The integrative process doesn’t end with design. Effective communication, training, and documentation set the project up for success and help residents and operators realize long-term benefits from affordability, health, efficiency, and resilience.
8.1 Building Operations & Maintenance Manual and Plan
8.1
Mandatory for all multifamily projects

Building Operations & Maintenance Manual and Plan

RATIONALE
Regular building operations and maintenance (O&M) practices using green methods can reduce utility bills and minimize building maintenance needs. They can also provide a healthier, safer, and more durable living environment for residents. Developing a building O&M plan throughout project design, development, and construction allows the project team to properly customize these documents with the input of project installers.
REQUIREMENTS

Develop a comprehensive O&M manual. This manual may be compiled as a distinct manual or may be included within the developer’s existing framework or manual for documenting and communicating operations and maintenance information about the property.

Regardless of the format, the O&M manual must include thorough O&M guidance for the property as well as an accountability process. The manual and any accompanying materials must be readily available and accessible to staff and must provide, at a minimum, information covering specifications, maintenance schedules, and any established contracted services and service providers for the property and dwelling units.

Specifically, the plan must include the following topics:

General topics:

  • Location of mechanical, electrical, fuel, and water-system turnoffs
  • A list of topics included in the emergency management manual (see Criterion 8.2) and where this manual is available
  • Green cleaning product specifications and cleaning schedules

Topics for common spaces and/or dwelling units:

  • HVAC systems
  • Plumbing systems, including, if applicable, the Legionella water-management program developed per Criterion 4.3 Water Quality
  • Electrical and lighting equipment
  • Any common-space appliances and equipment, as applicable
  • Landscaping and hardscaping
  • Paint and other finishes that require regular updates
  • Backup power systems

Other topics, if applicable:

  • Any other specialized systems (e.g., solar photovoltaics, solar water heating, ground-source heating and cooling, cogeneration)
  • Name and purpose of each community-portal application for sharing information between building personnel and residents
  • A copy of the property’s Zero Over Time plan (if the project is pursuing Criterion 5.1 Energy Planning) and guidance to refer to this plan for equipment replacement and capital planning
  • Maintenance of active recreation and play spaces or other site amenities (e.g., playground equipment, ground markings, gardening spaces, seating)
  • Type and location of any supporting tools for staff and residents (magnets, short informational videos, QR code stickers)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Prior to and during construction:

Begin creating a thorough and well-developed O&M manual well before construction completion.

  • Work with designers, system installers, and O&M staff to assemble critical information and schedules for best-practice operations and maintenance strategies. Continue developing the manual materials throughout the course of design, development, and construction so that knowledge can be transferred across each stage of the project life cycle to staff members on the operations, resident-services, and asset-management teams.
  • During the design process, keep a running list of how maintenance and landscaping teams and residents may need to be involved with the property to help ensure systems perform as intended.
  • Once the project team has completed the integrative design process ( Category 1), amend templates of O&M documents with project-specific information for maintenance staff and residents. This ensures the building O&M manual and plan will be informed by the development process and completed by the time the project is ready for occupancy.
  • Identify senior management positions with oversight responsibility for O&M.
  • Identify the job roles responsible for producing, managing, and/or implementing the manual and plan.
  • Ensure that building performance goals and requirements established for the project during integrative design are included in the O&M manual and plan.
  • Create a knowledge-transfer plan to ensure that accurate as-built information is captured during construction, startup, and commissioning, and is integrated into the O&M manual and plan. For example, if possible, create a training video for staff by recording the commissioning agent or system installers while they demonstrate key maintenance checks.
  • Discuss the O&M training plan with appropriate client representatives to ensure that responsible staff will be up to speed on the operation of the property prior to turnover and occupancy.
  • Develop a succession plan to ensure that important information is retained from departing staff and transferred to new staff. This could include an exit interview checklist, maintenance log review, etc.
  • As construction nears completion and into operations, finalize your building O&M manual and plan. Clearly identify key O&M activities, assign those activities to a person or job role, and establish a schedule to verify that maintenance is performed.
To enhance your O&M manual and plan, include:
  • Supporting materials that underscore topics addressed in the manual, such as equipment stickers, QR codes, short videos, and magnets with instructions or contact information
  • A quarterly training for building personnel that highlights Green Communities building features, their impacts on resident daily life and well-being, and how these features are operated and maintained
  • Account information on energy- and water-performance-tracking software, including who will monitor accounts and what procedures will take place at different intervals
  • A maintenance schedule for HVAC systems, including assignments of key tasks to specific job roles and a system to track which maintenance tasks were completed when
  • Information on lighting equipment, including specs for replacement bulbs and a maintenance strategy for when to replace inaccessible fixtures (e.g., what percentage of bulbs/diodes can fail in any one lamp pylon before you install replacements)
  • Irrigation system maintenance plans that include periodic visual inspection (since irrigation systems are often scheduled to operate when O&M staff are off duty)
  • Landscape and hardscapes (paved surfaces) review protocols, such as the inspection schedule for landscaping and paving, and which job roles will perform key tasks
  • Green cleaning schedules, including procurement specifications for products and vendors; and assignment of key tasks to specific job roles; and a system to track when actions are completed
  • A greywater policy, if applicable, that requires biodegradable soaps, cleaners, and other products if they are likely to be flushed down drains
  • Training videos of system installers explaining best practices for regular maintenance as well as strategies to address common problems
  • Local information on handling hazardous waste, including where to recycle fluorescent and compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs)
RESOURCES
8.2 Emergency Management Manual
8.2
Mandatory for all multifamily projects

Emergency Management Manual

RATIONALE
Creating and socializing a plan for building managers and residents before an emergency occurs increases the likelihood that disturbances and losses due to the emergency — whether it be flooding, an earthquake, a power outage, or another event — can be appropriately managed. As the harsh impacts of climate change become more severe through weather events and ongoing environmental changes, people in low-income communities will experience them disproportionately. It is ever more critical that affordable housing properties are prepared to respond.
REQUIREMENTS

Create a manual on emergency operations for O&M staff and other on-site personnel. This emergency manual may be compiled as a distinct manual or may be included within the developer’s existing framework or manual for documenting and communicating key information about the property.

When an online community portal or other digital mechanism is available for sharing information with residents and building staff, ensure that this emergency guidance is easily accessible in those locations.

Regardless of the format, the manual must address responses to various types of emergencies, leading with those most likely to threaten lives and damage the property. It must also provide guidance for sustaining adequate housing throughout an emergency, including:

  • A completed Building Readiness Report from the Enterprise Business Continuity Toolkit
  • Communication plans and resources for staff and residents to use in the event of an emergency
  • Contact information for property management, resident services, public utilities, and building insurance providers
  • Building shutdown procedures, including appropriate steps for securing electrical and mechanical systems, on-site fuel sources, elevators, and the site perimeter
  • A plan for regular testing of backup energy systems, if applicable
RECOMMENDATIONS
  • Consider using the full Enterprise Business Continuity Toolkit, which offers an abundance of resilience resources to help developers prepare for unexpected emergencies. Some of these items should be reviewed annually and updated if needed. Tools include:
  • Store a copy of the emergency manual in a protected water-proof sleeve or vessel to ensure accessibility during a flood or other emergency weather event.
  • Inspect backup power systems and fuel sources weekly, practice backup procedures monthly, and test systems at least once every 12 months. Refer to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 110 Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems for detailed recommendations.
  • Consider having at least one staff member for every 50 regular occupants (residents plus on-site staff) who is trained in first aid, CPR, and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Include information about these resources within the emergency management manual.
  • Update the emergency manual annually or more often in both digital and hard-copy formats.
  • Ensure staff job descriptions and performance requirements include responsibility for reviewing and updating all emergency maintenance manuals.
  • Plan for people with varying abilities and mental, physical, sensory, or cognitive needs in the emergency management manual. People who use electrically powered life-sustaining equipment should have special priority. If utility costs are covered in rent, building owners can notify the utility provider that a person in the household uses such equipment. For buildings in which tenants directly pay for utilities, encourage residents to register with the utility provider themselves. This type of registration allows utilities to notify people who use electrically powered life-sustaining equipment when there is a power outage and potentially to conduct check-ins during a power outage.
  • Consider including multiple types of contact information for building managers and other staff in the communication plan and sharing the information with residents via cell phone, email, etc.
  • Consider using a phone app to contact tenants with emergency information, reminders to charge devices, and locations of emergency power and charging locations.
RESOURCES
8.3 Resident Manual
8.3
Mandatory

Resident Manual

RATIONALE
Guides that share information on the features of a Green Communities-certified project can enable residents to fully realize the environmental, health, and economic investments made to the property.
REQUIREMENTS

Provide a guide for homeowners and renters that explains the intent, benefits, use, and maintenance of their homes’ green features and practices. This guide may be compiled as a distinct manual or may be included within the developer’s existing framework or manual for communicating information about the property to residents.

When an online community portal or other digital mechanism is used for sharing information with residents, ensure that this resident guidance is easily accessible in those locations.

Regardless of the format, the resident manual should encourage green and healthy activities and should raise awareness of green elements of the property that support resident health and quality of life.

A range of topics should be provided. Those topics must include, but are not limited to:

  • A description of the Green Communities criteria included in the project that are particularly relevant to residents
  • An overview of the emergency management manual (Criterion 8.2)
  • Instructions for accessing online communication tools and bulletins, such as apps, portals, or other mechanisms for information sharing between residents and building operations and services, as applicable
  • A routine maintenance plan, as applicable, that outlines the responsibilities of residents and maintenance staff and includes information for residents about reporting maintenance issues
  • HVAC operation instructions and explanations of other systems that are part of the home
  • Green cleaning guidelines
  • Smoke-free building policy
  • Location of electrical, mechanical, gas, and water shutoffs
  • Recycling and other waste-management instructions
  • Integrated pest management protocols
  • Information on community connectivity, including public transportation, vehicle-share and bike-share amenities, and other accessibility features
  • Information on community gardens and other ways to access fresh food
  • Energy and water consumption information, including how the property will collect and report utility data
RECOMMENDATIONS
  • Hold quarterly on-site “office hours” or training sessions about property and dwelling-unit features to encourage residents’ awareness of the property’s features and amenities and to discuss ways that residents can realize their benefits.
  • When developing your resident manual and engagement information, include maps, floor plans, graphics, images, videos, and social media information to make the material more engaging and effective.
  • During the design process, keep a running list of how maintenance and landscaping teams and residents may need to be involved with the property to ensure that it will perform as intended. Once the project team has completed the integrative design process (see Category 1), amend templates of the O&M documents and resident manual with project-specific information. This helps ensure that the development process informs these documents and that the documents are complete by the time the project is ready for occupancy.
  • Provide information and guidance for residents on the integrated pest management (IPM) approach developed as part of Criterion 7.11 Reducing Allergens and Disease Vectors: Integrated Pest Management. Topics may include pesticide use, housekeeping, and prompt reporting of problems with cockroaches, rodents, or bed bugs. Ensure that anyone applying pesticides is licensed and working under a scope that includes IPM provisions.
  • Provide residents with information about local transportation options by including maps, public transit schedules, vehicle- and bike-share programs, and the building’s bicycle amenities.
  • Provide residents with maps of neighborhood locations for physical activity and healthy food amenities, including farmers’ markets, community gardens, walking trails, parks, playgrounds, and exercise facilities.
  • Amplify the impact of access to fresh food by hosting cooking classes to build expertise in making healthy meals.
  • Consider how you label trash, recycling, and composting receptacles throughout the building. For example, use consistent colors to ensure landfill receptacles are visually distinct from recycling or compost containers throughout the property. Provide examples and instructions for which materials are recyclable and compostable.
  • Provide residents with local information for handling household hazardous waste, including batteries.
  • If the project is using greywater, design and institute a policy that requires biodegradable soaps, cleaners, and any other product types that are likely to be flushed down the drains.
  • Consider bulk purchases of nontoxic cleaning materials for residents to buy at a discount.
  • Consider including ENERGY STAR “Best Practices” information in the Resident Manual. Select a product type and click on “Savings Tips.”
RESOURCES
8.4 Walk-Throughs and Orientations to Property Operation
8.4
Mandatory

Walk-Throughs and Orientations to Property Operation

RATIONALE
An orientation to the building and community helps educate residents, property managers, and building staff about the green features that were designed to deliver health, resilience, economic, and environmental benefits. It also empowers people to realize those benefits in their own lives and in the lives of future residents. Without an orientation to the information included in the O&M materials, resident manual, and emergency information created per criteria 8.1 through 8.3, that valuable information may not be used, and the project’s goals may not be met.
REQUIREMENTS

Provide a comprehensive walk-through and orientation for all residents and for all property managers and building operations staff. Orient new residents to the property’s green features before move-in, or within 90 days of move-in. Orient all property managers and building operations staff to building maintenance and dwelling-unit turnover procedures within 90 days of initial occupancy. For staff joining after the initial orientation, provide walk-throughs and orientations to green features within their first 90 days. For all orientations and walk-throughs, share the list of Green Communities criteria that were implemented as part of the project and use the materials generated per Criteria 8.1 through 8.3 as the basis of the curriculum.

For home-ownership properties, walk-throughs and orientations should take place at time of sale.

RECOMMENDATIONS
  • During trainings for property management and resident services staff, focus on how the features of the property function and are maintained, and explain how those features help the residents. For example, point out which green features provide comfort, protect health, save money, conserve resources, and support environmental stewardship. It is important for all staff to understand how buildings and systems were designed to operate so that issues can be identified and addressed promptly.
  • Resident orientations should focus on engaging occupants in the process of creating and maintaining a green and healthy environment and on increasing resident awareness of healthy food options and opportunities for physical activity both on the site and nearby.
  • Orientations should be tailored to residents and their needs (e.g., families, older adults) and should educate residents on how to operate key features and access on-site resources (e.g., recycling, thermostats, fans, lighting). Resident orientation should also explain why certain green features were selected (e.g., less carpet in favor of smooth flooring can improve indoor air quality). A thorough resident orientation should aim to improve outcomes relating to energy, water, waste, material use, and health.
  • Resident orientation should also stress the important role that residents have in reporting building-related problems so that issues can be addressed in a timely fashion.
  • Consider providing a packet of resources on green and healthy living, including healthy recipes, recycling information, information about green cleaning, and important contact information in case of any problems.
  • Engage new residents at regular intervals (e.g., at move-in, three months, one year, and then annually) that coincide with existing resident engagement opportunities. This will help staff identify potential needs for support.
  • Provide residents with local information on handling household hazardous waste, such as batteries.
  • Educate residents and staff on what to do in case of an evacuation or shelter-in-place scenario. Consider providing key staff and residents with additional training and “go-bags” so that they can help one another during an emergency.
8.5 Energy and Water Data Collection and Monitoring 
8.5
Mandatory except for detached single-family homes and owner-occupied homes

Energy and Water Data Collection and Monitoring

 
RATIONALE
A system for collecting and monitoring utility data allows project owners, on-site staff, and residents to understand project performance and accurately analyze the costs and benefits of energy- and water-efficiency improvements. This information may be used to influence future retrofit and repair work, and to identify day-to-day performance issues as they arise. Catching problems early allows staff and residents to take appropriate actions to meet goals for durability, cost savings, and health benefits.
REQUIREMENTS

Collect and report consumption and cost data for all energy and water utilities for the residential components of the project. Data must be uploaded and tracked at least annually in an online utility benchmarking platform for at least five years after EITHER 1) issue of the certificate of occupancy for rehabs OR 2) lease-up for new construction. Viewing access must be granted to Enterprise for the required five-year period. Ensure residents are given insight into their utility bills for the purposes of empowerment and education, even if the property owner pays all utility bills directly.

Depending on the property’s utilities, use any one of the following options.

Option 1: Owner-paid utility bills only
The property owner pays 100% of the property’s utility bills and uses these bills as the source for tracking whole-property utility data in the online platform.
Option 2: Aggregated whole-property utility data
Regardless of the split of owner-paid and tenant-paid utility bills across the property, the property owner requests, and then uploads and tracks, aggregated whole-property utility data from utility providers.
Option 3: 100% of tenant-paid utility data
The property owner collects 100% of the individual tenant-paid utility data from utility providers or tenants and tracks these as well as owner-paid accounts in the online platform.
Option 4: Sample of tenant-paid utility data

The property owner collects a sample of individual tenant-paid utility data from utility providers or tenants, which is then used to produce an estimate of whole-property utility data as well as owner-paid accounts. To extrapolate the whole-building data from the sample set, teams may use either 1) the Better Buildings Challenge sampling protocol, found in Appendix C of the Better Buildings Challenge Data Manual, OR 2) HUD’s Assisted Housing Utility Allowance Calculations sampling protocol, found in Part VI of HUD Notice H-2015-04.

Note on Option 4: When using sample tenant-paid utility data to estimate whole-property data, the “Estimation” box must be checked when submitting the data in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

RECOMMENDATIONS
  • Ensure that training for both residents and building maintenance staff includes information on how to effectively use the collection, monitoring, and reporting system. Engage residents whenever possible in campaigns to reduce water and energy use.
  • Carefully consider metering and/or utility monitoring to ensure the process meets your needs not only for utility billing but also for diagnosing potential energy or water issues. Providing consumption and cost data to each resident from their own dwelling unit may encourage lower consumption, while being cognizant of dominant sources of energy use can help owners proactively notice and address outlier conditions in real time. The metering and monitoring systems should be specified during integrative design, tracked through O&M procedures, and shared with residents and staff.
  • Install smart thermostats in units to allow residents more control over their energy and water use.
  • For owner-occupied units, residents should collect and monitor their energy and water performance data in a manner that allows for easy access and review, and that provides the ability to influence home operations for at least five years from time of first occupancy. Also allow Enterprise access to this data.
  • Ensure resident privacy is protected if individual units are being monitored.
  • Develop a protocol for reviewing and responding to utility data so that operation can continuously improve.
RESOURCES

“People who live here love how beautiful it is. I’m just more open and confident here. I believe I belong here. I appreciate it, and it’s going to appreciate me because I’m going to take care of it.”

Sharon Morden, Cadence Resident