Most renters lack financial motivation to undertake expensive energy efficiency because their landlords pay the utility bills and their energy consumption is folded into rent. One solution to this dilemma is to capture energy savings when buildings are retrofitted. The Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Build It Green recently released a guide to help owners and developers plan for energy efficiency when they upgrade their existing properties.

Their Green Rehabilitation of Multifamily Rental Properties: A Resource Guide is designed to complement an energy audit, building walk-through or site assessment at the beginning of any rehabilitation project. The 58-page guide comprises four sections — site conditions and systems, building construction, mechanical systems and interior spaces — that emphasize energy efficiency, water conservation, resource conservation and healthy indoor environments. The potential energy savings are significant. According to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study of 25,000 retrofitted multifamily units cited by the Green Guide for Rehab authors, efficiency upgrades reduced energy consumption by 10% to 22%.