Energy Audits

Answer: A and B.
Energy audits provide property owners with an overview of how well their buildings' systems are performing and what can be done to improve their operating efficiency. Energy audits are also mandated under New York City's new Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, designed to make existing buildings more energy efficient.

An energy audit starts with a review of the building's utility bills to analyze the use of natural gas, fuel oil, and electricity over a continuous 12-month period within the last two years. The utility review looks at patterns of energy use, including peaks, valleys, trends, and any unusual signs that could indicate operational or usage abnormalities. The information is then compiled to determine the building's Energy Utilization Index (EUI), which is used as a baseline to compare against the EUI's of similar properties.

The utility review is followed by a visual survey of the building's major systems and conditions, including the building envelope (walls, windows, and doors); the roofing system and roof-level components; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical and lighting systems; elevators; and motors and pumps. During the walk-through of the building, the survey team records observable sources of energy loss or deficiencies that can be corrected with low- or no-cost repairs and installations, such as replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting or insulating ductwork and piping.

Based on the utilities analysis and building survey, the audit firm prepares a written report that details their findings and provides a recommended scope of work for improving energy efficiency with estimates of potential costs and savings.

Energy audits figure prominently in New York City's recently enacted energy efficiency legislation, which includes four new local laws. One of them, Local Law 87/09, requires owners of buildings 50,000 square feet or larger to have an energy audit conducted every 10 years and identify and correct any deficiencies through repairs, adjustments, cleanings, and operational practices. An energy efficiency report, documenting the building's energy usage and operations, must then be filed with the city. (Here's a summary of the new legislation: New York City's Energy Efficiency Legislation.)

Although the word "audit" may conjure up an IRS inquisition, an energy audit can lead the way to lower energy costs for building owners and a healthier living environment for residents and tenants. And that's nothing to run—or jump—from.

Green on the Outside

Answer: A and B.
Many building products and materials, such as paint and paint strippers, coatings, cleaners, fuels, wood preservatives, pesticides, and miscellaneous solvents, contain volatile organic compounds, which are emitted as gases and can be harmful to people and the atmosphere. (The strong fumes are the VOCs.) Fortunately, more and more low- and no-VOC versions of these products are now available.

Conventional oil-based paints, for example, contain high-levels of VOCs and require toxic solvents to clean up, releasing even more VOCs into the air. As an alternative, latex paints, which use water as a solvent, provide good quality and durability and allow for an easier and a less-toxic cleanup.

Chemical facade cleaners, such as acid-based and alkali-based agents, leave hazardous materials in the run-off water after rinsing. Biodegradable gel-based, latex-based, and water-based products, however, do not contain harsh solvents or emit VOCs and can be used on most surfaces, including brick, concrete, metal, stone, and wood.

Traditional caulking agents are applied wet, and as they dry and cure, many release VOCs, formaldehyde, and other noxious products. Solvent-free caulking is available that emits minimal VOCs. These non-flammable, non-toxic products also resist shrinkage and discoloration.

Another way to keep your exterior restoration project green is to prevent the project's debris from ending up in a landfill. The construction documents for your building's upgrade project should specify that as much of the non-hazardous construction and demolition waste as possible (minimum of 50%) must be recycled or salvaged. This enables the recyclable resources to be re-manufactured, and it redirects other materials to sites where they can be reused. The debris—typically brick, concrete, metal, tiles, plastic, clean wood, glass, gypsum wallboard, insulation, carpet, and cardboard—is separated at the site or comingled on-site and then separated at an off-site facility.

Restoring your building's exterior can be done in a safe, environmentally friendly way that leaves the building looking beautiful but won't leave residents green around the gills—or anywhere else.

Taking the Floor

Answer: A and B.
Cork is harvested from the outer bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber) without killing the tree, and it regenerates in approximately 10 years. Cork's honeycomb cell structure, filled with air-like pockets, makes it lightweight, resilient, and a good insulator, reducing the transmission of sound, vibration, and heat. In addition, the natural give of a cork floor creates less grinding from foot traffic, leading to less wear and tear and easier maintenance.

Natural and recycled carpeting are also environmentally friendly flooring options. Carpets made from natural fibers, such as wool or jute, are constructed from renewable resources and are biodegradable after use. They also do not emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), which can be harmful to breathe. Recycled carpeting is made from post-consumer products, such as plastic bottles (polyethylene terephthalate, or PET), which helps conserve resources and reduces the impact from manufacturing new materials. Many recycled carpets are also recyclable themselves and can be reused in other products or even back into carpets, lightening the load on landfills. Both natural-fiber and recycled carpeting dampen sound, a benefit in apartment buildings.

Bamboo is yet another green-friendly choice for flooring. It is a rapidly renewable resource, water-resistant, anti-bacterial, and very durable. Some bamboo flooring, however, uses formaldehyde-based adhesives, which contain high-levels of VOCs. In addition, most of the bamboo used in flooring is grown in the Hunan province of China, where some local forests and grasslands are being clear cut, turning them into a monoculture. If you decide to install bamboo floors, go with products that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and do not contain formaldehyde additives. And be sure to keep plenty of extra bamboo shoots on hand for your always hungry panda.

It's Electric

Answer: A and B.
In a submetered building, each apartment has its own meter that tracks how much electricity is used in that unit. The submeters, usually located in the apartments themselves or in the building's electrical closet in the basement, are in addition to a master meter, which measures the buildings overall electrical usage. Buildings with only a master meter typically divide the electrical cost among shareholders as part of the monthly maintenance or common charges.

With submeters, however, residents pay for only the electricity they use, yet they can still purchase it at a cheaper bulk rate through the building rather than at a more expensive individual rate. (Submetered buildings often use a meter-reading company, which charges a small monthly fee per apartment.)

When residents pay for their own electricity, they begin to consume it more carefully. The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) estimates that residents use 15 to 30 percent less electricity after their buildings install submeters. That's good news for energy-conscious types, who no longer have to subsidize their energy gluttonous neighbors, who never met an electrical device they didn't like.

Windows Shopping

Answer: A and B.
High-performance windows feature thin metal or metallic oxide layers on the glass, which reduce the transfer of heat between the inside and outside. These nearly invisible low-e (low-emittance) coatings also help block ultraviolet light, which can cause interior furnishings to fade.

Energy-efficient windows also have double or triple panes with an inert gas (argon or krypton) in between them. The odorless, non-toxic gas serves as a buffer between the outer and inner panes, providing greater heat and sound insulation in addition to minimizing condensation and frost on the inside glass.

Other features of high-performance windows include improved frame materials, such as aluminum, wood composites, and fiberglass, as well as warm-edge spacers that keep the panes properly spaced, reducing heat flow and condensation.

Energy-efficient windows not only keep your apartment more comfortable; they also help save on heating and cooling costs. It's an open and shut case for your building-but only if your windows stay shut, not open.

How Green Is Your Roof?

Answer: A and B.
Green roofs offer many benefits that conventional roofs do not. For example, the layers of vegetation and soil protect roofing membranes from ultraviolet radiation, extending the life of the membranes up to twice as long as those on a conventional roof. The extra layers also provide additional insulation to the roof, reducing heating and cooling costs approximately 10% to 30% and allowing the building to use smaller HVAC equipment.

In addition, vegetation and soil layers reduce noise from traffic, planes, machinery, and other surrounding sounds for building residents, and the soil absorbs rain, reducing storm water runoff. Not only that: Green roofs add usable space and an aesthetically pleasing appearance to roofs, increasing a building's property value.

But as tempting as all that lush greenery is, please stay out of the rough with your neighbors by practicing your wedge shots on the golf course, not on the roof.

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