Tips for apartments, condos and townhouses

Saving energy in multi-family complexes

Managing energy costs is a hot topic for many apartment, condo and townhouse developments, especially for those that share a common bill for appliances like in-suite gas fireplaces.

Here are some simple ways to use less energy in your strata block or apartment complex:

Space Heating

Boilers · Maintain your boilers and associated systems. Get your maintenance contractor to measure boiler efficiency at least once every year.

· Turn off boilers and heating pumps in the summer. If some residents require heat in warmer weather, it's cheaper to provide them with portable heaters.

· Get your maintenance contractor to check the control system. Inadequate or incorrectly operating controls can increase your costs by 20 per cent.

· Replace your boiler if it's more than 25 years old. Installing new high-efficiency units can reduce your gas usage by up to 30 per cent.

Fireplaces · Turn off pilot lights in the summer.

· Use automatic fireplace shut-off timers. Timers run for one hour, then need to be reset, and can yield major savings.

· Make sure fireplaces are part of your annual maintenance schedule.

Make-up air units · Turn off heating in the summer months.

· Set temperature controls to 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is usually sufficient for corridors, stairs and hallways.

Water heating

Tank-type heaters ·  Make sure tank-type heaters are part of your annual maintenance schedule.

· Think about changing tank-type heaters to boiler/storage tank combinations for major cost and operating savings

Storage tanks · Make sure storage tanks are well insulated.

Pipes · Insulate all hot water pipes in the boiler room and any running through unheated areas such as parkades. Make sure that valves and flanges are insulated.

Water temperature · Set the water temperature at 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit). Hotter temperature settings waste energy while lower settings can lead to increased bacterial growth.

Showers and faucets · Install low-flow showerheads and save up to 30 per cent on your hot water usage. Flow reducers on faucets can offer additional savings.

Swimming pools · Adjust temperature settings so that the air temperature in the indoor pool area is higher than the water temperature — this greatly reduces heat loss from the pool. 

· Cover the pool and hot tub when not in use to reduce heat loss and evaporation.

· Reduce indoor poolroom ventilation rates at night when the pool is not being used.

· Cover the pool throughout the period when it is being heated before the start of the season.

Building structure

Insulation · Check insulation levels when refurbishing and upgrading to current standards where possible.

Windows and doors ·  Draft-proof windows and doors with weather-stripping.

· Install double-glazed windows.