Jonathan Rose Companies’ Advance Planning Unlocks Deep Energy Savings Across LA Portfolio
LABBC CASE STUDY
PROPERTY OWNER
Jonathan Rose Companies
PROPERTY TYPE
Affordable Multifamily
SQUARE FEET
Casa Panorama: 132,340
Miramar Tower: 136,412
Sponsoring Organizations
31.8%
Casa Panorama
Projected Energy Reduction in 2019
53%
Miramar Tower
Projected Energy Reduction in 2019
2020 Innovation Awards: Portfolio Project of the Year Winner
“Persistence, patience, and a holistic approach can unlock deep energy savings. Only by bringing in the right team, continually advocating for our project to earn incentives, being flexible on the scope and approach, and truly thinking of the scope as interconnected measures, were we able to make the project a success.”
LAUREN ZULLO
Director of Sustainability, Jonathan Rose Companies
CHALLENGE
Jonathan Rose Companies is committed to the Better Buildings Challenge sustainability goals and targets a 20 percent energy reduction within the first ten years at each property within its portfolio, in addition to a 20 percent carbon reduction and 15 percent water use intensity reduction. By implementing energy and water conservation and efficiency projects, the owner also aims to reduce operating costs, earn Enterprise Green Communities Certification and leverage utility incentives.
In 2017, Jonathan Rose acquired a federally subsidized affordable housing portfolio (47 properties nationally), including two in Los Angeles. The portfolio had a considerable amount of deferred maintenance, needed habitability upgrades, and required additional ADA compliant units to better serve the resident community. In attempting to address these needs, Jonathan Rose wanted to go beyond “business as usual” and align the scope of the project with the company’s mission and sustainability goals, while still delivering the project in an economical fashion that would ensure its long-term success.
STRATEGY
Prior to acquisition, Jonathan Rose engaged Bright Power to conduct ASHRAE Level II energy audits and Enterprise Green Communities (EGC) feasibility studies then developed a scope that optimized available incentives for energy and water efficiency available through the Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP), LADWP, and SoCalGas. Bright Power was engaged to navigate the incentives process and implement the energy and water retrofits directly. The team worked with the owner’s New York based Sustainability and Construction teams to finalize budgets, scopes, and plan the projects.
The process took approximately 18 months to structure but put the property in an excellent position to invest in deep energy savings measures, rooftop solar PV, deferred maintenance, and extensive in-unit and common area upgrades.
Several partners were key to the project’s success, primarily the State of California’s LIWP and the owner’s general contractor, Bright Power (dba Bright Coastal). In addition to providing funding, LIWP was a strong technical partner and advocate for a scope of work that aligned with organizational goals and California’s climate goals, and enabled owner to electrify a major gas end-use at a building in a low-income community. Bright Power inspired and delivered efficiency conservation measures including the central heat pump water heater installation, and their success led to the owner’s pursuit of similar scopes of work at two other LA properties.
IMPACT
The measures implemented at Casa Panorama are modeled to reduce the site energy consumption at the property by 31.8 percent, and advanced DHW upgrades include electrification of the domestic hot water systems by switching gas fired boilers to high efficiency heat pump water heaters, and installing domestic hot water recirculation pump controls and thermostatically controlled balancing valves to optimize energy and water use. Additional measures included new high efficiency heating boilers and controls to reduce unneeded use of cooling towers and boilers, as well as new LED lighting.
At Miramar apartments, the owner collaborated with AEA and LIWP to initiate a major retrofit that will include deep energy efficiency retrofits, water conservation, conversion of domestic hot water heating from gas to electric (decarbonization), and installation of rooftop solar PV. This package is modeled to reduce the site energy consumption at the property by 53 percent.
