In this edition:
- Changing Climate and Water Management Processes
- Meet the MDC Systems® Expert: Lawrence M. Poli, PE
- MDC Advisor Newsletter Survey Results
Philadelphia Now Requires Energy Benchmarking
By E. Mitchell Swann, PE, LEED, Consulting Engineer
June 2012 – The City of Philadelphia has unanimously passed two new pieces of legislation (Bill No. 120056 and Bill No. 120428) which will help the City, and both its business and residential communities, to better understand their energy and water use. This process should ultimately help to reduce the City’s overall eco-footprint.
Residential Real Estate Energy Disclosures
Bill No. 120056 requires that a good faith estimate of “a year’s worth of energy costs” is provided whenever a residential property owned by the City of Philadelphia, or related agency, is transferred to a new owner. If the property is subsequently transferred from an “intermediary” (let’s say a developer), an annual energy cost record must also be transferred to the final owner/occupant. This represents a major step forward in the transparency of a residential real estate purchase. Energy costs can be a significant recurring cost for a homeowner. Providing the annual energy cost to a prospective homeowner will enable better decision making and result in more fiscally prudent purchases.
The initial legislation was written to use either a year’s worth of actual energy bills or the Energy Information Agency’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey. The EIA’s Consumption Survey will provide typical energy usages for a property of similar size in a similar weather zone. In many instances, however, the City owns a property that it intends to transfer and has been unoccupied, or sparingly occupied, for an extended time period prior to transfer. In that instance, actual usage bills can be artificially low. Clearly, as detailed above, the EIA’s Consumption Survey is not a perfect benchmarking tool.
Meet the Experts: Donald R. Keer, PE, Esq.
MDCSystems® Consulting Engineer
Don Keer, photographDonald Keer, PE, Esq., has worked with MDCSystems® for over 8 years providing project support and leadership. His career includes over 25 years of process design, construction and operations experience in multiple industries. Don’s unique skill set includes chemical engineering, business and legal experience. The majority of his experience focuses on water treatment, petrochemicals and industrial processes.
CONSULTING ENGINEEER
MDC®’s clients rely on Don’s expertise for review and recommendations concerning:
- Water Treatment process and performance issues
- Engineering Standard of Care
- Code and Standards interpretation
- Piping construction analysis
- Detailed evaluations of construction rebuild processes
Don’s water expertise is world renowned with numerous publications and lectures to his credit. Most recently he contributed the chapter on Water Treatment to the American Bar Association’s publication “Civil Engineering for Attorneys.”
Click here for a detailed look at Don’s resume and accomplishments.
Phone: 610-640-9600, x20
Email: Keer@mdcsystems.com
