Energy Bees

👏 Congratulations to the 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 who worked to make Phoenix Scholar House a winner!

Energy Bees is proud to have supported Phoenix Scholar House with Energy Consumption Modeling (ECM), another tool in the toolbox that can help developers maximize the value of energy-efficient design while strengthening project financials.

Congratulations to Michael, Emily, Gwen, and the entire Brinshore team. We’re proud to work alongside teams dedicated to building stronger communities. 🐝



Read more about their award and the project here:

#affordablehousing #projectoftheyear #phoenixscholarhouse #developers #changinglivesbuildingcommunity | Brinshore Development, LLC We are thrilled to announce that Phoenix Scholar House was awarded our inaugural Project of the Year Award at our annual employee outing! This honor recognizes a development completed within the past twelve months that not only met or exceeded its financial performance goals and overcame significant...

We recently evaluated an existing 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗜𝗛𝗧𝗖 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮 that is operating at max rents.

The property currently uses the published PHA utility allowances for 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿.

We modeled the property based on its actual characteristics, and the opportunity was significant:

🏘️ 𝟴𝟬 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘀
📉 Current PHA UA: $𝟮𝟭𝟱,𝟲𝟭𝟲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆
💡 Proposed modeled UA: $𝟭𝟱𝟰,𝟰𝟲𝟰 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆
📈 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗢𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: $𝟲𝟭,𝟭𝟱𝟮

The modeled utility allowance was approximately 𝟮𝟴% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 than the current PHA allowance.

And this isn't a new construction project. It's an existing property built in 2012.

If you own or manage a max-rent LIHTC portfolio, your current utility allowances may be worth another look.

🐝 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼.

📩 energybees.com/contact

October is Energy Awareness Month!

Understanding how energy is used, what it costs, and where opportunities exist can lead to better decisions for buildings, businesses, communities, and the people who call them home.

🐝 𝗕𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲. Understand the impact.
💡 𝗕𝗲 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁. Make smarter choices.
🌱 𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. Turn those choices into lasting impact.

It’s been our motto from the beginning, and Energy Awareness Month is a pretty good reminder of why.

We’re proud to work with clients who invest in more than buildings.

Woda Cooper continues to show what meaningful community partnership can look like, and we love seeing their support of OpenDoor Women’s Recovery Alliance and the women they serve. 💙

Read more about their support here:
https://lnkd.in/p/eFSHZwsG

🐝 Good Consulting Should Make Your Job Easier

Technical expertise matters.

But so does answering the phone.

Meeting the deadline.

Explaining the numbers clearly.

And helping you spot issues before they become problems.

At Energy Bees, we believe great consulting means being responsive, proactive, and easy to work with.

Because your consultant should feel like an extension of your team, not another task to manage.

🍂The first day of fall is a good reminder that year-end will be here before we know it.

For affordable housing developers and owners, Q4 is often packed with:
🏗️ New project planning
📋 Annual utility allowance reviews
💰 Refinancing and underwriting
📈 2027 pipeline preparation

A little planning now can prevent a lot of scrambling later.

At Energy Bees, we help clients evaluate utility allowance strategies early so there’s time to compare options, maximize NOI, and keep projects moving.

Be Aware. Be Efficient. Be Change.

⏰ When Should You Evaluate Your Utility Allowance?

Ideally, before you’re up against a deadline.

For LIHTC properties, the best time to review your utility allowance strategy is when you’re:

🏗️ Planning a new development
🔑 Preparing for lease-up
📈 Refinancing an existing property
📋 Completing an annual review
💰 Looking for opportunities to improve NOI

Evaluating your options early gives you time to compare methodologies, understand the financial impact, and choose the strategy that best fits the property.

Don’t wait until the utility allowance becomes a compliance emergency.

📩 energybees.com/contact

We looked back at 10 Energy Consumption Models across 1,032 affordable housing units in 4 states.

The result?

💡 $572,124 in combined annual NOI benefit over published PHA schedules
🏘️ $46 per unit, per month on average
📈 Potentially millions in additional property value

Different states.
Different property types.
Different utility structures.

One consistent takeaway: when utility allowances reflect how a building performs, the financial impact can be significant.

Utility allowances are not just a compliance line item. They can be a real part of your capital strategy.

📩 Curious what your portfolio could look like? energybees.com/contact

Today we pause to remember and honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001.

We remember the courage, sacrifice, and unity shown on that day and in the days that followed.

Never forgotten.

Yesterday, we celebrated Labor Day and the people whose hard work keeps our communities, businesses, and industries moving forward.

At Energy Bees, we’re especially grateful for the developers, engineers, housing professionals, utility teams, program leaders, and partners working every day to build stronger, more efficient communities.

Progress happens because people show up, solve problems, and keep moving the work forward.

Here’s to the people behind the impact. 🐝