How to Manage Energy Costs in Apartment Complexes and Multifamily Residences 

Managing energy costs is essential for your business survival if you’re a multi-family residence or apartment complex owner that includes utilities in the rental charges. If the utility expenses are too, you’re highly likely to make losses from the rental property. Moreover, this can make it difficult to compete with larger operations since the utilities you pay from your duplexes and apartments will exceed your budget, causing great financial concern. 

Thankfully, this article has some energy-saving tips you can consider when creating the MEP design for apartment complexes or multi-family homes to prevent that. 

Choose an HVAC design for apartment complexes that meets your needs! 

Several factors come into play when selecting the ideal HVAC design for condos and other multifamily rental properties. It’s important to understand these factors before you make your buying decision. That way, you can rest assured that you’re getting exactly what you want to cool and heat your duplexes, apartments, or multi-family homes. 

These factors include; 

Size. Avoid installing heating & cooling that is too small or too big for your building. For instance, installing an improperly sized HVAC system tends to break down frequently, increasing the maintenance and replacement costs. To avoid such issues, choose an HVAC system size that works for the entire apartment or multifamily building. 

Energy efficiency. While choosing an HVAC system for your apartment, compare the initial installation costs to the amount of savings you’ll get in the long run. Typically, energy-efficient HVAC design for multifamily buildings may have higher initial costs, but provide significant savings over time. 

Cost. Chances are that you’ve got a budget in mind when looking for an HVAC system for your multifamily buildings. If that’s the case, make sure you select an MEP design for condos and multi-family homes that allows you to stick to your budget. 

Types of HVAC design systems for apartments & Multifamily residences 

The kind of HVAC design for condos and other multifamily rental properties mainly depends on energy efficiency and cost. One expense provides benefits over time, while the other is immediate. All in all, there are 2 types of HVAC systems you can choose for your rental property. 

They include; 

• Decentralized HVAC system. Centralized cooling and heating mean that conditioned air is supplied into the living spaces from a central location like a mechanical room or basement. 
• Centralized HVAC system. This type of HVAC system comprises separate units for each residential unit. As a result, if one HVAC unit goes out, the other units will not be affected. The only drawback of this system is it’s quite expensive to buy individual units for each residential unit. 

How to save with MEP design for Multi-Family residences

As a multifamily or apartment complex owner, keeping the overhead costs low requires skill and knowledge. Many owners of multifamily rental buildings have adopted HVAC systems that work well for their buildings in terms of energy savings. 

On the bright side, the following tips will help your tenants stay comfortable in the summer and winter, while still saving money; 

• Add insulation 

Some areas within the building you can increase the amount of insulation include; crawl spaces, basements, and attics. The main goal of adding insulation is to prevent air from heating up as the room temperature rises or cooling down when you want to heat the apartment. 

• Determine how air escapes from your apartment building 

Identify the gaps and openings in your apartment building and seal them by applying weather stripping or caulking. This will significantly lower the energy costs since hot or cool air will not be allowed to escape from indoor spaces. 

• Install energy-saving appliances 

Electrical appliances with Energy Star labeling remain efficient for years and consume less energy. In essence, the type of appliances you install in your apartment building will determine the amount of electricity used by each tenant every day. If you multiply that amount by the number of units and then by 365, you’ll get a rough idea of how much savings they’ll help you make annually. 

Hopefully, applying these ideas to your HVAC design for apartment or multifamily units will help you keep the energy costs low. In addition, provide your tenants with tips for optimizing efficient and energy-saving features to keep the utility bills in the future. 

Final Word

Provided you’ve got the right HVAC system for condos and apartments in place, it’s easy to maintain a comfortable temperature in your rental units. Now that you’re aware of the different types of apartment HVAC systems available and their benefits, we hope you’ll make a better decision. Regarding energy efficiency and longevity, make sure you do your research and choose an HVAC system very carefully. 

And if you’re having a hard time finding the right MEP design for your multifamily or apartment buildings, contact our HVAC professionals at Innodez. We’ll use our expertise to help you find the right HVAC design system and more techniques that will help you save energy costs for your building.