RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Brief Overview

The resident’s association at Kings Point has had the thankless task of monitoring increasing energy costs across a retirement community housing more than 13,000 residents in Delray Beach, Florida.

Vesta Property Services, responsible for the site’s daily operations had been forced to pass those increasing energy costs on to residents as part of a standard monthly assessment fee.

With year on year increases between 10 and 15% energy costs presented a serious issue for the retired residents who were required to pay any
increases out of their fixed retirement incomes.

The Kings Point team were no stranger to energy saving initiatives. They had already been burnt on a previous installation of an expensive solar system fitted to an outside pool, resulting in negligible savings and a 15-20 year payback period. This was just one of many energy saving initiatives that had promised them a lot, and delivered little.

The EnergyMaps formula presented an opportunity for the Kings Point association to take charge of their rising energy costs, providing them with a transparent and proven approach to energy monitoring and efficiency.

No longer would the management team need to accept the exaggerated claims of well-versed salespeople, they would be in the driving seat, and the energy savings would be there for all to see.

“EnergyMaps gives a clear and easy to follow process that everyone can understand. Investing in alternative energy is expensive, identifying wasteful practices and inefficient equipment results in far less investment and more money in our customers’ pocket from day one.”

The first stage in the EnergyMaps process focuses on bringing current energy consumption under control, following the mantra, ‘You can’t
control what you can’t measure’.

Following a comprehensive initial site survey, Eco Energy installed the Eniscope Real Time Energy Management solution at one of the main energy hotspots identified. Attention was focused around a large clubhouse where much of the residents’ day-to-day activity took place.

The Eniscope would enable Dave and his team to monitor activity and usage patterns at the complex, enabling him to prepare a full commercial energy audit, with savings suggestions, using the collected data.

Prior to installation Dave walked the committee through the process. He explained his methodology, explaining that the goal was to control, reduce and ultimately eliminate their energy costs. His agreement with the client stated that should a 25% saving be possible they would act on his suggestions.

When it came to the full commercial energy audit, the potential for savings was clear for everybody to see. Dave put together a plan of action for the committee and prepared a presentation to explain how the reductions could be achieved, and the payback period they could expect to receive on any investment

Dave and his team work hard to provide each client with an attractive return on investment period. On this occasion, due to the complexity of the site, a payback period of 4 years was necessary. This fell outside the standard 2-year target zone Dave and his team usually work within; however, it was preferable to the 15-
20 years offered to King’s Point by previous solutions.

Key to his proposals was the information he had gathered throughout the auditing and survey process. Without a full site survey, the data collected from the Eniscope solution, and a good understanding of their energy costs he would have been unable to identify thekey areas of consumption, demonstrate the savings, and provide a payback period.

Combining retrofit LED lighting systems with motion sensors, Aircosense, Chilled Unit Energy Savers (CUES) and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on pool
motors across the site.

The solution he put forward combined retrofit LED lighting systems in conjunction with motion sensors, Aircosense, Chilled Unit Energy Savers (CUES), as well as Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on pool motors across the site.

Dave and his team were asked to attend the next meeting of the energy committee and present their solution. Viewing the Eniscope historical data for themselves, the committee had no hesitation in voting the proposed package through by 15 votes to 1, with the 1 vote only opting for a longer period to consider the option.

This result means that the payback period has been reduced from the estimated 4 years to just 2, providing a return on investment much earlier than originally anticipated. Further opportunities to push those savings even further are now being investigated, as the management team explore the potential to extend the scheme to other areas of the site.

Every resident has already received the first reduction in their monthly assessment fees, helping them keep more of their monthly budget for the nicer things in life. There has been no compromise in lighting quality, with many residents reporting better levels of light in key areas of the site.

Just over 12 months on, Kings Point has benefited from an up to 35% reduction in their annual energy spend, resulting in a cash saving of $120,000 in year one.

Commenting on the result, Lisa Manzione, Vice President, Special Projects at Vesta Facilities Management says “We would absolutely recommend the BEST
product to other companies. Vesta property services will continue to implement the products across the facilities we manage so that we can pass on the reductions to our residents.”

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