From the monthly archives: February 2020
I grew up in unincorporated Fresno, California (the part of Fresno that Fresno didn’t want). It was rural. We were on well water and grew crops. The barn was built in 1912 and the house in 1913. We modernized the house and eventually added a pool.
We didn’t have a lot of money […]
As we work within our universe of utility management, our job descriptions often require us to be at least some part asset manager, regional supervisor, property manager, service manager, project manager, financial analyst, auditor, accountant, sales, marketing, IT, and (increasingly) environmentalist. The cool kids’ word of the day is “sustainability,” and though we […]
One of the most overlooked aspects of property management is maintenance. The maintenance team is on the front lines of the community, interacting with and satisfying residents, and saving money by extending the life of appliances and equipment. It’s a mistake to underestimate their value.
“The service team is the heartbeat of return on investment, […]
With increasing frequency, the term net zero is entering conversations around the design and operation of the built environment. This is an important goal, but what if what we are designing and calling net zero will not be net zero for decades?
The impact of the built environment is well documented and accounts […]
Have you ever watched a Godzilla movie? Just when you think Godzilla is on the ropes and going down, dying, he gets up stronger and more powerful and angrier. Recycling is kind of like that. For those of you who thought recycling was going down, it was going to die when China closed […]
Nationally, apartment starts in 2019 were 116 percent of the 2018 level. Analysts expect a 1 percent increase in new apartment projects in 2020, followed by a 4 percent increase in 2021. Even with continued rent growth in many areas, as well as 22 percent of young adults (ages 25 to 34) delaying […]
Website EVAdoption reports that in 2018, plug-in electrical vehicles (EVs) made up about 2 percent of total light vehicle sales nationally. In California, it was nearly 8 percent. Indeed, the 153,000 plug-in electric vehicles sold in California represent almost half of national electric vehicle sales. New York, Florida, Washington and Texas all saw […]
Hope so. City and state mandate deadlines are approaching, some sooner than others.
Last year’s introduction of AB 802 mandated benchmarking for the entire state of California on residential buildings over 50,000 sq. ft. Until this year, the Golden State only required municipalities (cities and counties) to track and record energy performance on […]
