Needed: Electric Submetering "MASTER-METERING" IN COOPERATIVE HOUSING IS UNFAIR, EXPENSIVE, WASTES ENERGY

Authors

  • Allen L. Thurgood Executive Director Coordinated Co-op Hou sing Services, lnc.
  • Lewis M. Kwit President, Ellergy lnuestment Systems, Inc.

Abstract

From 1951 to 1978, sponsors of private and government-assisted
cooperative housing faced a choice about how to provide and pay for
future electric use: Should shareholders pay the utility directly for their
consumption , or should the cooperative be "master-metere d" and re-
ceive bulk billing for the entire building? Would a master-metered situ -
ation mean discounted rates and building-wide savings, or w ould it
promote unfair allocation of charges?
At the time , energy---electricity, in part icular- was relatively ine x-
pensive. Electrical use was only a fraction of what it is toda y. Man y
electrical appliances and products currently in use had not been inv en ted
by 1950. Microwave ovens, dishwashers, VCRs and frost-free refrigera-
tors, staples in today's kitchens, have only penetrated the market in the
last two decades. The recent trend toward horne offices, complete with
computers, faxes, scanners and phone machines, was yet to be imagined .
There was no need and little incentive for energy conservation to enter
into billing decisions.
With the appro val of their government partners, mo st de velopers
of limited-equity cooperative housing opted for ma ster-metered electric
service. Because so few electric dependent product s even existed, con -
sumption could not deviate significantly among individual apartments .
At the same time , electricity was cheap, and the y would receive a vol-
ume discount. Spurred by ill-conceived state regulations, the y made a
big mistake-as they wer e to discover with the first world wide energ y
crisi s in 1973 /74

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Author Biographies

Allen L. Thurgood, Executive Director Coordinated Co-op Hou sing Services, lnc.

Allen L. Thurgood is Executive Director of Coordinated Co-op Housing Services where he has served not-for-profit cooperative enterprises in a variety of capacities, including that of president of a regional cooperative. He also coordinates the activities of the 3D-year-old Coordinating Council of Cooperatives, an association of New York City housing coops. In addition, Allen is a board member of the Alexandria, Va., based National Association of Housing Cooperatives; secretary of Mid-Eastern Cooperatives; the Washington, D.C., Cooperative Development Foundation; and a member of the Board of Community Assisted Tenant Controller Housing, which addresses housing and community development needs of low-income urban residents. Allen also serves as a member of the advisory board of the Apartment House Institute of the City University of New York, is a member of advisory panels of several governmental agencies including the New York State Consumer Protection Board and several community-based senior citizens and environmental support organizations.

Lewis M. Kwit, President, Ellergy lnuestment Systems, Inc.

Lewis M. Kwit is the founder and president of Energy Investment Systems, Inc. (EIS), a New York State corporation that specializes in implementing energy-saving and related improvements in multifamily buildings. Under Mr. Kwit's direction, EIS has developed financing strategies that utilize private bank loans and government incentives to rehabilitate multifamily buildings in low and moderate income communities. Demonstrating the feasibility of this type of underwriting, for over 10 years, Mr. Kwit has succeeded in obtaining rehabilitation financing by accessing a variety of public and private programs.

Using SONYMA mortgage insurance, New York State Energy Office (NYSEO) subsidies, weatherization assistance and other credit enhancements, Mr. Kwit has proven to a number of lenders that EIS-developed projects are prudent and profitable. Mr. Kwit served on the State Energy Office's advisory committee for the creation of the Energy Investment Loan Program (EILP). Mr. Kwit has also worked with HPD's Article 8A Loan and Participation Loan Programs to rehabilitate multifamily buildings.

Prior to establishing EIS, Mr. Kwit directed a national urban energy policy project for the Cooper Union Research Foundation which established a series of policy recommendations in ten substantive areas. The project's policy committee consisted of Energy Directors from 15 of the nation's largest cities. Mr. Kwit made frequent presentations on energy policy at forums and workshops of the United States Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties.

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Published

2023-09-30

How to Cite

Thurgood, A. L. ., & Kwit, L. M. . (2023). Needed: Electric Submetering "MASTER-METERING" IN COOPERATIVE HOUSING IS UNFAIR, EXPENSIVE, WASTES ENERGY. Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment, 16(3), 68–78. Retrieved from https://journals.riverpublishers.com/index.php/SPEE/article/view/20745

Issue

1997: Vol 16 Iss 3 1996-1997

Section

Articles