Tag Archives: Finances

New Proposal for EV Chargers at Laurel Mews

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The HOA has received a proposal for installation of leased EV chargers.  The idea is that the HOA would lease the chargers but pay for the electrical upwork and the installation/provisioning.  The HOA would basically then  be in the vehicle energy business for residents.  That is, we would draw power from Dominion that we’d have to pay for, plus our leasing charges, etc.  Then we’d have to figure out our pricing to meet our revenue target. The system would work via phone app where users would schedule a charging time and pay for how many kW-hrs that they need.

The vendor has two models available.  One has a fancier display screen, but both work the same.

Option -1 Model AC5500 – Charger Details

Option -2 Model ACLF-22100 – Charger Details

Background on Atlas General Contractors

There is still a lot of information to develop regarding how much charging capacity do we need, what is our time horizon to break even, and how to manage the business process,  and to do more due diligence on developing alternative bids.  So to be clear this is not a project that necessarily slated to be executed any time soon.  There is still a lot to work through.

Please be sure to read owner feedback/comments.

Doubts about EVs and EV Chargers – Unobtainium

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1. I’m essentially a social libertarian, meaning I don’t care what car a person chooses to drive, the color of their hair or skin, whether they eat meat or not, or whatever. I have no bias against anyone wishing to drive an electric vehicle.

2. Also being libertarian in my thinking, I believe I shouldn’t be expected to pay for someone else’s choices. Meaning, I shouldn’t be asked and expected to pay for an electric charging station that is of no benefit to me. Let the people who drive electric vehicles pay for it.

3. I have 2 PhDs, I hold patents in molecular physics, I’m an engineer, professor, scientist and physicist. And I’ve designed nearly 1,000 water and energy utility based systems in my 50 year career.

4. The highest total cost per mile driven with any vehicle over the roads is with electric vehicles.

5. The highest total environmental damage per mile driven with any vehicle is with electric vehicles.

6. My partner, Tonya Nichols, PhD, is an ST at EPA headquarters, liaison to the White House and the National Security Council, and a year ago before she passed it off to someone else to take on two other national initiatives, was in charge of EPA’s “Critical Minerals” national initiative. She said the damage to the environment from mining lithium is and will be unimaginable. And the mineral resources are very limited in the United States, meaning we must rely on foreign countries for production of future batteries. And the environmental disposal costs will also be significant with the extent yet to be determined.

7. Please see this video regarding this issue: Unobtanium.

David J. Rigby, PhD, PE
LM Owner

Homeowners Insurance, the HOA, and You

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Our community bylaws and rules require each unit to be covered by an HO-3 or HO-5 policy for full replacement value.  Often consumers are only insured for the actual cash value.  Actual cash value is the value of the home considering its age and depreciation.  Actual cash value payout may not be enough to totally rebuild your unit.  Being insured for only the actual cash value would be a violation of Laurel Mews bylaws.

We have information that a few owners have had difficulty refinancing, perhaps because they had the wrong form of insurance, i.e., an HO-6 instead of HO-3.  HO-6 policies are for condominiums where the individual owners do not own the exterior and roof of their respective units or the entire building.  Although Laurel Mews is organized under the Virginia Condominium Act, and used to refer to itself as the Laurel Mews Condominium Association, unit ownership is ‘fee simple’.  Each owner owns their exterior walls, roof, and all the way down to the lowest plane of the foundation slab.  An HO-6 policy would not be appropriate for a Laurel Mews owner.  In fact it would be wholly inadequate, leaving major parts of the unit uncovered.  So again please make sure you have an HO-3 (or HO-5) policy.

Although HO-3 will be stated to include open perils protection, actually many if not most policies exclude certain types of damage, including damage caused by law (problems caused by a lack of proper permits), earth movement (earthquakes), water damage (floods), power failure, neglect, war, nuclear accidents, and intentional loss.  For these you will need specific endorsements, or additional polices, e.g., National Flood Insurance Program.  

Laurel Mews owners should have the ‘Laurel Mews, A Townhouse Condominium’ listed as an ‘Additional Insured’ entity.  This will not add any extra cost to your policy.  But it will help protect the HOA in case of a loss involving your unit.

How Laurel Mews Can Save $5K per year

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Since 1994, all showerheads have been required to use no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute (gpm), less than half that of many older models.  You can check to see how much your shower head uses by timing how long it takes to fill up a one gallon bucket.  If it takes less than 24 seconds, you might consider replacing it with a newer model.

But there are even 1.5 gpm showerheads available.  Below are some options available through Ayers Hardware, which will offer Laurel Mews owners a measure of incentive pricing. 

The water+sewage rate in Arlington County is $12.61 per thousand gallons.  So reducing water usage by 1 gpm per shower translates into a $45 savings per resident per year, which would pay for the showerhead and its installation in less than 2 years.  Our community would save nearly $5,000 per year, which is 10% of our total water bill, and 5% of our total operating budget.   

This is just one way to save water.  There are many others. 

— Lawrence

1.  Ecoflow Handheld Shower 1.5gpm
Model #VBE453
Order #5492707
Price $31.99
3-1/4 round shower head, advanced optiflow technology, easy clean nozzles, 5 ft. faux metal hose, water pause toggle switch. Spray modes: Full body coverage, Pulsating massage, Full body/massage combination.

2.  1.5 Gpm Showerhead W/Push Btn.
Model #USB4C
Order #9707704
Price $12.99
Small, water saving shower with pressure compensating technology that provides consistent 1.5 GPM flow rate from 30 to 80 psi. Shower is a conical spray pattern of perfectly sized droplets for a forceful, invigorating and very wet feeling shower spray. Available with or without push button trickle valve. Saves over 20 percent more than other water saving showers, complies with all Water Sense guidelines for water and energy conservation. Made in the USA of solid brass and chrome plated, Installs easily with standard 1/2″ female threads.

3.  Water Pik Showersaver White
Model #ICA-111HE
Order #4629143
Price $7.99
Fully adjustable spray, 1.5 gpm average flow.

 
Water Pik Showersaver Shower Head, White 1.5 GPM

4. 1.5 Gpm Ultra Saver Showerhead
Model #USB3C
Order #6292197
Price $9.99
Small, water saving shower with pressure compensating technology that provides consistent 1.5 GPM flow rate from 30 to 80 psi. Shower is a conical spray pattern of perfectly sized droplets for a forceful, invigorating and very wet feeling shower spray. Available with or without push button trickle valve. Saves over 20 percent more than other water saving showers, complies with all Water Sense guidelines for water and energy conservation. Made in the USA of solid brass and chrome plated, Installs easily with standard 1/2″ female threads.

 5.  3 Mode, Fixed Mount, 1.5 GPM Ecoflow Shower Head
Model #VBE-423
Order #115391
Price $19.99
Offers Stylish Design With A Variety Of Spray Settings, Same Ultimate Shower Experience For Waterpik Low Flow Shower Heads, All Without Wasting A Drop Of Money Or Water.

6.  Delta, Chrome, 1.5 GPM Maximum Flow Shower Head
Model #75155
Order #482125
Price $11.99
Operates On 1.5 Gallons Per Minute, 40% Water Savings Versus Standard Shower Heads, 4 Large Spray Jets Provide Full-Body Coverage. Stylish On The Outside – Revolutionary Technology On The Inside, Shower Head Technology: Increases The Water’s Velocity To Enhance Spray Performance And Maintain Temperature, Maximizes Performance At Lower Water Pressures And Precisely Angles Spray For Full Body Coverage.

 

 

To take advantage of Ayers’ pricing please email ayersvariety (at) hotmail.com and put “shower head order” in the subject line or call the store at 703-538-5678.

The Water Meters and Economic Equity

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Yesterday we had two circumstances where the community water valves had to be turned off.  One was on the Washington Blvd side, the other on the Lee Hwy side.  One was more planned, the other really was an emergency.

This is as good of an occasion as any to talk about water consumption in our community, specifically the fact that our homes are not individually metered.  Our community has only two meters, one for the Washington Blvd side, the other for Lee Highway.  The developers probably did this because it was cheaper and easier for them. 

People have from time to time suggested that we get individual meters installed.  Going down this road would first require a change in our declaration and by-laws, as water expenses are in the pool of undivided common interest costs.   Removing water from our pooled costs, or even scaling our dues by number of occupants would be a breach of our covenants, conditions and restrictions.

But let’s say we can solve that problem by going through the amendment process.  How would the numbers work out?  On average our community of 54 homes uses 10,400 gallons per day.  Many sources indicate that individuals use on average 100 gallons per day.  Crunching those numbers we find that on average there are 1.9 persons per unit.  

Given that our water bill is ~$920 per unit per year, or $461 per person per year, people who live alone are arguably paying more than an equitable share, and occupants with more than 2 occupants pay less than their equitable share. 

But to “correct” this situation would require a many-thousand-dollar capital project.  There would probably be multiple excavations to install metered manifolds and piping reconfigurations.  We can reasonably estimate the cost per unit would be at least $3K per unit, or $162K total.  To amortize that cost over 10 years at a 5% interest rate would cost the community $1,720 per month, or $21K per year, $381 per owner per year.  

(Update: We had the occasion to discuss this project with a contractor that actually does this kind of work, and a better estimate is probably closer to $7,500 per unit.)

The latter number assumes that the capital cost would be shared equally amongst all owners.  But following the logic for doing this in the first place, the capital cost should arguably be born by single-occupant owners only.  In Laurel Mews there are 7 units with only one occupant.  For 10 years their yearly living costs would include an additional $2,600.  And while they would be saving on water during this time, it would be another 7 years before their water bill savings would pay off.

But going back to a model where all owners share equally in the capital cost,  for 10 years single occupant owners would save $461 per year ($4,610 total).  But they would have to pay $318 per year ($3,180) for the capital cost, thus save only save $143 per year for the 10 year period.   Owners with 2 occupants on the other hand would be asked to pay $3,180 for a project for which they really would receive no economic benefit.  Owners with 3 and 4 occupants would not only see their water bills go up, they would have to share in the capital cost, thus would find their living cost go up $779 and $1240 per year, respectively.

Granted, after the capital costs are retired, single occupant owners would save several hundred dollars per year in perpetuity.  But two-occupant units would never recover their share of the capital costs.   Three and four occupant units would see their costs go up more than what the single occupant owners would save.  This is why arguably only the single occupant owners should pay the $162K capital cost. 

Surely there are better ways for single occupant units to save $143 per year that does not involve doing so at the untoward expense of two-occupant owners, or with something better than a 17 year horizon.  If we addressed this at all, the much easier thing to do is just scale the dues to number of occupants and just stop there without spending the $162K+ to install individual meters.  But if we do that, we would be hoping, without really knowing, that water consumption rates from average data is what the actual pattern is in our community.  Anyway It is hard to see how this project would support our overall property values.   There are all kinds of unfair economic divisions in any condo community that the HOA cannot solve.  It is not clear why we should try to solve this one.

— Lawrence