{"id":24352,"date":"2020-05-27T05:32:15","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T12:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=24352"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:42:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:42:54","slug":"energy-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/energy-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the COVID-19 crisis drives up labor and equipment costs in senior living, providers are looking for sure-fire ways to save without sacrificing on care or quality. One avenue that few providers have pursued is energy management.\"\"<\/p>\n

Not considered a significant challenge by many, utility spend actually ranks as the third highest expense, after payroll and food. It\u2019s also much easier to tackle from a cost-control perspective than you might think. Yes, swapping in LED light bulbs is one way to shrink the energy bill, but the real advantages (and savings) start with just knowing how much energy is used. By benchmarking your communities\u2019 energy consumption, and you open up many possibilities to conserve.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more value in a cohesive energy strategy than just saving money, too. Many residents appreciate and look for a building that follows sustainable practices. In fact, the baby boomers are more eco-conscious<\/a> than their Gen X and millennial counterparts are. Those over 65 are three times more likely to say they live in environmentally friendly ways \u201call the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that weren\u2019t reason enough to revisit your energy approach, consider that state, county and local jurisdictions are increasingly asking real estate operators \u2014 senior housing included \u2014 to record and report on their usage.<\/p>\n

Take Seattle for example. Back in 2013, the city passed a resolution in pursuit of carbon neutrality that requires non-public buildings larger than 10,000 square feet to disclose their utility benchmarking data. For Merrill Gardens<\/a>, based out of Seattle, that meant they had to quickly roll out centralized utility tracking.<\/p>\n

So how\u2019d they pull it off? And what benefits have they seen since?<\/p>\n

Join us on Tuesday, June 16<\/strong>, at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT) for a live webinar<\/a> with McKnight\u2019s Senior Living to find out. Our own Randy Moss, team lead for ENERGY STAR\u00ae<\/span> benchmarking at Yardi, along with Christopher Wright, facilities & fleet manager for Merrill Gardens, will discuss Merrill\u2019s success in energy management, as well as recent trends and opportunities for not only saving money but supporting your long-term sustainability goals.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick overview of what the webinar will cover:<\/p>\n