Episode 3: In-Unit Sustainability
This is article is the second in a five-part series on sustainability in the condominium context. Read Article two here.
The Unit
A condominium corporation is composed of units and common elements. Everything and everywhere in a condominium forms part of either one or the other. A unit is owned by an individual unit owner, as opposed to the common elements that are owned by all the owners together through the condominium corporation legal structure.
The exact boundaries of a unit change depending on the age of the building, built form, and details of the condominium’s declaration. For example, in a high-rise, windows are typically common elements, while in a townhouse, windows are often part of the unit. Townhouse units may include the roof, but in a high-rise, this is never the case.
Sustainability in the Unit
Because the unit is owned by a unit owner, the condominium corporation has a limited ability to impact the decisions the owner makes inside their unit. The corporation can enforce how a unit is used: pets may be prohibited, and the operation of a commercial business in a residential unit too may be prohibited. But it cannot mandate energy-efficient appliances, turning off the lights, or keeping thermostat settings at a reasonable level if the owners have their own heating/cooling systems.
Sustainability in the units thus focuses on education, and on making the sustainable option the easiest option.
Education
The terms “green”, “sustainable”, “energy-efficient”, and “climate change” are not new. Most owners have heard of these and understand at a high level that their actions and choices have an impact on the world, for better or worse.
However, most owners consistently underestimate their own impacts, and how through small changes they can change that impact. Through newsletters, announcements, and education sessions, condominium corporations can achieve great results.
Making Things Easy
Another important angle is to make things easy on owners. The more resources that a condominium can provide to owners to help their decision making, the more decisions will be made with a sustainable mindset.
One example of this is with thermostat settings: if owners own their own thermostats (such as in a townhouse complex), the corporation can put together a resource package explaining how energy and natural gas use is affected by different settings. This can explain how much gas/electricity is saved by picking less aggressive heating/cooling settings, and how this translates to dollars and cents. The corporation can go further and list a selection of programmable thermostats it knows would work on owner furnaces and make this list available to owners.
Making an Impact
Making an impact on the common elements of the corporation is easier than making an impact on the units. The board is elected to manage the common elements on behalf of the owners and make decisions (relatively) easily. However, the board does not control the units, and aside from some limited powers, cannot control or enforce activity and choices inside units. Thus to make an impact on sustainability inside units, it must focus on educating owners, and making it easier for them to make a sustainable choice.
Michael Trendota, MBA, CPM, RCM
President
Michael is a condominium management professional with experience working closely with condominium corporations, board members, and residents. Using his experience building and operating small businesses, he focuses on creating high-performing teams delivering excellent results to owners, residents, and partners. He has experience operating multi-location properties with large and diverse teams. Michael holds a Masters of Business Administration from Queen’s University, is a Certified Property Manager, a Registered Condominium Manager, and is a CMRAO licensed Condominium Manager.
Michael serves the condominium management industry in several additional capacities. He teaches Physical Building Management and Financial Management at Mohawk College. These two courses form part of the mandatory curriculum for condominium managers in the Province of Ontario. Michael also sits on numerous boards and committees, such as the Association of Condominium Managers (ACMO) membership committee, is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer at the Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI), among a variety of other engagements.
* Though written by a qualified and experienced Condominium Manager, this article is not intended as legal advice. Our team is available to discuss formal advisory relationships.
