VOLUNTARY RENTAL LIVING UNIT PROGRAM. Brian K$ Fay Wisconsin Gas Company

Transcription

1 VOLUNTARY RENTAL LIVING UNIT PROGRAM Brian K$ Fay Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany ABSTRACT In 1980, after cnsj_dering a mandatry rental cnservatin prgram, and meeting frmidable ppsitin, Wiscnsin's Public Service Cmmissin rdered the present Vluntary Rental Living Unit (RLU) Cnservatin Prgram. The ten larger state utilities required t participate were each allwed t design their wn prgram, but it had t include: A Cmmissin apprved energy cnservatin standarde Structural audits. An "Energy Efficien.cy Seal and Certificate" fr thse meeting the standard~ audits fr tenants $ Use f an cmmittee and utreach grups$ Media advertising $ Thrugh the end f 1983, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany prvided RLU audits t sme 11,444 buildings cntaining ver 46,000 living units@ Apprximately 2,600 Seals and Certificates have been awarded cvering 9,677 units~ The s fcus has been t persuade wners t qualify fr the Seal and Certificate and renters t lk fr it~ Owner acceptance has depended n the Cmpany's ability t the standard as a ratinal, mney-saving tl fr management@ effective has been a Advertising Prgram which pays a prtin f rental advertising csts fr wners wh qualify fr the Seal and Certificate~ Ad cpy carries the Seal and s puts it in frnt f perspective renters 0 Barriers t Prgram participatin have centered n cst; even measures with gd paybacks can be insurmuntably expensive, especially fr wners f and lw-incme rental prperty. Beginning January, 1985, Wiscnsin will nearly all rental prperty t meet a new, state-wide energy cde prir t transfer f title$ The Cmmissin since last August has required this cde t be used as the cnservatin stan.dard fr the RLlT Prgram* The ptential fr incnsistencies within the cde arui fr being secnd guessed by cde inspectrs may spell the end f the Rental Unit Prgram~ (;-18

2 BRIAN K. VOLUNTARY RENTAL LIVING UNIT PROGRAM Brian K~ Fay Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany INTRODUCTION On February 14, 1980, the Public Service Cmmissin f Wiscnsin issued mandatry energy cnservatin standards fr rental prperties ft The issuing rder required that wners nt in cmpliance t pay a penalty rate fr natural gas r lse gas service t their buildings& After numerus petitins fr a rehearing frm utilities, landlrds, and realtrs, the Cmmissin, agreed t additinal hearingsg Varius cmmunity and civic grups testify that such a prgram wuld encurage abandnment f marginal prperties, wuld result in rent increases fr tenants, and that it wuld cntribute t an already serius shrtage f rental husing~ As a result f these hearings, utilities were allwed t develp vluntary prgrams fr rental prperty wners t parti~ipate in~ Hwever, the Cmnissin had als made it clear that if a vluntary apprach failed, it wuld again cnsider impsing a mandatry prgram. Each utility designed their wn prgram t reflect unique characteristics and cnservatin needs in its service territry& Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany submitted its Vluntary Rental Living Unit Prgram Plan n February 20, 1981 t the Public Service Cmmissin f Wiscnsin and started Prgram peratin in May f 1981~ The Prgram had five parts: Ie An Advisry Cmmittee representing varius grups that wuld be invlved in achieving energy cnservatin ( e@ge, landlrds, tenants, lenders, realtrs, etc~) was frmed t help frmulate and advise the Rental Livi.ng Unit Prgram0 2@ Structural energy audits were ffered t rental prperty wners t define the weatherizatin levels necessary t with tile Vluntary Efficiency Standards the Public Service Cmmissin~ 3 ~ Cnservatin Dleasures were prmted by awarding f an Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate t prperties which met (r exceeded) the Energy Efficiency Standards~ 4@ Tenants were ffered energy audits that wuld address cnservatin based n lifestyle changes~ (These were called Persnal Energy Use AuditS0) 5@ Advertisements were t be develped, aimed at bth landlrds and tenants t make them aware f the prgram~

3 BRIAN K. T implement the Prgram, the Rental Living Unit Department had been staffed with ne Supervisr, tw Cnservatin Specialists and ne clerical supprt persn When needed, additinal supprt has been drawn frm related Cnservatin Prgrams within the Cmpany~ The Cnservatin Specialists audit prperties that are 17 units and largere The Cmpany's Residential Energy Audit staff, whse primary jb is t prvide ReS audits, handles all smaller prperties. ~bat fllws is a detailed examinatin f the five Prgram cmpnents listed abve& ADVISORY COMMITTEE Because f the large number f rental living units within the metrplitan Milwaukee service area, the Cmpany believed that the Prgram wuld have the greatest chance fr success if a wrking Advisry Cmmittee were made up f members with different backgrunds and fields f expertise, all dealing with rental husing in the Greater Milwaukee area~ The members included Manager, Residential and Cmmercial Services, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany; Landlrd/Tenant Specialist with ESHAC; Department f City Develpment; Directr, University f Wiscnsin-Harambee Prgram; Manager, Cnsumer Infrmatin, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany; Supervisr, Cmmercial Services" Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany; Assciate Directr f Scial Develpment Cmmissin; Secretary f Incme Prperty Owners Assciatin; Field Supervisr, Rental Living Unit, Wiscnsin Gas CmpsI'!-Y; Syncn Crpratin, Energy Cnsultants; President, Institute f Real Estate Management; City f Milwaukee Building Inspectr; Manager, First Wiscnsin Natinal Bank; Building Owners/Managers Assciatin (B.OeMeA).and Wiscnsin Electric Pwer Cmpany@ The Cmmittee's first task was t set up lng and shrt term gals within the guidelines established by the Public Service Cmmissin rder 0 Then wrkable prgrams had t be put in place t achieve these gals. Finally, strng supprt fr the Prgram and fr energy cnservatin verall had t be built, particularly amng the cmmittee members' peers (e~g0 landlrds, tenan.ts, realtrs, city planners and cnnnunity actin agencies 0 ) The Advisry Cmmittee identified a need fr the fllwing prgram elements t meet the guidelines established by the Public Service Cmmissin Order: Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate t be awarded t energy efficient prperties~ Prmte the Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate Standards t rental prperty landlrds and tenantse Develpment f methds t encurage prspective tenants t seek residency in prperties certified as "Energy Efficient~n Cmplete structural audits fr landlrds t identify csteffective imprvements~ Cmplete persnalized energy use audits fr tenants t address cnservatin pprtunities in persnal energy usee

4 BRIAN K. STANDARDS All f the abve were incrprated int ne cmprehensive prgram 0 The Vluntary Energy Efficient Standards used in Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany's prgram were develped by the Public Service Cmmissin (PSC) f Wiscnsin 0 One set f standards is applied t buildings f fur units r less, and anther set was written fr buildings with five r mre unitse This secnd, mre general standards were used fr larger structures because f their equipment architectural styles, cnstructin materials and methds. Smaller buildings, because f their similarity in cnstructin methds and style, culd be evaluated by applying a prescribed set f measures. The standards fr prperties with fur units r less fcused primarily n measures installed within the building envelpe$> In summary, these standards are: Ceiling insulatin between R-19 and R-38 depending n the available space@ Insulatin ver attic access hatches0 Caulking, exterir and interir@ Weatherstripping in gd cnditin0 Strm 'tv'indws and drs available and in use & Bx sill insulatin f R-19 bx sill is the area frmed by the junctin f flr jists, header ji.st, and the fundatin)e Insulatin f all crawl space areas0 Ventilatin fr attic areas@ with five r mre uni.ts, the PSC recgnized that there was mre in characteristics~ Mrever, it understd that man.y f the mst cst-effective energy saving imprvements in these bnlldings are thse t the mechanical systems rather than the envelpe~ While envelpe imprvements can be easily "prescribed", mechanical system imprvementscan.nt~ Therefre, fr the five unit and ver buildings, the PSC gave ~-ners the f tile same standards as applicable fr smaller a perfrmance based standard. The standards that design heat lss, excluding infiltratin and ventilatin, thrugh abve-grade grss walls and ceiling/rf heated i.nterirs shall nt exceed 13 BTUH/SQFT fr the ttal building If this heat lss is exceeded but B.dditinal innvative building system designs can reduce fuel cnsumptin t the equivalent f 13 BTUH/SQFT the perfrmance standard is als cnsidered t be met~ In additin t these

5 BRIAN K~ requirements all exterir windws and drs must be designed t limit leakage int r ut f the building and must be weatherstripped and caulked & As will be discussed later, bth standards have wrked very well and have been accepted by prperty wners as achievable cnservatin measures. STRUCTURAL AUDITS The secnd cmpnent f the Prgram is t audit the rental prperty upn wner request r at the request f a tenant J with written apprval by the wner~ All Wiscnsin Gas custmers are eligible fr an energy audit@ Fr a building t be sealed and certified "Energy Efficient", ne half f the building must be heated with gas& Since the start f the Prgram, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany has cnducted apprximately 10,765 audits n 11,444 bui gs, cnsisting f 45,764 units~ Of the abve audits, 2~600 buildings and 9,677 units were awarded the Efficient Seal and Certificate A breakdwn fr 1983 shws audits f with ne t sixteen units f 3,787 and 9,026 units were Of thse and 1,119 units were Sealed and Certified f seventeen units and cnsist f 879 units were, f which and 4, 127 units were certified Rental very similar t thse Audits f structures with five energy audit in that invlve a cnsideratin f the fur units r less are residential structures * mre differ frm the basic f the building's heat lss and cling systems@ One t fur unit buildings are cmpleted under the Cmpany's Residential Cnservatin Services Prgram, with the audits perfrmed by the Residential Audit staff~ The audits are prefrmed at n charge t the custmer~ cst is apprximately $110&00 and takes tw hurs n-sitee The Wiscnsin Res audit e 0Ys a cmbined cmputer terminal and prtable the custmer's telephne, the terminal can be linked directly prgram in the Cmpany's mainframe cmputer@ This the custmer immediate infrmatin n first year savings, csts, cntractr csts, and payback perids fr any recmmended energy cnservatin measures based n site specific data entered by the auditr n lcatin~ The cmputer print-ut f the cnservatin measures and are reviewed with the custmer, alng with a separate checklist entitled and This checklist shws the custmer which cnservatin items must be cmpleted t receive the Energy Efficient Seal and Certificatee Fr prperties f fur units r less these weatherizatin are itemized@ f five t sixteen units are als audited by the Cmpany's Audit Staff@ But, fr this class f prperties, a Cnservafrm the Rental Living Unit will discuss a thennal perfrmance the prperty wner and develp a specific list f pssible measures necessary fr the prperty t be certified@ Such a c-

6 BRIAN Ke list differs frm structure t structure due t the unique characteristics f each building 0 The fllwing are sme f the mst cmmn cnservatin measures that are required fr this class f larger rental prperties: Imprve biler efficiency by prviding peridic cleaning and tuning f the heating system(s)~ Clean the utside cmbustin air grill t ensure an unbstructed entrance fr utside air~ Recalibrate all cntrl systemse (eg~, site guages n heating systems, timers, thermstats etc~) Develp a maintenance plan fr steam traps~ Repair leaks in dmestic ht water pipes and hydrnic heating piping~ Insulate hydrnic heating and dmestic ht water pipes0 Increase attic insulatin t R-38~ Insulate the bx sill t R-190 Caulk and weatherstrip windws and drs~ Prvide strms fr windws and drs~ Install air cnditiner cvers during the heating seasnse Audits f buildings seventeen units and larger are cmpleted by a Cnservatin Specialist * Cnservatin have an energy audit backgrund, and have received additinal training in the areas f HVAC systems, cntrl systems, and larger building cnstructin methds~ Currently the Cnservatin Specialist checks the building envelpe, C"'8Jl'~'l1""O'fnI~, dmestic ht water living units and lightingf! In these five areas there are apprximately seventy different items that are nted fr pssible evaluatin 0 Audit prcedures are reviewed peridically and additinal items are incrprated int the audit as the need artses& After the audit f buildings, the Cnservatin Specialist returns t the ffice t cmplete the analysis f the audit~ The Specialist determines if the building meets the 13 BTUH!SQFT heat lss~ If the perfrmance index is 13 BTUH!SQFT r less and n infiltratin measures are prescribed, the structure is classified as being in cmpliance with requi.rements fr the Seal and Certificate~ Even if the buildings meets standards, additinal recmmendatins are als made t increase the building's efficiency~ If the perfrmance index is greater than 13 BTUH/SQFT a nn-cmpliance classificatin is given~ Cnservatin itenls are listed n the audit reprt that are required t be cmpleted s the building can receive a Seal and Certificate* Other recmmen.datins that may further increase energy efficiency are als listed* (;-23

7 BRIAN K. On required items we wrk with the wner shwing what cnservatin measures will save in dllars which selectin f measllres can be cmpleted t reach the 13 BTU Heat Lss Perfrmance Index& When weatheri.zatin f buildings f seventeen units r greater is needed, the requirements are nt usually cmpleted by the wner ver a shrt perid f time. Many f these take the wner a year r tw years t cmplete~ Thugh installatin f all weatherizatin measures may take wners a cnsiderable amunt f time, mst ~~ers are able t cmplete lw-cst building peratin and maintenance prcedures recmmended during the energy audit relatively quickly~ By ding this, they realize immediate results in the way f reduced perating csts, thereby ptentially prviding additinal cash flw which can be used fr mre capitl-intensive imprvements@ A majr barrier wners face in cmpleting cnservatin measures has been financing~ N special frm f cnservatin financing r tax prgram is avail~ able t an wner f larger buildings~ Owners f fur-family and smaller rental buildings can have these prperties weatherized thrugh Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany's Lw-Incme Weatherizatin Prgram~ This Prgram ffers wners with lw-incme tenants (150% f the Federal Pverty Guidelines), weatherizatin whse cst can be paid back ver five years at 0% interest r repaid entirely at time f again with n interest@ Wiscnsin Gas has fund it very beneficial t check back with the custmer t see hw are prgressing n the requirements~ When we d this, it them the incentive t cmplete the required measures~ Often, we find that have cmpleted all the requirements fr the Seal and Certificate, but did nt arund t us fr a pst-installatin inspectin. SEAL AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAM As mentined previusly, upn cmpletin f a structural audit, a rental wner is infrmed f the weatherizatin imprvements necessary t receive an UEnergy Efficient Seal and Certificate" ~ Upn ntificatin by the wner that these imprvements have been cmpleted, a pst-installatin inspectin is made t determine whether the building actually cnfrms t the Energy Cnservatin Standards established by the Public Service Cmmissine meets r exceeds the standa.rds, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany then Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate~ The purpse f the Seal and Certificate is t create an image f energy fr the invlved~ Wiscnsin Gas generally recmmends that the Seal be placed n the entrance dr f the rental living unit fr all tenants, bth current and prspective, t see@ Thrugh media prmtin, tenants are encuraged t seek ut such certified prperties fr C-24

8 BRIAN K. COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING PROGRAM T further prmte the Seal and Certificate Prgram, the Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany has als develped an advertising prgram~ Believing that rental prperty wners wuld benefit by shwing tenants they are ding their part t help keep rents dwn by cnserving energy, tile Cmpany established a Cperative Advertising Prgram that reimbt1.rses prperty wners and cndmini'um assciatins 25% f their ad csts when they display the Energy Efficient Seal r a predetermined phrase in their advertisements & This advertising wrks in cnjunctin with ther prmtins t encurage prspective tenants r buyers, t lk fr the Wiscnsin Gas Energy Efficient Seal when lking fr a place t live@ This prgram began in Nvember, 1983~ All custmers wh had received the Seal and Certificate prir t that time were ntified by letter abut the Prgram$ Custmers receiving the Seal and Certificate after Nvember, 1983 received their Cperative Advertising Prgram infrmatin with their Seal and Certificate& T qualify fr the reimbursement, the ~ental prperties must have received the Energy Efficient Seal & Certificate0 Display ads must have the Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate pictured in the ad and in-clumn advertising must cntain the phrase and Certified Energy Efficient by Wiscnsin Gasn~ The basic design and frmat f all advertising is left t the wner's discretin, althugh Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany reserves the right t require that ads meet certain stipulatins t be eligible fr cperative payments tward csts~ Custmers are reimbursed upn submissin f their adverbill, Seal and File Number and a tear sheet cpy f the ad~ the Cperative Campaign is nly six mnths ld, it appears t he the best we have taken t prmte the Rental Living Unit and t an added incentive fr the prperty wner t meet the current Seal and Certificate Standards~ OTHER PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS In additin t the Advertising Prgrant, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany is the Rental Living Unit Prgram thrugh media advertisements and direct mailings t landlrds~ The primary purpse is t familiarize tenants and landlrds with the energy cnservatin service prvided by the and with the Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate~ With t the Energy Efficient Seal and Certificate, the prmtinal material encurages tenants t lk fr and ask abut the certificatin when fr an apartment, and encuraging landlrds wh meet the cnservatin fr ceztificatin t display the Seal in a prminent and cnspicuus lcatin0 c-

9 BRIAN K& Direct mailings have been particularly effective at reaching landlrds ~ Wiscnsin Gas has wrked with lcal gvernment fficials, realtrs and rental prperty rganizatins t identify the wners f rental prperties s they may be cntacted directly abut the prgramt> Thugh such mailing has had a remarkably high 25% respnse rate, direct mail can be a very time cnsuming prcess with a limited staff~ The use f televisin and radi advertising has prbably been the least effective in rea.ching the landlrd but has wrked well in reaching the tenant 0 Ads were run during the Milwaukee Brewer baseball games using lcal sprt figures 0 Again, the intent was t urge tenants t lk fr Seal and Certificate prperties, and s indirectly t encurage landlrds t participate in the Prgram@ At the end f the ads a telephne number was given t call fr further infrmatin~ The majrity f calls that came in were frm tenants&; Newspaper advertising was directed at bth wners and Ads directed tenants t ulk fr the "Energy Efficient Seal u befre renting", and that this was ne way t knw fr sure if their rental prperty wuld save r waste mney and energy 0 Ads directed at wners tld them t save n energy csts and prve it t their tenants by having their building sealed and certified UEnergy Efficient"@ PERSONAL ENERGY USE PRESENTATION The last f the Wiscnsin Gas Rental Unit has been the develpment f cnservatin infrmatin t help renters cnserve energy their energy use habits~ Presentatins have been t shw tenants f a rental cmplex what can d t help save energy fr themselves r their landlrds, and~ at the same time, make their units mre cmfrtable fr themselves~ have been made fr tenants in grups cndminium assciatins, and buildings cnverted t Presentatins t tenants fcus n the lw-incme and The wrk n tenants' awareness that by paying a little mre attentin t the way d rutine activities, they can cut energy waste in their dwn and Shut sectin f the shws hw cst can be cut with n investment~ We als explain hw t read a gas meter and hw gas is used in their With the elderly we cver and nutritin0 All grup presentatins include shwing f slides, and answer the distributin f hand-ut materials and fr an verall pinin f the presentatin~ Persnal Use are dne fr cndminium assciatins are used t draw all t members tgether~ At this time the Cmpany presents the f f the structural audit~ This enables all members t help decide which cnservatin items shuld be undertaken first~ In additin, individual wners are tld what CB.n d t reduce energy csts in their wn units~ (;-26

10 Fr smaller prperties, presentatins are als dne individually. If the wner is having a structural audit dne s the attditr will tllen talk t ea.ch individual tenant, shwi.ng them what can be dne in their individual unit at n cst r lw If the wner will nt assent t a structural audit, Wiscnsin Gas will d a Persnal Energy Use Audit f the apartment fr the tenant wh requested the audit, primarily addressing their persnal energy use habits. In either f these presentatins, the tenants are given Rental Living Unit Tena.nt KitStt These kits cnsist f cnservatin literature, weatherstripping, rpe caulk, scket and light switch seals, flw restrictrs, and a dr sweepe By giving the tenant these items they are encuraged t d smething t help themselves and becme invlved in verall cnservatin effrtstt As nted, the last type f Persnal Eenergy Uuse presentatin we d is fr prperty wners wh cnvert their building t submetering~ Submetering invlves the installatin f individual fuel usage mnitrs in eac.h unit f a rental prperty currently heated by a central heating unit~ The submetering allws the building wner t mnitr each tenant 1 s energy usage and, if desired, assess spaceheating csts accrdinglye The Public Service Cmmissin has lng been cncerned that submetering may prvide the pprtunity fr a prperty wner t pass the cst f heating n t tenants withut weatherizing the prperty$ In respnse t this cncern, Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany has established a that it ffers assistance t laldlrds cnsidering submetering, the wner must agree t have an energy audit n his building and cmply with the Seal and Certificate Only after th,e wner has cmpleted any cnservatin items will the Rental Living Unit Staff make a presentatin t the tenants f the building~ In this presentatin, the Cmpany that the wner has implemented cnservatin measures t increase the's and infrms the tenants what can undertake t An explanatin i.s als given n hw will has been instrumental in getting the landlrds wh were anyway t signiflcant cnservatin as wel10 Fr example, a prperty wner called and devices and asked culd t his tenants0 We agreed t d s if he wuld allw us t audit and if he wuld weatherize the invlved prperties t the Cmmissin Standards~ The wner n submetering equipment in five buildings, invlving a ttal f 198 units0 In t Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany terms, the wner als weatherstr$ cd drs, replaced cracked r missing caulk, insulated heating and dmestic ht water piping, and adjusted misaligned windws~ This cmplex, since the i.nstallatin f submetering and cnservatin measures, has realized a 22% reductin in natural gas usage0 As a result f this submetering plicy, the Cmpany has fund perhaps the best way t implement the submetering is t d s tenant by tenant as their C-21

11 BRIAN K. leases expire~ Once the tenants have accepted the switch-ver they can be ffered a Persnal Energy Use audit in rder t help them reduce their energy use and understand the cncept f submetering~ PROGRAM FUTURE On January 1, 1984, Wiscnsin Gas' Seal an4 Certificate requirements were superceded by the new State Rental Energy Efficiency Cde, administered by the Department f Industry, Labr and Human Relatins (DILHR) and scheduled t g int effect statewide n January 1, 1985~ These new standards will be enfrced by the State f Wiscnsin thrugh title transfer s that if a prperty wner decides t sell his r her rental prperty after January 1, 1985 that prperty will have t meet the new state cde(f An alternative ptin is fr the purchaser f the rental prperty t accept the respnsibility fr bringing the building int cmpliance; the seller wuld submit the title t DILHR fr authrizatin f the title transfer & The new cde is mre stringent than the Public Service Cmmissin cde previusly used fr issuing the Energy Efficient Seal and Certificates(f In additin t previus requirements~ side wall insulatin, fundatin insulatin, and pipe insulatin are required& All f these cnservatin items are required nly if they will meet a five-year simple payback perid& Mrever, the DI~HR Cde des nt prvide landlrds the ptin f a perfrmance standard fr their The DILHR Cde has nt been well received by the prperty wners@ Many wners feel are already verburdened with cdes and regulatins and they have started t wrk n changes r repeal f the cde~ Since January I, 1984 Wiscnsin Gas has nly issued Seals and Certificates t tw rental prperties0 In the same last year 195 Seals and Certificates were issued@ and Certificate and DILHR will be administered and will be ding energy audits f the same Als, the DILHR Standards allw fr a brad inter- Wiscnsin Gas believes that this fact, alng with the pssibility energy audits, will cause cnfusin n the part f the prperty wner I<> Fr this reasn, the has petitined the Public Service Cmmissin f Wiscnsin t the Seal and Certificate Prgrame Since the state will sn be implementing its wn State Rental Energy Efficiency Cde, we believe that there is n reasn t duplicate effrts 0 We have prpsed that we be allwed t audit ne~t-fur unit buildings under ur Residential Cnservatin Services and buildings f five units r mre wuld be under the new Cmmercial and Cnservatin Services Prgram, mandated by the Public Service Cmmissin t becm.e effective in August f 1984~ With these changes, Efficient Seals and Certificates wuld NOT be issued~ As f this time, the Public Service Cmmissin has nt rendered a judgement f the Wiscnsin Gas

12 BRIAN Ke CONCLUSION Wiscnsin Gas Cmpany's Rental Living Unit Area is a majr surce f infrmatin fr landlrds and tenants n the imprtance and benefits f energy cnservatin in rental prperties & The prgram has wrked best when cntact is initially made with the prperty wner, and the wner becmes interested and invlved~ The next step has always been t get the tenants f thse buildiilgs invlved. Prmting and achieving energ'y cnservatin can be a very challenging undertaking~ We have fund it best t tailr recmmendatins t each particular building, prpert;l wner, and tenant grupe There appears t be n universally applicable methd f prmting energy cnservatin r cmpleting energy audits fr rental prperties~ We have and will cntinue t implement new methds t prmte cnservatin in the rental sectr f the husing market~