Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - Dec/Jan 2018 | Page 50

OFFICE
Untapped Potential
Easy Water Saving Tips for the Office
W
ith level 5 water restrictions in place in the Western
Cape, pressure is building for commercial property
owners to reduce their water consumption. It was re-
cently announced that commercial buildings should reduce water
use by 20% when compared to usage a year ago. No small feat,
many businesses are struggling to make the necessary changes.
Expensive solutions are easy to come by: from water tanks to
water recycling systems. While these are viable options for large
companies, entrepreneurs and small organisations oftentimes
won’t have the necessary funding to implement it. So what does
one do? As a commercial property owner, there are several low-
cost and nearly no-effort steps you can take. We spoke to Sean
Paul, Executive Director of Spire Property Management, gather-
ing the following points:
1. Switch off or limit irrigation of gardens. Where possible, re-
place current landscaping with more water-wise and resilient
plants (think succulents and indigenous plants).
2. Adjust the flush valves to reduce flow in toilets. The same
counts for water pressure at taps. If possible, look into auto-
mated taps for the bathroom taps, further reducing wastage.
A less costly option would be to install aerators on the taps.
3. Waterless hand sanitiser can be provided at strategic places,
further reducing the need for water.
4. Turn off water features and fountains.
5. Place locks on all external taps, thus avoiding abuse and theft.
6. Support water-wise companies - when looking for a builder
or cleaning company, make an effort to make use of one that
uses harvested rain water.
7. Communicate with your tenants regarding water-saving
measures and efforts to reduce usage.
8. Install prepaid meters for tenants with a history of high water
use. This is especially relevant in water-intensive industries
such as restaurants, car washes, and hair salons.
Long-term investments
Once the above points have been implemented in your properties,
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DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
it might be worthwhile looking into further improvements and
installations. While the initial price tag may be hefty, it will en-
sure your property is future-proof. As Paul explains, “The drought
will come to an end, however the benefits of employing the above
water saving measures will have a far reaching beneficial effect
for years to come.”
Green features in buildings are also becoming a drawcard
for potential tenants, which means you’ll have less trouble fill-
ing your commercial building. Many residential properties are
already implementing the below methods, with several large
corporations having put them in place years ago.
Examples include harvesting rainwater; installing grey wa-
ter solutions that allow the re-use of water; installing bore-
holes; and amending air conditioning and HVAC systems in
order to harvest the water generated by these technologies.
Making the office productive again
The GBCSA recently hosted their 2017 convention in
Cape Town, with one discussion centred around improv-
ing productivity through green building methods. Aspects
such as air quality, noise, and temperature all have a prov-
en effect on how happy and efficient workers are. If you’re
planning on getting into the commercial property business,
you’d be doing yourself (and future tenants) a favour by
implementing some of the following in the planning of
your building:
Natural light: in a perfect world, we shouldn't have to
switch on the lights during the day. Natural light stimu-
lates the brain and leads to better performance.
Air flow: sure, that air conditioning unit is great on a
hot summer’s day. But few things beat natural air flow. Not
only that, but you're also saving on electrify and costs.
View: few things are less stimulating than staring at a
wall (or cubicle) all day. Planning the layout of an office in
such a way as to allow for desks with a view, your tenants
are sure to be happy.