Page 23 - CooperatorNews Chicagoland EXPO 2021

CHICAGO.COOPERATORNEWS.COM COOPERATORNEWS CHICAGOLAND — EXPO 2021 23 There are many reasons HOAs choose GAF roo ng for the homes in their developments. Here are three: Quality products from a company you can trust Peace of mind with industry-leading warranties And the beauty homeowners want Find out more at gaf.com We protect what matters most ™ © 2019 GAF 3/19 Why GAF? . . . 833 469 4842 - - ROOFING SIDING GUTTERS • • QUALITY HOME IMPROVEMENT firm specializing in energy optimization processes for reaching them. Thinking for commercial and residential buildings about any upcoming projects or capital with offices in New York, Connecticut, needs with one eye on carbon reduction and Massachusetts—tells CooperatorNews solutions will allow boards and managers that existing multifamily buildings would to integrate efficiency and savings as they do best to “start with what you have.” “There’s lots of sophisticated systems key. Boards should think about interde- out there,” continues Zuluaga, “but at a pendencies of systems and components, minimum, looking at your annual bills and how projects might be completed and understanding the implications is as simultaneously or in sequence to achieve important as making sure that the data is the best bang for the buck in terms of right.” Several U.S. cities, including New both overall costs and long-term savings. York City and Chicago, have adopted benchmarking standards for large resi- dential buildings as part of a larger climate still run on oil are really going to have to compliance initiative. New York’s Local address moving to a new system. If they Law 97, for example, requires buildings don’t have access to gas, a transition to over 25,000 square feet to submit profes- sional energy assessments and achieve way to go. While likely a huge undertak- energy reduction benchmarks at five-year ing, the move to electric systems in gen- intervals leading up to 2050, when the eral is where we are headed, and Doherty city intends to reach its carbon-neutral is “a big fan of heat pumps”—the technol- goal. “Then as new equipment goes into ogy that distributes heating and cooling your building,” continues Zuluaga, “make from a non-fossil-burning ground or air that ‘smart’ equipment—that means it’s source. An added benefit of such a sys- responsive to the needs of the residents tem is that buildings that lacked central and the people in the building, and in- cludes telling you how the building’s do- ing, how the equipment’s doing—and you back individual unit owners or tenants for can get more sophisticated over time.” While the first year for accurate data for usage reduction, which in turn reduc- submission in Local Law 97 isn’t until es carbon emissions, as well as costs. 2024, there is no reason not to start the process now—regardless of where you however. Says Doherty: “Some buildings live. For one thing, these types of projects are going to have issues with power, and take a while to research, analyze, estimate, have to bring power to the building and and install. Even if you start examining then to the apartments. There’s going to your building’s energy data today, it could be issues with buildings as to where to take until 2024 to actually implement the put the condensers and where to put the modifications that will bring your build- ing to required carbon emission limits, gonna just have issues with the costs asso- which only get more stringent over time. ciated with doing that conversion. There And another important factor that Zulu- aga indicates is that once these modifica- tions are online, they will deliver savings projects that are happening in New York in costs, usage, and efficiency, no matter City right now through NYSERDA”—the where your building is located. Why not New York State Energy Research and De- reap those benefits as soon as possible? Kelly Doherty, vice president of First- Service Energy, the energy management tifamily buildings to heat pumps. So I am and advisory subsidiary of national prop- erty management company FirstSer- vice Residential, points out that build- ings and communities looking to reduce their carbon output should focus first on their heating and domestic hot water systems—because that’s where carbon mainly comes from. “So at the end of the useful life of your boiler,” she gives as an example, “you’re getting ready to replace it—what are your options for the rooftop unit that runs on gas?” Doherty echoes other experts in that it is not a one-size- fits-all approach. “Every building is going to have to create their own master plan of how they’re going to get to that thresh- old,” she continues. This is an important point. Boards and their professional managers need to be strategic as they map out their goals and move forward. A holistic approach is also Pumping It Up Doherty notes that older buildings that electric heating and cooling might be the cooling will now be able to provide it. Ad- ditionally, it will make it easier to charge their usage—which could be a motivator It’s not necessarily an easy transition units themselves. And other buildings are are some new technologies that are com- ing, and there are some demonstration velopment Authority—“and other agen- cies that are looking at converting mul- hopeful that we’ll have more data on how well those buildings are doing.” The Time Is Nigh No matter where you are, what type of building you are in, or which sustainabil- ity projects are on the list, “don’t wait ‘til the last minute,” warns Doherty. “That is when you’re going to run into problems— and you also might have problems getting incentives, because there’s going to be a ton starting in 2020 and through 2025 that you want to capture. But you need to have a plan first.” Follow the Scout motto and be pre- pared. You will be saving headaches, money, and—oh, yeah—the planet. n Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and Staff Writer for CooperatorNews. 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