“We have billions essentially sitting untapped in our apartment buildings. We can harness that by simply setting better policies for efficiency for apartment buildings,” said Anne McKibbin, CNT Energy policy director and coauthor of the report. “Partnering with utilities is a crucial part of the process. Building owners and other housing industry players need to work with their utilities, engaging them directly and in local and state regulatory proceedings,” she said.

Energy efficiency upgrades improve the bottom line for multifamily building owners, help maintain affordable housing, decrease financial risk for lending institutions, and improve occupant comfort. However, building owners often have difficulty finding technical assistance, financing, or qualified contractors to upgrade their buildings.

“Maximizing energy efficiency is a win-win for apartment residents, building owners, energy utilities and our energy infrastructure,” said Doug Bibby, President of the National Multi Housing Council. “This report offers excellent ideas that we hope spur further cooperation between multifamily owners and utilities to create a more efficient partnership.”

Better coordination between apartment building owners and energy utilities could address that, according to the report’s analysis. The study finds that there is a vast, largely untapped opportunity to engage utilities in providing effective energy efficiency programs that target the multifamily sector. The study examines utilities’ involvement in energy efficiency efforts across the country and identifies strategies that the multifamily building community can use to work together for improved efficiency.

“We are thrilled to explore partnerships with apartment owners as a way of better serving our customers and reaching our energy efficiency goals. This paper outlines some important next steps for collaboration,” said Duane Larson, Director, Energy Efficiency Strategy, Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

The report identifies regions where the multifamily sector could see particularly dramatic benefits from improvements in energy efficiency policy. These include Florida, Illinois, Texas, and the District of Columbia—regions that have a substantial number of multifamily buildings and energy policies that leave significant room for improvement.

“Utilities and local regulations vary dramatically from state to state and region to region, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” says Eric Mackres, ACEEE senior policy analyst. “The common thread is that partnering with the utility is crucial. This report outlines a variety of strategies that can help the multifamily housing sector to engage electric and natural gas utilities in order to expand the resources available for energy efficiency retrofits.”

The report was made possible by support from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Living Cities.

Download the full report here.

Sign up for a February 13 webinar to learn more about the report’s findings here.

Energy Savers has retrofitted more than 6,200 apartments and saved building owners an average of 30 percent on their utility bills or roughly $10,000 per year. The Bank of America contribution will make it possible to improve an additional 2,600 additional homes, according to CIC. Since its inception, CIC has made 52 Energy Savers fund loans for a total of $3.8 million. None have defaulted.

Bank of America created this new grant program to deliver low-cost capital to local community lenders with expertise in energy retrofit financing as a way to help create jobs, improve affordability, and reduce carbon emissions. CIC is one of nine Community Development Financial Institutions or CDFIs awarded funding nationwide. IFF is the other Chicago-based CDFI to receive funding from Bank of America.

To learn more about the Energy Savers program, go to: http://www.cntenergy.org/buildings/

Energy Impact Illinois

The energy calculator, known as “MyHomeEQ” and developed by CNT Energy, is a unique customized web tool that gives users real, up-to-date information on their home energy usage. The tool is a simple process that tells a user how they use energy, what can be done to lower utility bills while improving energy efficiency, and how to connect with the right resources and contractors needed to implement those actions.

MyHomeEQ integrates actual data from county assessors’ offices and utility bills while incorporating a home’s characteristics submitted by the user to develop an individual energy performance score. Users can then compare that score to similar homes in their area and explore steps that can improve their score, such as sealing air leaks or replacing outdated appliances with new energy efficient models.

“Everyone knows that they will save money and energy if they retrofit their home or business, it is just hard to figure out how to make it happen,” said Randy Blankenhorn, executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the lead agency behind Energy Impact Illinois. “Energy Impact Illinois simplifies the process with these new resources, which will help people get informed on their energy usage habits and learn ways to make smart energy efficient investments that fit within their budget.”

“With winter approaching, people are more conscious of their energy costs,” said Blankenhorn. “Our tools and resources will help customers understand how they use energy and how they can navigate the retrofit process, reduce expenses and make their home more comfortable.”

In addition to MyHomeEQ, TheEnergyBills.org also features the Energy Impact Illinois Residential Loan Program, which includes financial resources from local credit unions and banks that can help homeowners make energy efficiency upgrades to their properties in affordable ways. Homeowners can take advantage of unsecured loan products at competitive rates to help finance energy efficiency improvement projects, with links to qualified contractors to do the work.

To learn more and to take advantage of MyHomeEQ and the Energy Impact Illinois Residential Loan program, and other potential energy efficiency resources, visit TheEnergyBills.org.

Dynamic pricing, made possible by the smart grid, allows consumers to buy cheaper power.

If the results of an Ameren Illinois program is any indication, the electric grid modernization components of the bill approved yesterday by the Illinois General Assembly could enable consumers to reap savings on their electricity that will more than offset the bill’s estimated $36 per year price tag for households.

The downstate Ameren program, made possible by the smart grid technology that will become widespread as a result of the new law, has saved more than 11,000 customers an average of 25 percent on the cost of their energy supply compared to what they would pay on a standard rate plan. The savings translates to nearly $200 on average savings per year, with typical households paying around $100 per month before switching to the program. Program participants have saved more than $4 million since it began in 2007.

“The smart grid can facilitate the use of smart rates that save people real money,” said Anne Evens, director of CNT Energy, which administers the Ameren program. “Based on our experience, when grid modernization technology is combined with clear, ongoing customer education, it can help customers make good choices about their energy use and take control of their utility bills.”

“Dynamic” programs like Power Smart Pricing and ComEd’s Residential Real Time Pricing program are designed to help customers save money by giving them access to hourly, market-based electricity prices. While these prices vary, often the market-based price of electricity is lower than the price under the standard residential rate. Prices tend to be low most of the time during the fall, winter and spring, and can be higher on summer afternoons. Customers can increase their savings by taking simple actions to conserve electricity during the hours when prices rise. Dynamic pricing programs are made possible by modern grid technology, such as smart meters, that enable more precise and effective energy management than traditional meters.

“Dynamic pricing works a bit like a cell phone plan that gives you lower prices for nights and weekends, but you get even more times when prices are low,” says Evens. “For many people it’s an easy way to save on household bills. Soon ComEd residents will have the ability to take advantage of dynamic pricing and start saving.”

In addition to helping customers cut costs, data from Ameren’s Power Smart Pricing has shown that participants reduce their electricity usage during hours when demand for electricity is highest. This eases stress on the electric grid, and can help reduce the cost of power for all customers by reducing the amount of expensive peak power that the utility must buy.

The SAVE (Sensible Accounting to Value Energy) Act promises to improve the quality and security of mortgage lending by accounting for a homeowner’s energy costs with two legislative components. First, lenders will be required to include expected energy costs in debt-to-income qualifying ratios, which test a buyer’s ability to make mortgage payments. This will eliminate the now-hidden risk factor of home energy costs. Second, lenders must also include the value of expected energy savings when calculating the loan-to-value ratio of a mortgage, allowing homeowners to finance the cost of energy efficiency improvements as part of their mortgage.

CNT supports the introduction of the SAVE Act because of its value to home owners. The Act fits with our work to provide people with the information they need to make informed decisions that save them money and benefit the environment. CNT affiliate CNT Energy has a 2-year old program that helps multifamily building owners understand their energy use and make investments to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs by up to 30 percent. Under current mortgage regulations, building owners are unable to reap the full benefits of increased energy efficiency. The SAVE Act will change this by allowing building owners to capture the value of their investments in energy efficiency.

In addition to giving home owners the ability to capture the value of energy efficiency improvements when they sell their homes, the SAVE Act would also help create jobs and protect the environment.  More home owners investing in energy efficiency will create more construction and manufacturing jobs to do the work. More home owners making energy efficiency improvements will also reduce the nation’s energy needs and the pollution created by it.

The SAVE Act is supported by a multitude of governmental, commercial, and non-profit agencies, including the U.S. Green Building Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Natural Resources Defense Council, Residential Energy Services Network, Institute for Market Transformation, CNT Energy, and Alliance to Save Energy.

For more information, visit http://www.imt.org/save-act.

“Not all green buildings are alike when it comes to energy efficiency,” said Anne Evens, director of the nonprofit CNT Energy, which conducted the study in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter (USGBC – Illinois). “Maximizing efficiency requires starting with the right priorities, monitoring usage, and tweaking operations and maintenance over the life of a building. Buildings account for a large portion of our global warming emissions here in Chicago, and building owners need to be diligent about efficiency to reduce emissions and save on utility bills.”

The study, “Regional Green Building Case Study: Year Two Report,” is a follow-up to a 2009 study that examined the energy usage and other environmental factors in 25 LEED-certified buildings in Illinois. Of the 51 buildings in this report, 19 also participated in 2009. To receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the U.S. Green Building Council rates green building projects on a point system for features that improve energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water use, and other areas. CNT Energy analyzed how projects performed over multiple years in areas including energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, operating costs, commute transportation and occupant comfort.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to read the study.

Click here to see a presentation of the findings.

“Not all green buildings are alike when it comes to energy efficiency,” said Anne Evens, director of the nonprofit CNT Energy, which conducted the study in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter (USGBC – Illinois). “Maximizing efficiency requires starting with the right priorities, monitoring usage, and tweaking operations and maintenance over the life of a building. Buildings account for a large portion of our global warming emissions here in Chicago, and building owners need to be diligent about efficiency to reduce emissions and save on utility bills.”

The study, “Regional Green Building Case Study: Year Two Report,” is a follow-up to a 2009 study that examined the energy usage and other environmental factors in 25 LEED-certified buildings in Illinois. Of the 51 buildings in this report, 19 also participated in 2009. To receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the U.S. Green Building Council rates green building projects on a point system for features that improve energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water use, and other areas. CNT Energy analyzed how projects performed over multiple years in areas including energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, operating costs, commute transportation and occupant comfort.

The participating green building projects include offices, museums, police stations and other building use types. The study’s sample represents nearly 25 percent of the state’s LEED-certified projects and includes projects from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and central Illinois. The projects vary in size from 971 square feet to 4.2 million square feet. All provided at least 12 months of post-occupancy energy utility data. Most were able to provide energy use information for entire buildings, while 16 were able to provide only partial information about energy usage.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, the average energy use intensity (EUI) for commercial buildings in the Midwest is 99 kilo-Btu per square feet per year (kBtu/ft2/year). Sixty-four percent of the LEED projects that provided energy use data for the entire building used less energy than this average for commercial buildings. Likewise, 77 percent of projects that provided partial energy use data performed better than a similar benchmark.

Twenty three participants provided information on a “green premium,” which is the difference between a project’s actual construction costs and the expected costs had the project been completed without green features. Two projects reported no green premium, while the others reported premiums ranging from less than $1 per square foot to $107 per square foot. Most projects noted that grants or other financial incentives helped to offset the green premium.

Of the 19 study participants that provided information on operating costs, 11 indicated that their costs were lower than before moving into a green building, five noted no change in costs, two reported that they were not tracking such information, and one reported that costs had increased.

“Sustainability efforts should not stop after the design and construction phase,” said Doug Widener, executive director of USGBC – Illinois. “Achieving ideal performance for green buildings requires understanding how the building performs in the first place and continuously monitoring how it performs over time.”

Members of the media who are interested in learning more about this research are invited to attend a USGBC – Illinois member education session on Thursday, September 29 at the Merchandise Mart. The fee will be waived for media.

Event:
Illinois LEED Buildings: Analyzing Post Occupancy Performance and Engaging Stakeholders in Building Performance

When:
8-10 am on Thursday, September 29, 2011

Where:
Merchandise Mart Conference Center
350 West Mart Center (2nd Floor)
Chicago, IL 60654

CNT Energy will also give a presentation on the report at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Toronto on October 6.

Click here to download the full report.

Using a bottom-up model, the event will bring together key players from six communities receiving Department of Energy Better Buildings grant funding. The Better Buildings grants are designed in part to create residential home energy remodeling programs that will both accelerate energy efficient home inventory and create long-term demand for this type of remodeling work. National experts will provide context and discuss how energy efficiency programs can be reflected best in each community’s local multiple listing service (MLS). Addressing energy efficiency in the MLS systems now will ready the markets for a time when more energy efficient homes become available for resale. This work could make a premium for these homes more transparent to consumers.

The roundtable will advance a trend reported in August by the Washington Post, Is green good for resale value? The article highlighted four areas in the U.S. where resale trend metrics comparing the value of green vs. traditional homes are available. The vision of the roundtable is to add to the number of communities tracking these results and to improve the quality of the data reported.

Attendees will represent a wide range of perspectives on how any premium is made transparent within a market. Participants will include energy program representatives, realtors, appraisers, and lenders. Better Buildings communities participating will include the both the Bay Area and Southern California; Boulder, Colorado; Charlottesville, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Portland, Oregon, Westchester County, New York. Staff from each corresponding multiple listing service will also attend. National organizations include the Appraisal Institute, the Building Performance Institute, the Department of Energy, EcoBroker International, the Institute for Market Transformation, the National Association of Realtors – Green REsource Council and National Home Performance Council.

Watch for more information on the outcomes of the GreenMLS/Better Buildings Roundtable later this fall.

Energy Savers is a one-stop shop for apartment building owners in the Chicago region to obtain technical assistance and financing for energy efficiency retrofits to their buildings. To date, the program helps building owners save an average of 30 percent on their utility bills, equaling roughly $10,000 per year. Energy Savers has completed retrofit work in more than 6,000 units and created 75 jobs. CNT Energy is an affiliate of CNT.

In addition to analyzing current and future energy use, the plan provides information and resources Kane County and regional partners will need to effectively reduce energy consumption.

“Following through on this plan can further Kane County’s role as a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability throughout the region,” said Lindy Wordlaw, a senior planner at CNT Energy and a primary author of the current and 2005 energy plan for the county.

Download the plan as a PDF here