Equity Lifestyle Properties
At a Glance
Industry
Real Estate
Project Types
Clean and Renewable Energy, Commercial Energy Efficiency, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2023
Location
Chicago, IL
Goals
As Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) grows its portfolio of RV campsites, manufactured home communities, and marinas, it seeks efficient ways to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from property energy sources. To support this effort, ELS enlisted Marla Harvey to assess the value and feasibility of a resilient net zero energy development: a community that offsets energy usage with onsite renewable energy and storage.
Solutions
Harvey approached this challenge through a five-part process:
- Through online research and interviews, Harvey identified multiple resilient net zero energy development options and their environmental, economic, and resiliency benefits.
- Harvey analyzed ELS property electricity usage data and site attributes to evaluate the potential technical feasibility and customer value for each ELS property type.
- To prioritize development locations, Harvey scored and ranked states based on the ease and value of development across four categories.
- Based on Harvey’s research, she analyzed estimated costs and savings impacts for various options.
- Harvey recommended a net zero energy development solution in a particular region that appeared to have the greatest environmental, economic, and resiliency impact
Potential Impact
ELS is taking steps to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and impact on the environment in all operations to enable our customers to reduce their own impact and to provide positive impact through enhancing biodiversity on ELS properties and beyond. By pursuing a resilient net zero energy development, ELS can potentially offset energy-based greenhouse gas emissions, achieve economic benefits through cost savings, and reduce risks associated with power outages through resiliency.