New PSC ruling on Electric Sub Metering

The PSC approved new requirements to protect tenants in electrically heated multi-family buildings that are to be submetered. Under the new requirements, building owners must invest in energy efficiency measures to achieve savings of 20%, must install accessible meters, must provide tenants with information on energy conservation and must adhere to certain provisions/protections under the Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA).

http://www3.dps.state.ny.us/pscweb/WebFileRoom.nsf/ArticlesByCategory/8F7DE5F8A17FBBE38525763400576A4D/$File/pr09089.pdf?OpenElement

 

House Rules

For your reference;  the Clinton Hill House Rules

 

Protected: paint color #2 and rejection of mediocrity

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lOBBY uPGRADE

For those of you not living in the buildings for the “tests” for the new lobby design, here are the current options.  The photo is of the 4 color swatches (yes, all green!) for the vestibule and hallway.  Keep in mind the doors and fixtures have all been painted a shiny dark black and the wallpaper are small, thin stripes of varying shades of green.  If you want to see the paint swatches in person, you can enter the vestibules of 355 and 210, but keep in mind you are viewing these in a large, sun-lit space and the colors look very different in narrow, florecent lit hallways…

If you have comments or feedback that you would like to provide to the Board, which makes the decisions (I still haven’t found out who on the Board is the “lobby committee” so if you know, please let us know), you can email or call the management office or you can submit a comment card (assuming you have a comment box in your lobby).

New interior paint color options

 

A/C Safety

brackets and no brackets

“Installing Window Air Conditioners in Your Apartment”
By Stephen Varone and Peter Varsalona

Window-mounted air conditioners generally aren’t considered a serious safety issue in New York City, probably because there haven’t yet been any high-profile cases of a falling A/C unit injuring or killing someone. But a poorly installed air conditioner can pose as much of a danger to pedestrians as unsafe façade conditions, so co-op / condo owners must make sure their window units are adequately secured.
Full Article link

At CHAOC there are A/C installation guidelines (ie., they are supposed to be installed by our maintenance staff or a certified contractor) – estimated cost per install is ~$100.  If an on-staff maintenance person is unable to schedule or meet you during their off-work hours, you can try to find an installer on the ACCA website.  You can also find some really interesting and helpful information on A/C, air quality and other programs for NYC here. 

What I liked about the maintenance staff’s installation is they used clear plexiglass and I can still open the top window because there is a brace bar supporting the unit.  You may also want to consider which window you choose for the install based on maintaining a cross-breeze.  I did wish it was installed to one side or the other, vs centered, but…too late! Also, would have been good to know there are verticle units that could have gone in the picture window.

NYC.gov provides a link to an A/C calculator for those needing to estimate the appropriate size unit for your space.  I have a 12,000 BTU in the living/dining/kitchen and it is very effective.  Definitely get a unit with an Energy Star rating.  For other tips on procurement and disposal, see NYC’s Wastele$$ website.

Review the NYC installation guidelines, which includes the use of brackets.  If you notice unsafe A/C installations, please notify the management office.  There have been past incidents of units falling out of windows (and fortunately never injuring anyone – yet!)

 

Soundproofing an Apartment

There have been several inquiries and remarks regarding soundproofing.  One reader provided the following information “an interior designer/architect friend of mine who lives in 345 has the same problem and when he and his wife get around to renovating their apartment, he is going to add a thick layer of drywall plasterboard to the wall and behind it will be a layer of insulation. from his perspective, this will keep the noise at bay. other than renovation modifications – do what i did to abate an inconsiderate, noisy neighbor – confront them and if that does not work – call 311 and property management and report them for breaking house rules.”

After some quick online research (short of knowing anyone who has actually soundproofed their place) there seem to be two key principles:
1) noise blocking
2) noise absorbtion

A common  solution seems to be mass loaded vinyl (MLV) which is a flexible noise barrier,  applied with a silicon adhesive.  There is also “green glue” which is sandwiched between drywall.  Another alternate is vinyl barrier foam which can be stapled or nailed to the wall .  There are various weights of MLV and most soundproofing discussion threads recommend these top suppliers:
http://www.acoustiblok.com/
http://www.soundprooffoam.com/
www.greengluecompany.com

If you have any photos of a soundproofed wall in your home, please email them to the CHAOBblog.

 

Protected: caution: wet paint!

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Home Values

In a declining economy that is now extended to the real estate market, I’ve started to wonder “what’s going on with the value of my home?”.   Here’s what I’ve found (also some great pics of what others have done to their apartments!).  Overall, the CHAOC Sales Committee states that prices are decreasing slightly but holding in comparison to new developments in neighborhood.  Interestingly enough, CHAOC Board VP, Elaine Cooper, seems to think otherwise.  On Jan 13, 2009 she posted that Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have seen increases in prices.  Stats on trulia.com show CH neighborhood volume of sales down >50% and average home prices down 1% week over week, and almost 20% from last year!

Form your own opinion – here are some numbers:

One bedroom (1BR) places ($280-399)
- unrenovated, recent sale around $280K
- north campus 1A (studio), Sponsor asking $275K (link)
- renovated 4E, R/E asking $350K (link)
- semi-renovated 4H, R/E asking $330K (link)
- south campus 5H, Sponsor asking $355K (link)
- semi-renovated 6C, R/E asking $299K (link)
- south campus 7B, Sponsor asking $365K (link)
- south campus 7E, R/E asking $359K (link)- renovated 12A, R/E asking $390K (link)
- north campus 8E, Sponsor asking $350K (link)
- renovated 11A with great views, R/E asking $399K (link)

Two bedroom (2BR) places ($420-485)
- Update from the RC meeting stated recent sales of renovated 2BR are around $430K
- south campus 1C, R/E asking $420K (link)
- north campus 1st fl, R/E asking $450K (link)
- north campus 12c, R/E asking $455K (link)
- north campus 15F, Sponsor asking $485K (link)

I’ve provided links to the real estate agent sites that I found the listings on, however, I think you can purchase a unit through any agent.  I have heard from some recent buyers of CHAOC property that there are some agents they would highly recommend avoiding and others to seek.

 

Protected: Fire Safety at CHAOC

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Speaking of Clean… good housecleaners?

I admit that although my home isn’t HUGE and I’m only one person, I’m not very good at regularly cleaning. In fact, I really don’t enjoy spending half of my limited free days (ie., weekends) scrubbing the floors and dusting shelves.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have switched to earth-friendly products but they need the TLC in application!

I’ve had a few different housecleaners in the last few years, and know that quite a few of my neighbors do as well.  For a one bedroom the rate seems to be around $70-80 for a top-to-bottom cleaning.  I’ve found, however, that most cleaning services do not include the external side of the windows, event though the fold-in design makes them safe and easy to clean.  Is this the case with everyone?

Do you have any recommendations for a cleaning person and how much are you currently paying? Do you tip on top of that?