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By Ralph Brook

Landlords can, with some very basic skills and very inexpensive tools, perform a basic information gathering green audit as a starting point to their energy conservation plan. Upon completion of an audit they will be in a good position to prioritize their green energy savings in terms of necessity and availability of funds.

Expectations

Landlords must understand that this is a general information gathering green audit not an intensive engineering investigation. The landlord’s expectations should be simple and easily reached. Concentrating on attainable energy conservation measures will reflect future cost savings and improve the comfort level of tenants. We live in a cold climate the expectations are simply to keep the cold air out, warm heat in and reduce the use of costly older appliances.

Basic skills

The landlord should have an understanding of the building construction and the use of simple tools which will be used to gather data. Knowing the approximate age and general exterior wall, foundation and roof construction materials will help to make assumptions on the basic insulation. As a general rule buildings built prior to 1950 have little or no insulation in the walls, buildings built prior to 1975 have a maximum of R-7 insulation in the walls and buildings built after 1975 may have R-10 to R-15 insulation in the walls. Attic spaces may have anywhere from no insulation to R-32 insulation which is today’s standard and this can be confirmed by simply looking in the attic space. You may be able to obtain the building plans from the local building inspection department. Appliances which include heating, cooling, stoves, refridgerators, washers and dryers if older than ten years are not energy efficient.

Basic tools

The landlord, in order to conduct the green audit, will require a few simple tools which include a tape measure, incence, an infra red sensor gun, clip board, digital camera, jack knife, roofing tar, inspection mirror and ziploc bags. Remember that this is a simple information gathering green audit.

Walk-about inspection

The landlord must conduct this in a methodical fashion. Information should be gathered on the exterior walls and windows, roof, interior of units, lighting, appliances in units, washers and dryers, plumbing, heating and cooling units. Pictures should be taken of all items to help in the documention in the summary report.

Exterior of building

Record the type and condition of all windows and frames, exterior doors and exterior wall coverings. Older single glazed frameless and vertical sash windows, hollow wood doors and cracked caulking are the biggest source of energy loss and air infiltration.

Roof - Confirm the insulation in the attic space and/or beneath the roof covering on a flat roof. If there is a flat built-up tar and gravel roof, a small sample cut two inch square through the roofing will reveal the type and amount of insulation. Note that if the insulation is wet this is an indication of a roof covering failure and the roof and insulation will need to be replaced. In attic spaces, the use of air baffles are required to provide unobstructed air flow from the soffits to the attic space: necessary in order to avoid moisture and mould problems in the attic.

Exterior walls of units

The landlord can easily confirm the construction of the exterior walls and insulation by performing a simple cut test through the plaster or drywall, preferably taken in an exterior wall closet after removing the baseboard. The incense produces a gentle source of smoke and is a good tool to determine if outside air is entering around windows, doors and electrical fixtures. Even if there are older windows and doors, the air infiltration and heat loss can be reduced by proper caulking on the exterior and energy seal caulking on the interior around window, door frames baseboards, cracks in walls and foam rubber gaskets at electrical fixtures.

Electrical

Older incandescent lighting is not energy efficient and it puts a strain on the electrical system. As a landlord, it would be prudent to not only replace the lighting in the common areas with energy efficient low watt light bulbs but also replace the lighting in the tenants’ units (even those that are sub-metered). Also, if there are still fuse panels used to service the units the landlord should install inexpensive blue 15 amp fuses complete with safety rings to prevent an overload of the electrical circuits and possible fire.

Appliances

The landlord should document the age and condition of each appliance and budget for replacement of units older than 10 years of age based on life cycle and energy efficiency. Washers and dryers are generally part of the landlord’s responsibiltiy. The landlord will document the age and condition of each appliance. If the appliances are supplied through a service agency they should be replaced with energy efficient appliances. Encouraging tenants to do their washing in the non peak hours of energy consumption will result in significant cost savings on electricity for the landlord.

Plumbing

Domestic hot water systems include the hot water tank and hot water supply piping. Document the condition, age, capacity and insulation wrap on hot water tanks. Also check for insulation on hot water supply lines and dripping fixtures and toilets in units. Note that a single running toilet can add a significant increase to the water bills.

Heating

The majority of apartment buildings are either hydronic hot water heating or electric heat with either newer convection baseboard or upright heating units. Althought proper inspection requires special skills and licencing, the landlord can review the basic system and make decisions for future repair and/or replacement.

Electric heating, which was common in buildings built from 1960 to 1980 will require the services of a licenced electrician for an opinion. The landlord can generally determine the approximate age of the boiler by recording the general condition and the model number, serial number, input and output ratings of the unit which are located on the inspection plate on the inside of the boiler cover. The average life of a boiler is 20 to 25 years, boilers more than ten years of age are generally not energy efficient.

Inspect the condition of the boiler and pipe wrap insulation. If the insulation looks like plaster and/or corrigated pressed white paper, it may be asbestos and further testing by qualified professionals may be required with remedial measures.
The landlord should ask each tenant if they use their oven to supplement the heating in their unit as this is a common problem and is a good indicator of poor distribution of the heating supply system.

Review of the Data Collected

In order to gain any benefits from this audit, the landlord must document the information they collected from the walk-about inspection. The simplest way to record this is to document each item noted above in terms of description of item, age, general condition in terms of “poor, fair, good, very good,” and on the existing energy efficiency in terms of “poor, fair, good, very good.” Note and estimate of the cost of replacement and finally rate the priority (one being the highest priortity and decreasing priority for each increase in number) for repair or replacement based on life safety, life cycle and energy efficiency.

After the items have been priortized, the landlord should set up a plan for implementation of improvements and document how the funds are to be obtained. The life safety issues must be addressed immediately to ensure the safety of the tenants. The life cycle and energy conservation issues can be addressed in priority in accordance with the availability of funds.

Funding may be provided through existing reserves, rent increases, government incentive programs and refinancing of the building. Two permanent government programs which few landlords are aware of include Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) “Purchase Plus Improvements Program” available when buildings are purchased or refinanced and “Residential Rehabilitiation Assistance Program - for Landlords” (RRAP).

At this time there are no major government energy incentive programs available. However, landlords are well aware that these programs are generally based on political promises. As there may be a federal election in 2011, a prudent landlord may wish to take this into account before making any major energy saving expenditures.

The process is fairly simple and landlords can learn a great deal about the general condition of their buildings with a commitment of very little time or financial expenditures. It helps the landlord to prioritize green audit measures with respect to their ability to implement them based on life safety, life cycle, energy conservation and availability of financial resources.

Ralph Brook, P.Eng., PQS, CET is President of Brook Building Consultants, Consulting Engineers and Professional Quantity Surveyors. He has over 40 years experience in building inspection and engineering and is a former Chief Inspector with CMHC and Professor of Construction Engineering at Niagara College.