Building heads act to keep energy gain

A survey of building managers and owners found that an increasing part of their jobs is devoted to energy conservation. Many who began in the early 1970's with housekeeping and energy efficiency improvements are finding they must increase the time spent improving building systems in order to maintain their savings, which leaves them less time to plan long-term changes and investments. Capital investments, such as energy management systems only provide significant savings when they are continuously monitored, and this adds to operating costs. Balancing heat recovery systems between seasons also requires frequent adustments by the manager. Management/tenant cooperation and communication is an important factor. Lack of capital for energy conservation investments, in spite of incentives and a brisk market, has hampered many building managers. (DCK)