January 12, 2012

Apartment communities take advantage of efficiency program; Energy-efficiency improvements to save more than half a megawatt

The Austin City Council today approved rebates for four apartment communities for making energy-efficiency improvements that combined will save more than 861,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity – the equivalent of powering 71 homes in Austin year-round – and reduce peak demand during the hottest part of the summer by more than half a megawatt at 574 kilowatts.

The four communities – The Park at Monterey Oaks, Limestone Canyon Apartments, Caprock Canyon Apartments, and Marquis at Great Hills Apartments, received enhanced rebates from Austin Energy that combined total $416,617. Austin Energy offers 50% larger rebates designed to help apartment communities make energy-efficiency improvements as part of the Energy Conservation & Audit Disclosure ordinance. The enhanced rebates for sealing ducts, adding attic insulation or installing solar screens can pay for as much as 80% of the costs of the improvements.

The ordinance requires apartment communities more than 10 years old to perform energy audits, make energy-efficiency improvements if their units have 50% higher energy use compared to similar apartment communities, and to disclose the results of the audit to tenants and prospective tenants. Apartment properties are exempt from the ordinance if they received rebates from Austin Energy for energy-efficiency improvements or if they replaced all of their heating and air conditioning equipment with Energy Star rated equipment during the last 10 years.

The energy audit and enhanced rebates also help apartment communities – such as the four receiving rebates – identify areas where they want to improve energy efficiency and comfort for their residents even if they are not high-energy use communities. To date, more than 600 apartment communities in Austin have performed energy audits with another 235 exempt from the ordinance because they made energy-efficiency retrofits.

"Energy-efficiency improvements to apartment communities help the majority of our residential customers, who are not homeowners, save money during tough economic times,” said Karl R. Rábago, Austin Energy vice president for distributed energy services. “And their savings help all of us by reducing the demand for expensive generation.”

The Energy Conservation & Audit Disclosure ordinance is an integral part of the Austin Climate Protection Plan passed by the Austin City Council in 2007 to help make Austin a cleaner and healthier community by increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The improvements made by the four apartment communities alone will prevent the release of 517 metric tons of carbon dioxide as well as emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that combined is the equivalent of removing about 100 motor vehicles from Austin’s roadways.

Learn more about Austin Energy's multifamily rebates and other incentives for energy-efficiency improvements.