Utility Tracking and Benchmarking Blog | WegoBlog

In 2009, multifamily residents spent $22 billion in energy utilities, amounting to roughly 10% of the total residential spending on utilities. If you think that’s a significant chunk of cash, by 2025, spending on utilities in the multifamily sector is predicted to increase an additional $15.9 billion.  This increase represents a significant opportunity to use our utility resources to improve the energy efficiency of multifamily homes, which tend to receive the short end of the stick when it comes to utility funded energy efficiency programs.  Last week, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) published a report, “Scaling up Multifamily Energy Efficiency Programs: A Metropolitan Area Assessment,” with all the information your heart could possibly desire about multifamily energy efficiency programs.  Didn’t have time to read the report yet? We’ll break it down for you.

Whether you're looking to become a more informed citizen, kill some time on a Friday, or check out a funny video of a dog, WegoWise has got you covered.  Check out this week's links for some neat photos, interesting thoughts on LED bulbs, and perhaps the greatest GIF of them all.

Whether you're looking to become a more informed citizen, or just kill some time before 5 on a Friday, WegoWise has got you covered!  Resilience is the idea that in a world that is increasingly unpredictable, simple sustainability is not enough, and that we need to be prepared to cope with consistently changing conditions.  Resilience applies to just about every facet of society, including the environment, our food supply, geopolitics and the economy.  Think of it as a way of understanding complex and volatile systems, and preparing to adapt.  Go ahead and peruse our best links, drop a comment below, and be sure to share some of the information you just learned with other interested parties at the parties you're hopefully attending this weekend.

Whether you're looking to become a more informed citizen, or just kill some time before 5 on a Friday, WegoWise has got you covered.  William Gibson famously said: "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed." Each news cycle brings more support to his claim as wild technologies aim to transform the way we use energy, grow food, and live on our planet . Read up on some of the latest revolutions happening around us, and be sure to share the information you learn with other interested parties at the parties you're hopefully attending this weekend.

At a launch event on February 6^th at the HUD regional office, WegoWise was on hand as Boston LISC unveiled their recently published guide for “Green & Healthy Property Management”.  The guide provides an incredible resource for affordable as well as market rate multifamily housing owners to explicitly define and apply green measures within their portfolios.  In this post, we’ll highlight the most important features of this publication, but encourage our readers to check it out in its entirety! 

Whether you're looking to become a more informed citizen, or just kill some time before 5 on a Friday, WegoWise has got you covered.  With President Obama's State-of-the-Union endorsement of energy efficiency, we're looking forward to seeing what new initiatives get pushed forward in the coming years.  One rising trend in energy legislation is the growth of municipal benchmarking and disclosure laws.  From New York to Seattle to Washington, D.C., cities are catching on to the value of measuring, comparing, and analyzing how buildings use energy. So read up on some of the latest developments in this field, and be sure to share the information you learn with other interested parties at the parties you're hopefully attending this President's Day weekend.

As the first major city to pass Energy Star benchmarking and disclosure laws, Washington DC led the country. However New York City left DC behind with NYC Local Law 84 implementation.  Now the DC energy disclosure rules are final and the time has arrived to report your Energy Star score for your commercial building.  Multi-family buildings also have to submit their energy usage to the EPA through Energy Star Portfolio Manager, though they don’t have to collect tenant data (yet). 

Whether you're looking to become a more informed citizen, or just trying to kill some time before 5 on a Friday, WegoWise has got you covered!  Superbowl weekend is upon us and depending on the level of your fandom, that might entail anything from a weekend of hype, shouting, and nachos to overhearing Jon Stewart talk about the winner on Monday.  Either way, you should be happy to hear that the organizers of Superbowl XLVII are aiming for this to be the most sustainable Superbowl yet.  What with this being the most-watched and highest-profile few hours of television of the year, we're excited to see green features integrated into the planning of this massive event.  So peruse our best links, leave us some feedback, and be sure to share any interesting new info you learn with other interested parties at the parties you're hopefully attending this weekend.  Brought to you by Catherine, Casey, Joanna, Sam and Adam.

Winter is coming. Or maybe it's here already. Either way, this winter season will play a critical role in defining crop production, food prices, and livestock health in the U.S and worldwide. 2012 marked the most severe drought in 25 years, and without a wet winter, the impact on our ecological systems and our wallets is set to grow.