Feb 18 2014
The 11-year old Dublin Ranch Golf Course (DRGC) Board was in a quandary to control the $21,000/year operating costs for 140,000 gallon pool with surrounding lighting. In addition, the large concrete deck surrounding the pool offered no shade.
The association's management company, Common Interest Management Services, Inc., helped the DRGC Board adopt an innovative approach: a solar shade system with over 100 solar panels with micro-inverters mounted on two separate trellis systems.
The creative system now provides both solar energy and shade! The board of directors also converted the old lighting system to LED throughout the complex to dramatically lower the consumption of energy as well. Net-net, the Association is saving over $25,000 per year and the system has a useful life of 25 years or more. This is a compelling ROI and a solar gift that keeps on giving.
Common Interest Management Services, in close cooperation with Bay Area boards of directors, has successfully supported the implementation of five major solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across the past several years. No other management company has been as forward-thinking and proactive in exploring creative and proven solutions for the long-term management of association expenses.
In each solar PV implementation, HOA boards of directors were interested in lowering long-term operating costs for energy, a scarce resource that was becoming increasingly costly with unpredictable impact on Association budgets each year. The Common Interest team helps its boards of directors to:
- understand the current costs for power and energy
- identify the potential savings implementing a solar PV system
- source several vendors and solutions for system design and implementation
- follow procedures and protocols to engage the membership for a vote
- evaluate financing options to manage current assessments without increases
- support the project implementation and timelines
- and, finally, ensure ongoing measurement and maintenance of system performance
"Our team of Community Managers is determined to help our board of directors to find innovative ways to cut expenses to manage or lower monthly assessments. Our joint work with some of our most progressive board of directors to adopt solar PV systems has resulted in outsized savings for those associations. We look forward to sharing our experience and expertise with all of our clients to help them to consider the fit of these solar systems at their own associations," said Mike Archer, CEO, Common Interest Management Systems.
For more than 24 years, Common Interest Management Services has served the Bay Area's most prominent communities. With over 250 community clients, Common Interest is the leading HOA management firm in Northern California. If you need expert advice from a locally-owned and operated company, please contact our company's owner at [email protected] or call 925-743-3080.