IGBChats #19: Energy Upgrades in Apartment Buildings

By David Rouse, MUDs Advisor with The Housing Agency

Tús maith leath na hoibre.  A good start is half the work.

In an apartment building, when faced with immediate problems such as unpaid service charges or property maintenance, how do you start a conversation with hundreds of residents and owners about retrofitting?  For almost two years, a steering group made up of the Housing Agency, the SEAI, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment oversaw EU-supported independent researchers who grappled with this challenge.  To meet this need, the researchers devised new and practical resources for anyone interested in beginning the retrofitting conversation in a building or development with which they are involved.

Apartment complexes are big, complicated, valuable properties.  Ownership of individual homes presents as fragmented and diverse.  Priorities, interests, and the ability of owners’ management companies (OMCs) to make decisions vary widely within and between developments.

In Ireland, apartment-living is less well understood than in countries familiar with high-density housing.  Reaching an agreement on any project among disparate owners poses a challenge.  Directors of OMCs devote time and effort to running their buildings. However, they are, in the main, volunteers, and guidance from property professionals is essential.

10,000 companies is an estimate of the population of OMCs in the country.  Many are responsible for ageing, energy-inefficient buildings.  Energy price movements – occasionally manifesting as shocks – and regulatory change, are focusing minds.  The dozens or hundreds of owners in an apartment scheme face daunting conversations about energy cost saving and retrofitting.  Directors of OMCs, already busy in their day jobs, are consumed with immediate concerns, ranging from building maintenance and insurance costs to company law compliance and construction defects.

It is essential to start the building retrofit conversation with apartment owners.  New resources, made available through the Housing Agency, aim to demystify energy efficiency upgrades and retrofitting in multi-unit developments, or MUDs.  Using real-life examples from Irish apartment developments, key resources are designed to educate OMC directors.  Practical guidance focuses on overcoming barriers to engagement with owners, and shows how to navigate governance and finance challenges.

EU-supported research underpins the resources, which take the form of workshop video recordings and presentations, available free online.  The materials are aimed at anyone involved with apartment buildings and OMCs, including directors of OMCs, licensed property management agents, residents, Local Authorities, and Approved Housing Bodies.

A short explainer webinar, available on the Agency’s YouTube channel, directs anyone interested to the resources.

For OMCs and apartment buildings, the scale of the challenge is substantial.  Log in to the training resources platform to hear from people with experience and war stories.  Consider starting the conversation.

Tús maith leath na hoibre.

David Rouse

David is MUDs Advisor with The Housing Agency.  David engages with stakeholders in the sector, including local authorities, AHBs, professional bodies, State organisations, OMCs, and residents.  The Agency’s work supports sustainability, good governance, and best practice in the MUDs sector.  David is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and a Business and Law graduate of UCD.

The Housing Agency

The Housing Agency is a government body working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Local Authorities, and AHBs in the delivery of housing and housing services. The Agency’s purpose is to accelerate housing supply, in partnership with its key stakeholders, by providing its expertise, support and resources to deliver high-quality homes in vibrant communities. The Agency delivers its purpose in three ways:

– Being a Centre of Knowledge for Housing Insights

– Addressing Housing Supply and Affordability

– Supporting the Creation of Sustainable and Inclusive Communities

Views expressed are those of the author.