These days, everybody would like to 'go green.' The term is shorthand for a movement of environmental awareness that involves everything from the way architects design new buildings and homes to the ways HOAs recycle their waste.

That’s why savvy boards and property managers are not only implementing some little things—such as turning down thermostats, shutting off air conditioners, and turning off lights in common areas when not in use—but investing in more substantial technologies and greener equipment that uses less energy.

“There are all kinds of studies that show that if you’re trying to sell units, they'll sell quicker and for a higher market value when you can market yourself as a green, efficient building,” says Suzanne Cook, executive director of the Florida Green Building Coalition. “And if you’re trying to rent the units, you will get higher leasing payments and higher occupancy.”

Let’s take a look at how some Florida residential buildings are going green.

Going Green

Bill Footer, senior program manager for Massachusetts-based Conservation Services Group, which handles National Grid’s multifamily program, says the interest in condos becoming green has increased greatly over the last few years. “It seems a lot of communities these days have a green committee that will look for ways to decrease expenses,” he says. “They're concerned about energy use and want to do whatever they can.” And, that, says Footer, is where his organization comes in. “We can help them reduce common area energy usage as well as in-unit energy usage.”

Surging numbers notwithstanding however, the green movement isn't universal—and part of that has to do with demographics and a community mindset, says Harold F. ‘Bud’ Dietrich, a New Port Richey-based architect. “Many condo board members in Florida are older,” says Dietrich. “They're usually retired on a fixed income, and their inclination is to not invest in things like going green. What I find interesting about the condo market in Florida—and it doesn’t matter if it’s a 50-unit condo association or a 200-unit condo association—is that there’s one water meter coming into the condo building and everyone pays a share of it through their monthly condo dues. So there is absolutely no incentive to save water in these places. There...is a mentality of ‘the group is paying for it, so why should I do anything to save water? The rest of the group is just going to waste it.' Another reason is ‘Why should I make investments unless I absolutely have to?’ ”

Dietrich finds such apathy troubling. “Water is a scarce commodity in Florida,” he says. “It’s a precious thing. Florida tends to be a very conservative state,” says Dietrich, “and so things like environmental issues take a backseat. It’s a divisive issue. The state government understands the need to save water. All of the local, county governments recognize the need to save water and they’d like people to use as much reclaimed water as possible.”

Everything Old is New

While Florida remains an epicenter of new construction, the lion’s share of residential buildings here were built before the recent surge in green construction. This means that if an HOA wants to go green—that means having to retrofit an existing building or development. This speaks to the core of the green movement.

“When you’re trying to retrofit a residential property, the three primary focuses are to tighten the building envelope and make sure you don’t have leaks, to enhance the insulation, and to make sure the windows are energy efficient,” says Cook. “Those are the big ticket items. But those three things impact the systems of the building, so when you make it tighter and you enhance the efficiency of the insulation and the windows, you impact the size of the air conditioner [required to cool the property]. You actually need less tonnage.”

The bigger-is-better mentality is a trap that many HOAs fall into. We assume that a bigger HVAC unit is more powerful and perhaps more efficient, but that is not the case. “People tend to do all these retrofit things but they often don't test their HVAC to see whether it's the size they actually need,” says Cook. “When you have an oversized air-conditioner, you get all kinds of problems. The air exchanger won’t stay on long enough to get the moisture out of the home, so it feels clammy to the occupant. And while it doesn't create mold, it gives mold a friendly atmosphere. So realizing that all of the systems with a structure affect each other, you have to really make sure that you understand that building science.”

New technologies are being placed in existing condo communities on a regular basis in order to cut energy use and reduce their carbon footprint. According to experts, advances are being made in mechanical, electrical and plumbing technologies that affect the types of heating and air conditioning systems that are being used on a daily basis. Boiler controls, cogeneration, solar, low flow fixtures and Energy Star appliances are all examples of improved technology.

Advanced as it is, some green technologies address very basic, everyday functions. For example, Dietrich says that changing toilets to the low-flow variety is one of the quickest and easiest things a condo association can do to save money and go green. “A lot of the places that were built 15 to 20 years ago have the old toilets that use a lot of water—but by simply changing to a dual flush toilet you would save energy,” he says. “The federal government mandates that you can’t make any toilets that use more than 1.6 gallons per flush, and manufacturers have done a lot of work on the technology over the years. You can actually get toilets that flush with 1.2 gallons of water or even 0.08 gallons of water. That’s huge water savings. Associations can save themselves tons of money by simply switching toilets—and you can do something good for the environment as well.”

The Light Stuff

Another place boards can look to save money on energy costs is lighting. The traditional “Edison” incandescent light bulb was of course a quantum leap forward from the use of candles, yet only 30 percent of the energy used by incandescents went toward the production of light; 70 percent was wasted as heat energy.

The newest generation of solid-state lighting lasts up to 25 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb and saves up to 80 percent more energy in comparison. Replacing common area lighting with LED [light-emitting diode] bulbs can prove to be cost effective over the long run by reducing both operating and maintenance costs.

“I think LED lighting is great,” says Dietrich. “Because of the mercury content in fluorescent bulbs, they had to be disposed of carefully—but LEDs don’t have that problem. The big problem with LEDs is the cost. But as the prices come down, you’re going to see more and more and more people changing to LED bulbs.”

According to Footer, the latest technology National Grid has utilized is LED lighting in condos, but they are also seeing an increase in helping condos switch to energy-efficient refrigerators. “If they qualify, we offer people rebates ($150) to buy an Energy Star refrigerator, which offsets the cost of going from standard to Energy Star,” he says. “We also offer help with showerheads and offer incentives for programmable thermostats.”

The prevailing wisdom is that ‘going green’ means huge upfront expenses and massive infrastructure overhauls—but with new advances in science and green technology, that's less and less the case.

In short, green is this year's color—and will likely be the color of choice for the foreseeable future. As more money, time and research are invested in green technologies, the Sunshine State will soon be even greener than it already is.

Keith Loria is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The Western & Central Florida Cooperator. Staff writer Christy Smith-Sloman contributed to this article.