FirstService Residential is First to Join NYC Mayor's Carbon Challenge for Multi-Family Buildings
NEW YORK, January 16, 2014 - FirstService Residential, the premier property management company in the New York metropolitan area, recently became the first property management firm to join the Mayor’s Carbon Challenge, a New York City program aimed at reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in multifamily residential buildings. With the residential sector accounting for 37 percent of the City's total emissions, FirstService Residential jumped at the opportunity to further help its clients reduce their environmental impact.
The FirstService Residential portfolio of properties that participate in the program will pledge to reduce emissions by 30 percent in ten years. In turn, participants receive help from a qualified team of professionals to identify cost-saving ways to reduce their building’s energy use and begin realizing the benefits of energy efficiency.
“As the city’s largest residential management company, FirstService Residential is committed to helping our clients implement effective strategies for energy efficiency,” says Dan Wurtzel, President, FirstService Residential New York, which manages more than 75 million sq. ft. of residential real estate. “Our participation in the Carbon Challenge will enable us to provide our board members and residents with an added layer of professional resources, technical knowledge, and financial assistance that will further promote efficiency and accelerate a reduction in emissions across our portfolio.”
FirstService Residential and its energy subsidiary, FirstService Energy, have been at the forefront of advising clients in consumption reduction applications and energy cost savings strategies since 2009. FirstService Residential was the first to provide each of its managed properties with a customized energy report card detailing energy use by commodity and in comparison to peer buildings. This comprehensive benchmarking provides the company’s board members and owners with the information needed to make better decisions to improve the energy performance of their buildings.
To date, FirstService Residential clients have saved nearly $20 million in energy costs and reduced their carbon footprint by over 15 percent. This success was achieved through a variety of measures including: an energy aggregation purchasing program that has saved clients up to 15 percent on electricity and 9 percent on natural gas costs; preventive maintenance programs; advanced control system monitoring; energy audits; as well as favorable financing options and grants for retrofit projects.
The FirstService Residential portfolio of properties that participate in the program will pledge to reduce emissions by 30 percent in ten years. In turn, participants receive help from a qualified team of professionals to identify cost-saving ways to reduce their building’s energy use and begin realizing the benefits of energy efficiency.
“As the city’s largest residential management company, FirstService Residential is committed to helping our clients implement effective strategies for energy efficiency,” says Dan Wurtzel, President, FirstService Residential New York, which manages more than 75 million sq. ft. of residential real estate. “Our participation in the Carbon Challenge will enable us to provide our board members and residents with an added layer of professional resources, technical knowledge, and financial assistance that will further promote efficiency and accelerate a reduction in emissions across our portfolio.”
FirstService Residential and its energy subsidiary, FirstService Energy, have been at the forefront of advising clients in consumption reduction applications and energy cost savings strategies since 2009. FirstService Residential was the first to provide each of its managed properties with a customized energy report card detailing energy use by commodity and in comparison to peer buildings. This comprehensive benchmarking provides the company’s board members and owners with the information needed to make better decisions to improve the energy performance of their buildings.
To date, FirstService Residential clients have saved nearly $20 million in energy costs and reduced their carbon footprint by over 15 percent. This success was achieved through a variety of measures including: an energy aggregation purchasing program that has saved clients up to 15 percent on electricity and 9 percent on natural gas costs; preventive maintenance programs; advanced control system monitoring; energy audits; as well as favorable financing options and grants for retrofit projects.