Posted August 26, 2019 | by Deveraux
At Deveraux Apartment Communities we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint, investing in projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency. We seek out ways to continuously improve our buildings, with a primary focus on reducing utility consumption. Recognizing our inherent responsibility to our community and to the environment as a whole, reinvesting capital back into energy efficient initiatives is a critical component of Deveraux's corporate mandate. Recent 'green' initiatives include:
LED Lighting – Deveraux has installed and/or retrofitted over 2500 LED bulbs and fixtures over the past two years. With reduced electrical consumption per fixture, particularly in corridors where lights are often on for 24 hours per day, we have been able to save approximately 1,175,000 kWh per year. This equates to the carbon offset of 858 tons of CO2 and the planting of 14,300 trees or taking 179 cars off the road annually.
Water Conservation – Deveraux has installed over 2000 low flow showerheads across our portfolio since 2017. Reducing water flow on each showerhead from 2.6gpm to 1.6gpm saves 8.5 gallons of water on average per shower. Across the portfolio and with many apartments having more than 1 occupant, it is estimated that this initiative saves a minimum of 9,796,144 gallons per year of water and lessens the amount of waste water produced by a similar volume. Beyond the amount of water saved, the heating load to heat this amount of water is also reduced. This results in a carbon offset equitable to 448 tons of CO2 and the planting of 7467 trees or the removal of 93 cars from the road.
Occupancy Sensors – Deveraux has installed occupancy sensors in most common areas, including garbage rooms, service areas, and resident clubhouses. The motion activated sensors ensure that electricity is not extraneously consumed when people are not in these spaces. On top of the energy savings of our LED retrofit initiative, occupancy sensors have helped Deveraux to save another 73,290 kWh across our portfolio. This equates to the carbon offset of 54 tons of CO2 and the planting of 900 trees or taking 11 cars off the road annually.
Mechanical Equipment Efficiency – Deveraux has a preventative maintenance program that ensures that all mechanical systems that consume either gas or electricity are well maintained and operating at their maximum efficiency. From boilers to make up air units, each piece of equipment has scheduled maintenance that will help ensure they are not consuming more energy than necessary.
Beyond preventative maintenance and retrofitting of fixtures and equipment, the entire Deveraux team is committed to reducing our carbon footprint. Future developments are designed with energy efficiency at the forefront and we are investing in new technology and initiatives that will help increase sustainability and lessen our utility consumption. We use the feedback of our residents and our staff to look for ways to be more energy efficient and monitor our energy use quite closely. We are proud of the initiatives listed above and of the fact that these changes alone have resulted in a significant annual elimination of carbon dioxide (CO2) from our footprint. In fact, the combination of these efforts equates to a reduction of CO2 of 1,360 tons per year. This is equivalent to:
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- Planting 22,667 trees 	
- Taking 283 cars off the road 	
- Reducing vehicle gasoline usage by 580,398 litres 	
- Driving reduced by 5,351,363 auto kilometres 	
- Recycling 59,388 trash bags of waste instead of landfilled
Going forward, the Deveraux Group of Companies is committed to continue to look for ways to reduce our environmental impact and carbon footprint. Exciting plans are in the works to use solar energy to offset electricity consumption and to introduce both a car share and bike share model that will provide residents with less carbon intensive transportation options. Stay tuned for updates in these areas!