It Takes a Village.. DCC 120 East Hamptons Community Work to Execute Their Sustainability Strategy

AJAX, Ontario - April 21, 2017 - PRLog -- The East Hamptons is located in Ajax by the lake. The Hamptons community includes four buildings which are each four stories high. In addition to the common elements the amenities are located in each of the buildings and include: building 1 - a pool, sauna, full bathrooms with showers, and a hot tub; buildings 2 – 4 – exercise room, sauna, full bathrooms with showers; and outdoor tennis courts, playground, bike racks and barbeques. The community also has a party room, above ground and underground parking.

The organization, similar to other condominium organizations, has witnessed a significant increase in energy costs. It was unfortunate that in 2015 a special assessment was required as a result of unbudgeted and unexpected hydro costs for the four buildings. The Board of Directors (BoD) realized the importance of having a proactive approach to monitoring and finding solutions to reduce these costs. The BoD commissioned an energy audit to determine and understand these costs to determine how to reduce and how best to monitor costs. A Request for Proposal was issued through the management company and an engineer organization was hired to complete the energy audit and provide the BoD with recommendations on how best to be more energy efficient.

The BoD chose two members to lead the Energy Audit, its findings and to co-lead the prioritization of work to be completed. The leaders reviewed the engineer's report and presented to the BoD four recommendations for reducing energy costs. The leaders continue to work with the engineer to ensure all applicable rebates from Veridian were applied for in a timely manner. The four priorities that will funded from the Reserve Fund included:

1.      Make-up Air Unit replacement for all four buildings

-          It was agreed that one building would be done at a time, however, all monitoring and data collection would be done simultaneously to allow for applications to Veridian for rebate applications.

-          Currently have all data collected and will be applying for rebates and completing an Request for Proposals for the work to be completed

2.      Replace Hallway Sconce lights

-          This priority has been expanded to include pool area, lobby, and recreation room lighting. A consideration of operational cost savings from reduced bulb use and Reserve Fund use for replacement is currently being considered.

-          Currently we have some proposals for completing the work and hope to make a decision before the summer on replacement versus bulb replacement.

3.      Parking Garage Upgrades (lighting, CO detectors/exhaust fans, painting)

-          A refresh of ballasts and installation of new LED bulbs with new cages, which will include a replacement of rusted and damaged units. After a review of other condominium parking garages it was determined that painting of the garage will add to the distribution of light.

-          Currently we are obtained quotes and hope to have this work completed by the end of the summer.

4.      Replace Exterior lights (possibly poles-to be determined)

-          The Energy Audit identified external lighting that can be modified or replaced including external pole lamps ballasts, wall lighting for both the buildings and the entrances to the parking garage.

-          Currently the organization is requesting proposals for completion of this work.

The processes for understanding and prioritizing action plans associated with the Energy Audit have helped the organization to reduce costs. The overall benefit is to the owners of the units as the maintenance fees will not increase substantially to cover these expenses. Although this work began in 2016 and continues into 2017 it was important for the organization to ensure that short term gains can be obtained in reducing expenses related to energy. The benefit of having a medium and long term plan demonstrates to the owners the fiduciary duty the BoD has in maintaining financial viability of the organization and the Reserve Fund.