Multifamily Audits

There are specific challenges posed by multifamily properties due to the fact that it can be difficult to calculate the total energy use of the building. As addressed by panelists David Kuperberg – CEO Cooper Square Realty, David Diestel – VP operations First Service Residential, and Frederick Golner - Energy Resource Management, Portfolio Approach to Energy Performance in Residential Multifamily Communities at Greenbuild 2009,
it can often be difficult to obtain usage data for individual units within a multifamily building. One strategy suggested by Kuperberg was to work with the utility to provide information on the aggregate data on the individual units. It is more important to know the total carbon output of a building than to know the use of specific units. The anonymity of the data should allow the utility to be able to share the information.

Another strategy is to foster an environment of competition. By creating a posting where residents can see how their energy use compares with other units in the building the residents become more conscious of how much energy they are using and may also challenge them to make changes.

The best case scenario is when a portfolio manager is able to not only have access to the building energy data, but also the individual unit data. The downside is that this information can be difficult to obtain. Either the utility must be willing to cooperate and provide aggregate data regarding the entire property energy use, which would include all individual units, or the tenants would need to provide their usage data. When available, billing data through a utility's website can be a great tool that can allow the manager to track usage within entire buildings and also across a portfolio.

The Energy Star portfolio manager previously mentioned is a great way to keep track of historic energy usage and the effects of any changes. Unfortunately, at this time the site does not rate multifamily properties because of the inherent challenges of this property type, however, this may soon change with increased demand. Even without the rating, a property or portfolio manager can still compare properties across a portfolio or a single property against past performance.