Commercial water conservation strategies

As a property manager, saving water is at the forefront of Brian Harnetiaux’s mind, and the minds of many of his tenants as well.

“We get proposals with questions that ask how we are being energy efficient, water efficient, that kind of thing,” says Harnetiaux, senior vice president of McCarthy Cook in southern California. Being water conscious has even secured tenants for the company.

Recently, Harnetiaux says the company oversaw a $35-million renovation on an office campus built in the 1980s. The first thing they did was remove a large fountain on the property to eliminate the water being used for it, and they installed primarily artificial turf. McCarthy Cook oversees 11 properties totaling about 4.5 million square feet. Harnetiaux relies on his contractors to bring him water-efficient ideas.

CONTRACTOR COMMUNICATION.

 Property managers have tenants to please and contractors have property managers to please. Open communication about what types of water-saving systems are available is important. From the property manager perspective, they are looking to contractors to bring them the latest and greatest technology.

Read more in the July issue here.