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How to Make Your Multi Tenant Buildings More Valuable

Most apartment complex owners are very limited in what they can do to stay competitive with newer properties. Lower rents, remodel or tear down and replace?  But, what if there was a better option?  An option that actually reduced the tenant's…

Rising Seas from Melting Ice Caps

OK carbon emitters and deniers, you've ignored the warnings and now you are getting the results.  Cities like Norfolk and Miami as well as the military are planning on building sea walls, raising buildings and fortifying themselves, but they're…
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GAO: Climate change now costing U.S. billions

Climate Changes cost US Tax payers dearly. Could it exceed spending on military?
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Managing Energy Costs in Grocery Stores

Energy costs can account for up to 15 percent of a grocery store’s operating budget.  The US average was roughly $4/SF in 2015.  For example, a 40,000 square foot store might spend $160,000 a year just for electricity.  Because grocery stores’ profit margins are so thin
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How to plug those (energy) holes in your building

Taking an infrared thermograph of an air conditioned building in the daytime, can be quite alarming. Infrared thermography is the same technology in night vision goggles used by military special forces. It reveals the infrared…
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Making a better battery – CBS News

Commercial buildings use more electricity than any other building type in the US.  Roughly 65% according to DOE statistics.  But, the problem is WHEN they use energy - daytime and early evenings.  That creates a problem for the power grid…
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Can your bench do this? Here’s how solar furniture attracts visitors and makes your company look amazing.

Ah, the good old bench. It’s the background subject of affection in many movies. A couple holding hands on a park bench. An old man sitting on a bench feeding pigeons. Two strangers sitting on a bench engaging in a conversation on a beautiful…
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Simple Spring Tune-ups

At the start of the new year, many of us set resolutions for things we would like to improve.  For some, trimming our waist is a recurring item on our list.  How do we do that for our buildings?  Experts agree that we start by taking a look…
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Fortune telling… Predict failure before it happens

Do things ever break when it's a good time?  I've never had my car break down when I had no where in particular to go.  The projector never stops working until the client is getting ready to arrive for a presentation.  If only we had a crystal…
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How to cut $21 Billion a year in healthcare costs

When I was a kid, a lot more people smoked.  But they usually knew that it was bad for you and smelly.  When they asked my parents if they would mind if they smoked, My dad would simply say, "go right ahead - but don't exhale".  It seems…
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Hackers Infect Cameras, DVRs to Pull off Massive Internet Breach

With the internet becoming integral to just about everything in our lives, building owners are connecting their buildings and machines - the Internet of Things (IoT).  With this, is a mad rush by vendors, big and small to launch wireless products.…
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Is cleaning solar panels worth the cost?

Many solar power owners ask, is cleaning panels worth the cost?  Until now - no. Let's face it, all panels get dirty. They're outdoors.  All you have to do is drive around any neighborhood and look at rooftop panels to see the dirt buildup,…
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High performance windows for the price of tint.

As the sun bears down on our buildings or cars, most people reach for the thermostat instead of stopping the heat BEFORE it gets inside your space.  Luckily, there's a great new solution that will not only keep you comfortable, but will save…
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Blockchain-based microgrid gives power to consumers

A new project in New York City is letting residents buy and sell renewable energy to each other, bypassing the central authority and the associated costs.  Could this be the future of distributed energy?  If so, what are the impediments? Who…