FirstService Residential Joins Mayor’s Carbon Challenge

By Keith Loria, Contributing Writer

New York—FirstService Residential has become the first property management firm to join the Mayor’s Carbon Challenge, a New York City program aimed at reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in multifamily residential buildings.

“Our commitment to conservation prompted us to form our FS Energy division in 2009 to advise our clients of ways to reduce energy costs, consumption and emissions,” Dan Wurtzel, president of FirstService Residential, tells MHN. “Since then, our properties have realized more than $19 million in cost savings, while reducing their carbon footprint by 68,630 metric tons, or 15.6 percent.”

FirstService Residential manages more than 500 condo, co-ops and rental properties across the five boroughs­. Under the challenge, each year the company will perform a detailed benchmark analysis of a building’s historical and current energy performance and compare the results with its database of hundreds of buildings. The results will be compiled in a customized Energy Report Card that arms its clients with measured data and a roadmap so that they can implement the right energy management strategies for their buildings.

“We will issue report cards to our properties in the spring when the Challenge ‘officially’ kicks off,” Wurtzel says. “By integrating the tools and resources provided through the Mayor’s Challenge into our program, we will be able to help our clients determine where conservation opportunities exist within a property and begin to develop a plan for savings. Our project management division is also available to oversee implementation of efficiency projects.”

According to Wurtzel, energy conservation is not just an important environmental goal, rather a critical financial goal for every multifamily property and FirstService Residential jumped at the opportunity to further help its clients reduce their environmental impact.

“The correlation between better energy practices and real savings is irrefutable,” he says. “Residential properties produce 37 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in New York City, more than any other building type. As a result, we have a responsibility and a significant opportunity to make a huge impact on energy efficiency across the entire city.”

The FirstService Residential portfolio of properties that participate in the program will pledge to reduce emissions by 30 percent in 10 years. In turn, participants receive help from a qualified team of professionals to identify cost-saving ways to reduce their building’s energy use and begin realizing the benefits of energy efficiency.

“We welcome any avenues that help us make a difference to our clients and emphasize the importance of their environmental responsibility,” Wurtzel says. “Our participation in the Mayor’s Carbon Challenge will expose our clients to additional tools and resources that can motivate them to take action to further reduce their building’s energy use and emissions.”