BUILDING OPERATIONS

Looking to lower the cost of electricity? Create your own! You've heard of co-ops, condos and other types of buildings and communities doing it via technologies like solar or wind power. But there's a lesser-known alternative: Cogeneration, also known as combined heat and power (CHP). It's a natural-gas-fueled method of generating electricity for the building and creating heat that can be used to power the air-conditioning system, heat the domestic water, and heat the building in winter.

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A reader asks: Our condominium has been experiencing leaks in the top-floor apartments, along one apartment line, in a stairwell and in the lobby. Contractors have made as-needed repairs to the roof over the past year, but eventually the leaks returned. Before we undertake a full-scale roof replacement, the board wants to do a thorough leakage investigation to determine the cause of the water penetration. We've heard how an infrared camera can take photos of the roof and other areas of the building to locate leaks. How exactly does it work, and how effective is it?

 Infrared thermography is a diagnostic tool used to detect potential building problems, including water penetration, heat or cooling loss, blockages in plumbing systems, malfunctioning mechanical systems, overloaded electrical circuits, structural defects, and substandard building construction.

For co-op boards, condo associations and others, the main advantage of an infrared survey is that it gives a view of building conditions beyond what can be seen by eyes alone. Another advantage is that it is a non-destructive method of testing, so it does not disturb the area being investigated. When used on mechanical and electrical systems, it doesn't interfere with equipment operation of equipment, so there's no need for shutdowns.

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If your condo or co-op board is in a fog about FOG, then read on —  and save yourself some headaches down the road.

FOG is the acronym used by the city's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for describing the ingredients that are part of a common problem: fats, oil and grease. The difficulty arises when cooks deposit any (or all) of those in their kitchen drains: With more than 22,000 food service establishments serving over eight million New Yorkers, food remnants invariably get flushed into the sewers. Both restaurants and households discharge wastewater containing fats, oil, and grease into more than 7,400 miles of New York City public sewers.

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Many small co-op and condo buildings are hiring solely "back-office only" (BOO) services, performed either by a managing agent or an outside firm. The upside is that the building can get crucial financial work done and pay far less than it would pay for full management. The downside is that condo and co-op boards sometimes don't get what they expected or expected more than was promised.

Back-office services are typically the simple financial transactions required to keep a building afloat: collecting maintenance, paying bills and providing the board with a monthly record of the funds that come in and go out. Most BOO managing agents will perform additional services for a fee.

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Sewage backups, which can occur primarily in your co-op or condo's basement, pose health risks caused by contamination from harmful bacteria and mold. A blocked or broken sewer line is the obvious culprit. Here's what you need to know about your co-op's or your condo's sewer lines so that you can make an informed choice as to when and how to repair or replace them.

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In 2005, I became treasurer of my co-op. I had been a lawyer in the field since 1968, president of the board in 1985, and served for two terms at other times. One would think I was prepared for the job. How wrong you would be....

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The savings can be significant. Last fall, Cooper Square Realty, which manages 600 properties, pooled 250 of them to buy electricity from an electricity service company. So, instead of buying 500 kwh of electricity for a single building, the company shopped for 130 million kwh. Individual properties saved between 9 and 20 percent on electricity costs.

"You get a better pricing structure because of the volume," says Cooper Square president Dan Wurtzel. His firm hopes to eventually bring all its managed properties into the new plan.

Buying in bulk also works for capital improvements. Five years ago, Fairfield Properties offered six of its properties the opportunity to convert to natural gas. By bundling the projects together, the company reduced the upgrade costs. The five properties that agreed to the offer are each saving about $100,000 a year on heating costs, says Alvin Wasserman, director of Fairfield.

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Hate dealing with secondhand smoke in your co-op or condominium? As an attorney I often hear complaints from co-op board and condo association members about the extra costs incurred as a result of heavy smokers. Staff sweep up cigarette butts day after day, boards hire outside vendors to steam clean upholstery, curtains and area rugs and the windows must be washed more frequently. The problems are even worse if smokers throw cigarette butts off the balconies. 
 
Costs aside, condo and co-op board members are feeling pressure from residents about secondhand smoke permeating a building, especially where there is a central heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) system.  In one recent example I learned of a lung cancer survivor that resides next to a heavy smoker — the secondhand smoke presents a very real threat to his welfare.

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Just like testing for and removing asbestos, co-op boards and condo associations have to test for and remove toxic, brain-damaging lead paint. But to hear engineers, contractors, environmental consultants and others tell it, not every co-op or condo board seems to be aware of or perhaps even care about the myriad city and federal rules for lead-paint inspection and removal — or of the five-figure fines they risk.

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A monthly column by HABITAT's editorial director.

Let's call the super Pete, and the only other thing I'll tell you about him is that he's honest, hardworking, and knowledgeable. Oh, yes, and I've known him for 25 years. When he complains about something, it isn't idle talk.

At this moment, he was pretty incensed: "This guy," he said, referring to another super he knew, "shouldn't have gotten that job."

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