Today's Condos Marvels of Efficiency

By Barbara Lawlor

Whether you own or rent, paying for utilities eats up a substantial portion of your income. The costs of electricity, gas and water go up all the time, and wise budgeters pay attention to conserving energy and resources wherever they can. When you purchase a suite in a condominium, a lot of that wisdom is built in for you. Today’s condos are designed to be greener and more efficient to save wear and tear on the environment and your wallet.

Building design has come a long way in the past few decades. Developers are implementing all sorts of measures to reduce, reuse and recycle materials during the building process, and the structures themselves are tighter and more efficient. We even see a lot of green roofs that reduce the amount of storm runoff and help to keep the building cooler in the summer.

In addition, nowadays, suites are usually monitored separately, so you pay only for what you use. Years ago, energy and resource use was bulk driven, so residents had no bit impetus to practice conservation measures such as turning off lights when exiting a room, or turning down the temperature when going out during the chilly months. The responsibility is now on the consumer, and I believe that is a good thing for everyone concerned. The cost savings will continue well into the future, and a decade from now, these condominiums will not be obsolete. Buying a new condominium is a wise decision in so many ways, and utilities efficiency is just one of them.