Summertime is here and with it, conservation and consumption awareness become top of mind. In the summer we use water and electricity at much larger volumes. In fact, NWP’s energy consumption data for the Midwest shows electricity and water use increased 22 percent and 24 percent, respectively, from spring to summer 2014.

Water is fundamental […]

Green has finally arrived in multifamily. Or so it seems.

While it’s taken a few years to mature and take hold inside the apartment space, on-going evidence of its value has made going green more desirable to lenders, developers, and now apartment operators.

Just what is the real value of green certifications to apartment owners, […]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded its first ENERGY STAR certification to 17 apartment buildings in the fourth quarter of 2014.

From New York to Seattle, pioneering owners and their buildings were recognized for the superior energy efficiency of their sites, thereby increasing affordability, protecting public health and tempering climate change. The number of ENERGY […]

Some of the latest legislation to affect apartment utilities has come from California, Texas and Chicago.

California: California Senate Bill 7 was introduced in January of 2015. SB 7 represents a continuation of the 2014 legislative attempt to mandate installation of submeters in newly constructed buildings and to regulate resident billing via Senate Bills 750 […]

We have a leak. A big one.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that America loses a trillion gallons of water every year to leaks. Malfunctioning sprinkler heads, drippy faucets and especially faulty toilets are just some of the culprits. It’s what some refer to as deferred maintenance and neither lenders nor potential property buyers look […]

Time is short and conservation measures need to happen now—just ask California Governor Jerry Brown who on April 1 implemented unprecedented mandatory water restrictions due to dwindling water supplies. In an effort to make the most of our time, Bell Partners has monitored the water usage of over 24,000 individual apartment units. By partnering with […]

One thing we know for sure–It will take a long time for the country to adjust to the drought across the western states, particularly in California. But this is about more than California. It’s about economics. And it’s about apartment utilities.

First, economics: California is the largest federal taxpayer of all U.S. states, paying more […]

Submetering enables utility cost recovery as it allows utility billing providers like NWP to allocate utility charges to residents based on actual consumption, helping property owners recover several hundred dollars per unit in annual operating expense.

Submetering increases property value because it is a capital investment that leads to increased recurring revenue. You gain resident […]

July 3, 2015, is the 30th anniversary of the Academy Award winning movie, Back to the Future. If you have spent the last 30 years under a rock, you may be unfamiliar with this sci-fi masterpiece.

A brief synopsis: high school student, Marty McFly, is sent back in time in a hot rod DeLorean […]