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Multifamily Properties Mean Multirebate Possibilities
by Helen Fisicaro
Shorter days don’t have to mean higher utility bills for multifamily property owners in Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s service area.
As an energy efficiency leader, PG&E has joined forces with California’s other investor-owned utilities to offer cash rebates for multifamily property owners who make energy efficient improvements such as purchasing high efficiency appliances, adding variable speed pumps to pools and installing occupancy sensors.
Since 2002, over 5,000 owners and managers of apartments, condominiums and mobile homes participated in PG&E’s Multifamily Energy Efficiency Program, with over 240,000 individual tenant units upgraded.
Improving energy efficiency and participating in PG&E’s rebate programs is a visible display of environmental leadership, not to mention a benefit to the bottom line. Using less energy reduces a property’s carbon footprint and leads to lower utility bills, and installing upgraded equipment can often mean reduced maintenance costs and higher property values. Rebates are a fast, easy way to get cash back for eligible improvements.
In addition, “green” multifamily complexes are attractive to prospective tenants and provide examples for other property owners. Just ask GMH Capital Partners, owners of Bella Vista Apartments in Richmond, California. GMH received rebate checks totaling $327,428. This 1,008-unit complex was outfitted with thousands of energy-efficient T8 fluorescent lamps and Energy Star hardwired indoor and outdoor fixtures. The net result of these lighting upgrades alone is an annual electrical energy savings of more than $68,000, which benefits both the owner and the tenants.
“Not only did the rebate check allow us to fund the project,” said GMH Capital Partners Senior Vice President of Operations Rand Ginsburg, “but our property value increased, our operating expenses and our tenants’ energy costs have been reduced, and the entire complex has benefited from improved lighting quality and efficiency.”
Lower bills, better light, reduced environmental impact and cash back: can you afford not to be PG&E’s next rebate partner?
Who Qualifies?
Rebates are available to property owners and managers of existing residential dwellings that contain two or more units. The program encourages the installation of qualifying energy-efficient products in individual tenant units and in the common areas of residential apartment buildings, mobile home parks and condominium complexes.
To receive an application, a catalog of upgrades eligible for rebates and an information packet, call PG&E’s Smarter Energy line at 800-933-9555, and ask for a 2008 Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebate package. All applications are considered on a first-come first-served basis. Since funding for these rebates is under the auspices of the California Public Utility Commission, offers may be changed or terminated without prior notice.
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Special Services for Low-Income Customers
Special programs are also available to low-income customers through PG&E’s Energy Partners program. This program provides energy education, home weatherization and installation of energy-efficient appliances at no cost to income-qualified customers throughout PG&E’s service area. Currently, the qualifying income guidelines range from $28,600 for an individual to $54,300 for families of six. This program is available to both renters and owners of single-family homes, multifamily units and mobile homes.
This service is completed in three steps. After a qualified customer has contacted PG&E, a PG&E Energy Specialist schedules a home visit to assess the residence for weatherization measures and to educate the customer on how to save energy. Then a weatherization specialist visits the residence to install the recommended improvements. Finally, a PG&E Central Inspection Program member inspects selected residences after improvements have been installed.
In 2007, PG&E helped over 63,000 low-income customers make energy-efficient improvements, such as installing attic insulation, replacing doors, affixing weather stripping on doors and making minor home repairs. In some instances, customers qualify for new refrigerators or air conditioners. Tenants can call PG&E’s Smarter Energy line at 800-933-9555 to learn more. Tenants are required to secure permission from their landlords before participating in the program.
PG&E has been an energy efficiency leader and advocate for almost one-third of its 100-year history, pioneering programs and strategies for slashing energy consumption. In fact, as the rest of the country has seen its per capita energy consumption rise, California’s per-person energy use has remained flat. Multifamily rebates are just one of the ways that PG&E helps customers keep energy efficiency up and energy bills down. Owners of multifamily sites are reminded that making energy efficiency improvements may increase property value, reduce potentially harmful greenhouse gasses and, in the end, increase profits.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the SF Apartment Magazine. Helen Fisicaro is the senior program manager for the Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebate Program. She has worked for PG&E for over 37 years. Responsible for the design and implementation of the Multifamily Rebate Program since 2002, Fisicaro has distributed almost $42 million in rebates for the purchase and installation of multiple energy-efficient measures in multifamily properties. Copyright © 2008 by Black Point Press. All rights reserved.