CREJ - Journal

34 / 116

Page 34 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — March 18-March 31, 2015
Universal Protection Service provides the best security
solutions, personalized customer service and unmatched
value available. We now also offer our clients Safety Act
protection from the Department of Homeland Security.
Universal offers an expansive range of security solutions,
consultations and investigations for properties of
every type, including:
Airports
Corporate Campuses
Distribution/Manufacturing
Facilities
Government Facilities
Healthcare Facilities
Office Buildings
Petrochemical Facilities
Residential Communities
Retail Centers
Educational Facilities
For more information call
Lorie Libby at 303-901-9037
Property Management
A pple recently ann-
ounced another move
into clean power with
the purchase of 130 megawatts
of solar photovoltaic genera-
tion, joining fellow corporate
powerhouses Google, Ikea
and Whole Foods in owning
renewable energy as part of its
sustainable operation and cost-
reduction programs. Now this
trend is finding its way into
smaller companies and across
industries, revealing that we
have passed the tipping point
between the environmental
share of the equation to go
solar and the financial one.
Continued downward pres-
sure on installation costs from
technological advancements
and efficiency improvements
helped bring solar to the main-
stream. These industry leaders
understand that now the num-
bers alone make it sensible, and
that the environmental benefits
are more than just gravy.
Yet despite the growing allure
and affordability, solar remains
impossible for a majority of
businesses and residents. More
than 75 percent of metered util-
ity customers in the U.S. can-
not install solar on their roof-
tops due to building restric-
tions, shade on their property,
prohibitive up-front costs or
ownership restrictions, accord-
ing to the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory. Certainly,
for business owners who lease
commercial space, rooftop
solar is rarely feasible. Even a
big, flat roof with full sun isn’t
going to work if a property
owner won’t allow it.
How then can building own-
ers, property managers and
tenants execute their sustain-
ability strategies when install-
ing solar on site isn’t an option?
The answer is by employing
off-site solar, specifically com-
munity solar. A somewhat new
distributed energy solution,
community solar is an effective
tool for small-business own-
ers and commercial property
managers to
reduce oper-
ating expens-
es, hedge
against vola-
tile energy
prices, and
have a stake
in clean,
r e n e w a b l e
energy pro-
duction.
Solar com-
munity was
put in play in Colorado with
the Solar Garden Act and
allows commercial, residen-
tial and municipal entities the
option to own clean-energy
generation through a central-
ized utility-scale solar PV proj-
ect installed on an optimal site
in a partnering utility territory.
Participants buy individual
panels in the shared array, as
few as one or up to 120 percent
of their electricity load, and
then receive a credit for the
electricity generated directly
on their utility bills.
Using economies of scale and
industry experience, compa-
nies like Louisville-based Clean
Energy Collective, design and
operate exceedingly cost-effec-
tive installations running from
several hundred kilowatts to a
fewmegawatts. Colorado leads
the country in the number of
community solar facilities, par-
ticipating utilities and generat-
ing capacity, with 75 percent of
utility ratepayers having access
to a community solar facility.
Virtually every customer in
utility territory – renters, com-
mercial facilities and nonprof-
its – can connect into a commu-
nity’s solar garden. “For rate-
payers like small businesses,
franchises, condos and multi-
dwelling properties, it can be
a game-changer,” said Kevin
Morse, commercial sales direc-
tor for Clean Energy Collective.
Morse describes how Alpine
Bank, an employee-owned
community bank with 37 Colo-
rado branches, is using com-
munity solar to achieve its
stringent environmental objec-
tives. Last spring, the finan-
cial institution purchased
more than 1,000 solar panels
to spread across five different
CEC community solar arrays
and four separate utilities to
power its banking operations
throughout the state. Each
participating branch receives
electric bill credits for that indi-
vidual office.
“Reducing our utility bill
translates into greater prof-
its for the bank,” said David
Miller, vice president of Alpine
Bank. “Whenever you can
do the right thing and make
money, that’s a much more
powerful driver. And that’s
exactly what we’re doing.”
With solar ownership versus
a solar lease or subscription,
electricity becomes the output
of an asset controlled by the
owner and not just a monthly
operating expense. Communi-
ty solar offers the added flexi-
bility of mobility – if a business
relocates, many community
solar programs allow partici-
Tim Braun
Principal, b2 inc.,
Basalt
Griffis/Blessing adds
Aurora apartments
Griffis/Blessing was select-
ed by Knollwood Apartments
LLC to handle the property
management of the Knoll-
wood Apartments, located at
15196 E. Louisiana Drive in
Aurora.
“We are thrilled to be
awarded this new manage-
ment opportunity for a local
Denver owner,” said Pat
Stanforth, CPM, senior vice
president of Multifamily Ser-
vices. “This assignment is
another demonstration of our
management philosophy’s
effectiveness and expands
our Denver portfolio to 14
communities.”
Knollwood Apartments fea-
tures 112 one- and two-bed-
room open floor plans with
private patios or balconies, air
conditioning, fully equipped
kitchens with self-cleaning
ovens, and walk-in closets;
and some homes feature fire-
places and include washers
and dryers. The community
amenities include a seasonal,
heated swimming pool, fit-
ness center, clubhouse and
laundry facilities.
Kenny Newell is taking on
the assignment as the district
manager, and Mariela Mata is
the property manager.
Boulder TOD apartments
award management
Silva-Markham Partners
was awarded management of
Knollwood Apartments, located in Aurora, features 112 one- and
two-bedroom apartments.
Virtually
every customer
in utility
territory –
renters,
commercial
facilities and
nonprofits –
can connect into
a community’s
solar garden.