Concerns with energy saving plans
Yet, the owners must be wary. There are unscrupulous management
companies and board members who will sign contracts for energy saving
projects that will drain the condo's reserve funds and drive the
corporation into long-term debt.
Why? Perhaps they believe that the energy saving swill offset the
renovation costs. Perhaps they are fanatical environmentalists and
perhaps there may be secret kickbacks to be had.
Owners stripped
of democratic rights
There is reason to believe that new changes to Ontario's Condominium
Act may
allow the board to spend the corporation's reserve funds on green
projects without requiring the owners' approval or even being informed
of their plans prior to the contracts being signed.
It certainly appears that our provincial government has no faith that
the owners know what is best for their corporation.
Mandatory
energy use reporting
On 03 March 2014, the city’s parks and environment committee asked
staff to report back in one year with a proposed energy efficiency by-law that would apply
to large commercial and multi-residential buildings. (This includes
condominiums.)
Toby Heaps was one of the people who pitched the idea for mandatory
energy use reporting to Toronto. He is a founder of Corporate
Knights,
a media and research company based in Toronto. It focuses on promoting
an economic system where prices fully incorporate all social, economic
and ecological costs and benefits.
In his view, the proposed by-law needs to be mandatory in order to be
effective.
Purpose
The intent to have every large building in Toronto measured on how much
energy and water it consumes per square foot. The politicians can then
decide what form of incentives and penalties they may wish to impose,
if any, on the buildings they feel consume too much energy and water.
While writing the by-law, the city's staff are expected to consult with
the usual stakeholders including building owners (condo owners, I
wonder?) and property managers.
An interim report, due August 2014, will outline possible criteria by
which buildings would be included in the program. It will also include
a rough implementation schedule.
I wonder how well all these glass towers will rate if this by-law is
adopted.
Just fake it
In effort to be ‘green,’ some property owners misuse the coveted LEED
designation. A New England Center for Investigation Reporting
article claims that some developers use the LEED designation but have
no interest in actually spending the time and money it takes to
actually get certified.
Why green
building has hit the wall, and what to do about it
In an article in the Daily Journal of Commerce,
Jerry Yudelson states that many developers and building owners are not
seeking LEED certification because it is too expensive and time
consuming.
Costs are real: Just the required commissioning services in LEED can
add $0.50-$1 per square foot to the cost of a building. Add in the
consulting costs, which can easily run into six figures, and one begins
to understand why for most owners and developers pursuing green
building certification, unless mandated by policy or driven by
government incentives, is something for which they are increasingly
saying deciding, “no thanks.”
Perceived benefits are slight: In most cases, the benefits include
savings in energy efficiency that would be achieved in most cases
without a green building certification, claims for improved employee
health and productivity backed by weak empirical evidence, and better
PR and marketing benefits for developers, etc.
Owners and developers would prefer a certification process that’s
simpler, cheaper and more useful.
Want to cut
energy use?
Do we really want to cut energy and water use? How about at the same
time we save billions in wasteful government subsidies? All
of this is possible with one guaranteed government policy.
All energy should be sold at its actual market cost. No government subsidies
to
any link of the chain from supply to end use. When the price goes to
the roof, Canadians will voluntarily use a lot less.
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