The impacts of climate change are vast and interrelated. While natural factors like solar variations, the planet’s orbital shifts, and volcanic eruptions occur cyclically and have nothing to do with people, human activity adds significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these influences have driven average winter temperatures across the United States up by almost three degrees since 1896, which may not seem like much, but over time has led to more frequent and severe weather events, like heat waves and flooding. This in turn creates an increased demand on HVAC systems, driving up energy consumption as multifamily property owners prioritize energy efficiency, sustainability, and comfort to manage residents’ cooling demands.

Climate change and extreme weather patterns are impacting communities’ administrative landscape as well. According to a report titled “Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Action Plan” published by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs a year after Hurricane Sandy decimated communities on both banks of the Hudson River, about 40,466 homeowners’ primary residences sustained either “severe” or “major” damage, based on HUD standards. John Valkos, property manager at DSV Property Management in Highlands, New Jersey remembers firsthand the chaos and confusion following Sandy. “Most of our properties are along the water,” he says, adding that his wife Cynthia, who is the owner of DSV Property Management, examined how these complexes were insured. “We found one complex that wasn’t properly insured according to their own bylaws,” he says. “They were insured cents on the dollar, and were not able to finish their rebuild.”

“Another association we were brought into had quotes three times over the amount they should have been charged,” Valkos recalls. “After rebidding the project, there was enough money saved from the insurance to put aside for unforeseen Sandy repairs. An example of these repairs is we had to rebuild a sand dune, which is the first line of protection for a building. We filed emergency permits because we were getting back into the next hurricane season. So it wasn’t only rebuilding the buildings, it was also rebuilding protection for the community. That’s how we were educated on the situation,” he continues. “The management companies who were managing these properties either didn’t have the resources or had no experience dealing with disasters.”

From his perspective as a property manager, Valkos advises boards to take a few important proactive steps before the next inevitable ‘100 year’ storm hits the tristate area: “Be sure to have the proper insurance, and cover your residents,” he says. “Read your bylaws when it comes to insurance. You’re going to look for the best policy and agent, but it is important to have your complex covered for what’s needed. Make sure that the management company has the right contractor for the job at hand. Finally, it is important that you have a management company that is capable of handling emergencies when they inevitably happen.”

Climate Change & Increased Demand 

According to Lee Hoffman, co-founder and president of Runwise, a smart building control company that services communities nationwide, the changing climate is hitting communities regardless of age. “When the weather is mild,” he says, “even older systems can continue to operate effectively. However, the shifting weather patterns we’re experiencing are placing a much greater demand on HVAC systems, which account for most of buildings’ energy consumption. Twenty years ago, the weather was more stable, but now it’s more common to see temperatures swing from 20 degrees in the morning to 60 degrees in the afternoon on a winter day.” 

“HVAC is typically the single biggest consumer of utilities in an apartment building, and often the area with the most energy waste,” says James Hannah, managing director of Parity, a remote HVAC optimization software company with a portfolio of client buildings in New York and New Jersey. “We know from a return-on-investment standpoint that optimizing the performance of your existing systems, rather than replacing them, is right up there at the top of the list of the most cost-effective steps a building can take to reduce consumption. You can focus on not consuming more energy than you need to meet demand. In recent years, most buildings have converted their lighting to more efficient LEDs. Now they need to see what more we can do by focusing on HVAC and other parts of the building.” 

According to Charlie Read, vice president of development at New York-based energy provider Energo, “Extreme heat events have certainly made cooling demands spike in buildings, and unfortunately it can be difficult for people to conserve energy. Window air conditioning units aren’t the most efficient, however, for some buildings, moving away from window AC units is too expensive and extensive of a project.”

However, he continues, “Something co-op and condominium boards can do is create different committees to help deal specifically with issues like energy efficiency. It is such a broad and multifaceted topic that having a committee who can more fully understand the landscape is something we’ve seen to be highly effective in helping boards make informed and timely decisions. That’s especially important now, when boards are having to navigate rising insurance costs, high interest rates, local laws, and other pressing matters.”  

Optimization & Technology Integration

“The shift towards warmer winters and hotter summers necessitates the need for versatile strategies in HVAC systems for multifamily buildings and HOAs,” says Read. “From upgrading equipment and enhancing energy efficiency to adapting building designs, proactive measures are essential to alleviate the impacts on comfort, energy consumption, and operating costs.” 

“We are often approached by buildings whose existing heating systems are near the end of their useful life,“ says Read, “and when that happens, we talk internally to see if it’s practical to explore electrification to…meet the city’s emissions targets. When discussing building electrification, we also need to consider how the city and state can generate renewable energy, and make sure the grid is ready for an increased demand across the board.”

“Technology gives buildings the ability to make fixes before issues become catastrophic,” says Hoffman, while also noting the growing need for systems to go online and integrate tools like smart controls and automated sensors, “It used to be that to control the building, you had to go down to the basement—but after the pandemic, we saw a shift to combatting the disruption of weather events like hurricanes and snowstorms by controlling the building remotely. By utilizing technology, building operations can be monitored over the internet. We have tools that allow us to adapt in real time”

Resident Comfort & Energy Efficiency

“Tenant comfort also goes hand in hand with energy efficiency,“ says Read, ”It is well worth looking at what residents can do to improve performance. We look at creative solutions to keep buildings on track with improving sustainability, rather than a complete overhaul. We’re seeing these conversations becoming more frequent. Most building owners are already talking about LL97, so when you go into these discussions there isn’t as much of a learning curve as there was in the past. We know what’s coming up, and what we need to take into consideration. The goal is to make buildings as efficient as possible. Everyone can get on board with saving money and making capital improvements.”

Government regulations can feel overwhelming to boards and their management companies, but Hannah says it also creates opportunities for buildings to reduce costs and enhance tenant comfort. He says that “Being open minded to available technology solutions is smart. Dynamic HVAC control is a great application for automation. We use it to make small adjustments to the different systems in real-time to deliver savings, revenue and allow the resident managers to spend less time making manual adjustments.”

Regarding climate guidelines and regulations, Hoffman adds, “There are variations of guidelines in almost all major cities now to incentivize people to have these types of conversations. What was once unfamiliar territory is a more common topic of discussion. Climate change is on everyone’s radar.” 

As weather patterns continue to grow more erratic, the need for better efficiency and more dynamic indoor environmental systems becomes critical to ensure both residents’ comfort and operational efficiency, and highlights the importance of optimizing existing building systems, integrating advanced technologies, and adhering to regulatory standards. By encouraging proactive conversations and embracing innovative approaches, property owners, managers, and HOAs can skillfully navigate the challenges posed by climate change.

Kate Mattiace is Associate Editor of CooperatorNews New Jersey.