently awarded $35,000 to match conservation incentives offered by our local electric power company, PEPCO.
If all goes well (Board signs the contract in time, management company locates qualified vendors, work gets done within require time frame, correct reports are provided), our condo should save about $25,000 a year on our utility bills by:
- repairing the common area air handler system to enable proper building pressurization and efficient use of outside air;
- using variable frequency drives (VFD) drives for the hydronic loop pumps, condenser loop pump and cooling tower fans (hydronic: uses water as the medium for heating and cooling systems) and
- upgrading the chiller system.
These are all improvements to common elements in the building. I am struggling to “get a handle on” what percentage of the utility bills is for common area usage and what percentage is for individual unit usage. Certainly, improving energy efficiency of the common elements is key if we are to increase energy efficiency, but changing resident behavior an essential element if we are to realize a significant reduction in the building’s energy consumption.
Our condo’s electric bill has more than doubled since 2003 when 2,287,581 KWHs were used at a cost of $128,095. The bill for 2010 was $291,311 for 2,364, 408 KWHs. Over that time, rates have gone from 0.0560 to 0.1232 and average KWH per unit increased from 9,946 to 10,282 (going in the wrong direction) and the average cost per unit, spread over our 230 units went from $557 to $1226. Clearly, it is in the interest of every resident to conserve on the use of electricity. Helping my neighbors understand this and care about this shared problem is a daunting task.
Almost 45% of the units are rentals. At this time, the rental market is soft and landlords are not inclined to raise rents, even when monthly condo fees increase. Also, there are numerous frail elderly residents who have full time caregivers. Utility bills are not their concern. And, many of the rest of the residents say, “I don’t pay for utilities,” and they believe it, too, because they don’t get bills…it’s all included in the condo fee.
As difficult as accomplishing conservation is, progress does come…this time with the County grant and, what I hope is imminent improvement of some central systems.
And, we’ve seen a measurable decrease in our gas bills.
- In 2008 the bill was $122,559.
- In 2010 it was $108,556 with a decrease in usage of 14,000 therms over those three years.
Sure, there are various elements that affect total usage (weather, certainly) but over those years unit owners replaced almost 200 old, leaky windows with energy conserving windows that provide them with greater comfort, less noise and dust and most important, fewer drafts. I’ve received testimonials from folks with new window. They say they barely use their heat during the winter. That’s progress!