Building Management Hawaii February/March - (Page 26)

Top 10: Turn Energy Into Value Energy-saving strategies for maintaining property values. Energy A s we slowly dig out of the recession, property management, like many other industries, continues to face challenging times. Property managers are often asked to cut expenses yet drive the value of the property as high as possible. Oftentimes this leads to deferring capital expenses and preventive maintenance, and reducing operating expenses. However, by implementing the following 10 energy-saving strategies, property managers can maintain, if not increase, the value of their properties and keep their buildings in good shape. 3 eview and analyze utility bills R monthly. One property manager shared the story of a tenant with a data center that had been underbilled for four years due to improper sub-meter wiring. The amount totaled more than $1 million! 3 enchmark. Use BOMA B International’s Experience Exchange Report (EER) ® (available at www. boma.org) to benchmark your operating expenses against other properties in your area. U se EPA ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager at www.energystar.gov to track improvements in energy efficiency. Reducing energy costs increases asset value and increases tenant satisfaction. 3 ptimize your building O automation/energy management system. Use load profile graphs (utilities will provide data) to detect unusual usage spikes. Even small adjustments to your automated systems can save thousands of dollars over time. 3 urn off the lights. Don’t count on T your cleaning crew or tenants to turn off the lights. Ask them, train 26 February–March 2013 BMH them and check to be sure your instructions are being followed. Better yet, install occupancy sensors in offices, bathrooms and common areas, and motion sensors in parking garages. Most spaces are over-lit. Perform lighting retrofits utilizing new technology. 3 urn off fans and motors. Fans T and motors that run all day can be turned off for periods of time, saving lots of money. For example, fans in parking garages can be turned off at night when the garages are empty. Or, consider installing a carbon monoxide monitoring system with sensors. The system activates exhaust fans only when they are needed to keep the air safe to breathe. 3 ilence the night. Turn off copiers S and other equipment at night to save energy and money. Conduct night tours at least quarterly to identify equipment that’s left running in your building. You’ll be surprised what is still running after hours! 3 ave water. Analyze your water S bill just as you do your electricity bill, and investigate unusual usage spikes and other irregularities. This can help detect plumbing problems, water wasting activities or leaks. 3 evise, re-negotiate service R contracts. In many cases, you can adjust the scope of work without compromising service quality. For example, you can cut expenses by adjusting the frequency for window washing or for sweeping and mopping stairwells. Re-bid and/ or re-negotiate service contracts to achieve savings. Take advantage of economies of scale—use the same vendor for multiple properties. Evaluate service levels to be sure you are getting all the services you are paying for. 3 eview, revise maintenance R schedules. Consider changing from a fixed preventive maintenance schedule to a predictive maintenance schedule. Whereas preventive maintenance relies upon a time-based schedule, predictive maintenance uses statistics, measurement and experience to determine the service interval for a particular piece of equipment. Solicit your engineers for suggestions for efficiency improvements, and reward them. 3 ecycle. Don’t pay to remove R trash that can be recycled. Complete a waste audit. Train janitors and tenants. Ask your cleaning contractor to use refillable Only 30 percent of everything that can be recycled actually gets recycled. containers. Recycle fluorescent tubes as well as cardboard, glass and other recyclables. In addition to saving trash removal expenses, you’ll be helping the environment. Recycle “e-waste” such as computer equipment. Imagine a commercial tenant who replaces several computer stations with new equipment and places all the old equipment in the trash—this will be very expensive to remove and very bad for the environment! Information in this document was taken from “New Strategies for Creating and Sustaining Asset Value,” a BOMA International conference program presented by P. Marc Fischer, CPM®, RPA, CCIM. www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com http://www.boma.org http://www.energystar.gov http://www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Management Hawaii February/March

Top 3 Energy Incentives
On The Grid
Solar: Not A Singular Solution
Saving Money & Art
Payback Projects
Top 10: Turn Energy Into Value
AC: Light-Zapping Clean
Does Your HVAC Talk BACnet?
Editorial: Industry Insights
Association Updates & Industry News
Ask An Expert: No One Likes To Sag

Building Management Hawaii February/March