Utility Tracking and Benchmarking Blog | WegoBlog

Nationwide, approximately 33% of all housing stock is rental units, and in Boulder, CO, rental units represent almost 50% of all housing.  With such a significant portion of its housing rented out to tenants, multifamily residential buildings represent a tremendous opportunity for building owners in the city to reduce their energy use and cut down on monthly bills.  We’ve written before about the opportunities lying untapped in multifamily energy efficiency, now let’s take a look at what the folks in CO have come up with.

Last week, Boston joined the ranks of seven other forward thinking cities and is now requiring building owners to benchmark their energy and water use. A component of the City’s Climate Action Plan, the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance will help Boston meet the Mayor’s greenhouse gas reduction goal of 25% by 2020. In Boston, buildings alone account for 70% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than double the emissions from the transportation sector! 

Whether you're looking to become a more informed citizen, or just looking to kill some time before five on a Friday, WegoWise has got you covered.  So peruse our best links, learn something new, and be sure to leave us some feedback in the comments!

Today WegoWise is happy to announce that we’ve officially signed on to the Green Button initiative that has been inspired by the White House and implemented by forward thinking utilities across the country. We already import Green Button data from utilities that provide it, and our commitment today means we’ll soon be allowing our customers to download their data in the Green Button format.

Building energy policy is growing across the country. States and municipalities are passing legislation requiring government, commercial and multifamily buildings to disclose, rate and benchmark energy and water usage. For each program in its respective region, there are unique building size and type requirements as well as different disclosure procedures. This guide will provide you with a rundown of each current policy and take a look at which jurisdictions will be passing new laws before long.

The obvious benefits of going green just keep adding up for building owners and property managers, among others. But here are just a few ways energy efficiency and other green updates for your apartment building double as factors that could help lower your multifamily building insurance premiums:

I consider myself a pretty crafty guy, and as both a DIY-er and someone who cares about the impact I have on the environment,  “green DIY” is a term that I care about and identify with.  That’s why I get frustrated when, say, researching a blog post on green DIY leads me to post after post of can-tab bracelets and up-cycled mason jars.  While it’s true that up-cycled craft projects often make good use of post-consumer materials, true green DIY involves more than just a cute idea for reusing your old crocs. 

Green, Sustainable, Eco-Friendly?--How about Responsible? 
In the jumble of buzzwords that get tagged on to projects that incorporate elements of responsible design, what we should care about is just that: responsibility.   Truly green projects are those that, considering all aspects of a project, make design choices that prioritize the environment and human health along with form, function, and budget.  That’s why I encourage you to take a more holistic approach to your green crafting.  For inspiration, consider the case of green-building standards.

 
In a green-building rating system, such as the USGBC's LEED, project teams are awarded points for incorporating environmentally-conscious best practices into each aspect of their project.  Starting with the design of the final product, to the selection of raw materials, and continuing through the construction techniques and final finishes, project teams seeking certification points need to consider each element of their project to ensure that sustainable principles inform each stage of the project.