Smart Blocks

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Mid year Urban.com.au published <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/expert-insights/buying/adding-value-one-block-at-a-time">an article by Councillor Arron Wood</a>, Chair of the Environment portfolio and Deputy Chair of the Economic Development portfolio for the City of Melbourne. In the article Councilor Wood highlighted City of Melbourne's growing population which of course was fueling the increase in higher density living.

As a by-product the article noted the following and what the Government-backed Smart Blocks program could do to counter these trends:

<blockquote>
We also know that residential mid and high-rise buildings are energy intensive, currently contributing 13% of carbon emissions in the city.

Improving the efficiency of apartment buildings is therefore an important component of Melbourne’s Zero Net Emissions by 2020 strategy (February 2014).
<cite>Councillor Aaron Wood</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="122" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image6.jpg?itok=pp_EXG1X" title="Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart</figcaption></figure>Some months later and Urban.com.au has spoken to Smart Blocks and we endorse what the Government-funded outfit is seeking to achieve. In order to better understand the aim of the program, this time with strata managers in focus, Smart Blocks provided the following commentary:

<blockquote>
Strata managers are seeing the value of upgrading the energy efficiency of their buildings, with some impressive results. Private residential and commercial buildings have a smorgasbord of schemes and incentives to make energy efficiency improvements.

But until recently, strata buildings languished in the too-hard basket. With the tangled interests of owners, investors and tenants all under the same roof — and a complex strata environment to navigate — the options were limited. At last that’s all changed with Smart Blocks' free program which is jam packed with advice and tools to help managers and owners make their buildings energy efficient.

As energy prices soar, local councils are getting on board too, offering advice, support and impressive rebates. Strata managers are increasingly finding Smart Blocks is a valuable addition to their offering. Many are working to tune up all the buildings in their portfolios.

Melbourne-based property management group The Knight Alliance sees Smart Blocks’ tools as providing vital market differentiation. “To say ‘We are Smart Blocks managers’ shows we’re progressive and proactive,” says the company's Gregor Evans.

As all buildings are different, the program has developed toolkits so managers can audit each building to quickly determine the feasibility and impact of different projects. Smart Blocks has also streamlined the process of getting projects started. Templates — from drafting a motion of intent to developing a business case for proposed projects — guide managers through each step along the way.

Smart Blocks can also connect buildings to rebates and incentives, so projects are cost-effective and have impressive financial benefits. The Knight Alliance is currently looking into working with Smart Blocks to provide training for all of their property managers. This will give managers the ability to easily audit buildings and develop energy saving strategies.

Property manager Alvin Diamond from Property Professionals sees Smart Blocks as a natural extension of his business. He sees introducing energy-saving measures as a no-brainer. In fact, all of his buildings are on the path to becoming Smart Blocks. ​

<ul>
<li>Make Smart Blocks a core part of your strata management. It’s free, flexible and the financial benefits are impressive.</li>
	<li>Start with quick wins. Switching to LED lighting is easy and pays for itself, so do it first. Look out for motion sensor-triggered lights so they’re not on 24/7, to save even more.</li>
	<li>To get owners corporations on side, put together a clear business case for investment in each energy efficiency project, with data on financial benefits and payback periods.</li>
	<li>Try negotiating with energy retailers to see if you can get a better deal for your buildings.</li>
	<li>Look into solar systems further down the track, so you can see the successive benefit of completed energy saving projects and get the right sized system for the building’s reduced needs.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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silvermb

Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart

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By now we have all heard that, for the first time in history, half the world’s population is living in cities. And the forward estimates indicate that this trend will only continue to increase.

In Australia, we have seen a gradual, but continuing shift away from the quarter acre block to more compact living spaces like apartments. In the municipality of Melbourne, this trend is captured in the statistics:

<ul>
<li>In 2012, 80% of homes were apartments</li>
	<li>From 2006-12, 93% of new homes built were apartments</li>
	<li>Our population is set to double by 2031, that’s an additional 80,000 people moving into City of Melbourne</li>
</ul>
While some Melburnians might be willing to give up their back yard, what’s becoming increasingly clear is that they are not willing to sacrifice quality. While high rise development is booming, prospective occupants have particular expectations around their quality of life as residents of the most liveable city in the world. City of Melbourne’s recent Future Living research clearly demonstrated that good quality design and amenity is high on the agenda of Melburnians.

We also know that residential mid and high-rise buildings are energy intensive, currently contributing 13% of carbon emissions in the city. Improving the efficiency of apartment buildings is therefore an important component of Melbourne’s Zero Net Emissions by 2020 strategy (February 2014).

What most apartment dwellers don’t realise is that high-rise apartments have been shown to be the most energy intensive dwelling type, using approximately 25 per cent more energy per person than standalone homes or townhouses. This is due in large part to the energy consumption of shared services and common property such as hallway and car park lighting, ventilation, pools, heating and cooling. Ultimately, this is costing apartment owners money in the form of higher utility bills.

New green buildings are changing this equation. However, given the lion’s share of Melbourne’s built environment is already constructed, retrofitting existing building stock is essential to keeping household running costs down and reducing emissions. That’s why we are offering the <a href="http://smartblocks.com.au/" target="_blank">Smart Blocks</a> program to our building managers, strata managers, apartment owners and residents.

Smart Blocks is helping apartment owners and their managers to improve the energy efficiency in apartment buildings, preventing money being wasted on unnecessarily high energy bills. At the core of Smart Blocks is an interactive online toolkit that helps people discover what energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements can be made to common property in their own buildings and make clear the steps to get projects approved.

Apartment living is seeing us live in closer physically proximity to each other, ironically this does not necessarily result in a stronger social fabric within the building. However, building improvement projects can only be realised when owners, building managers and apartment owners work closely together – and so we hit the residential building retrofit conundrum.

Our research clearly indicates that negotiating complex strata rules and regulations is a primary barrier to creating change in strata buildings. This is only amplified when it comes to coordinating a common area retrofit across an entire building, which often requires a significant financial investment. This is exactly the problem that Smart Blocks solves. It guides users through strata rules and regulations, and proves a shared online project management platform that can be accessed by owners, managers and renters alike.

One of the best things about Smart Blocks is that it brings people together and helps them make change on their own terms for the betterment of their building. Once they’ve made one change and demonstrated value, it’s easier to make the next one – and it feels good. This is the sweet spot because we see people coming together around projects that are relevant to their day-to-day life.

In recognising that working together is key to retrofitting buildings (and indeed the city) for sustainability, City of Melbourne have come to the table, and we’ve brought cake. Smart Blocks is here for the taking, along with support from the Smart Blocks officer here at City of Melbourne and a $3,000 rebate for energy efficient lighting upgrades and solar installations for common areas.

Whether it’s to drive down electricity bills (investing in energy efficiency could save your owners corporation up to 20-30 per cent in energy costs) or contribute to an Eco City, the need for energy efficient and renewably powered buildings have never been clearer.

<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/Arron%20Wood%20Image-21.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="City of Melbourne Councillor Arron Wood. Image supplied."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/Arron%20Wood%20Image-21.jpg?itok=HZDi_59p" style="height:812px; width:580px" title="City of Melbourne Councillor Arron Wood. Image supplied."></a>

Cr Wood is Chair of the Environment portfolio and Deputy Chair of the Economic Development portfolio. He sits on the Victorian Adaptation &amp; Sustainability Partnership Ministerial Advisory Committee, the Parks and Gardens Advisory Committee, the Yarra Park Advisory Committee and is a board member of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.flickr.com/photos/35527156@N04/8761118550" target="_blank">Flickr</a>, CC BY-SA
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