The deregulation of the electric industry appears to be a sure thing, but there is still much confusion as to the particulars. Today the three most commonly asked questions concerning the deregulation of electricity are: When will it occu…
Many co-op and condo boards have realized that energy conservation is not only an issue of environmental importance, but also a key area in helping reduce their buildings' operating expenses. And the industry continues to offer a variety …
It's the dead of winter. Outside the temperature is below freezing. Your building is sending up heat, and you've got your windows open. What's going on? Why can't your building's heating system just make everyone comfortably warm instead …
Every 11 seconds a burglary is committed in the United States, according to the Department of Justice's most recent annual Unified Crime Reports. Even Mayor Giuliani, who is perpetually promoting the decrease in crime in New York, is not …
You probably don't think about your building's boiler very often. As long as it provides heat and hot water, it's pretty much out-of-sight, out-of-mind. And when the boiler does need repair, you probably depend on your management company …
What can a board do if its building is faced with extensive capital work while recovering from the real estate slump of the early 1990s? Assessments are unpopular and reserves are low. There's a desire to have construction operations com…
In Spring, 1996 New York State made it legal for small-volume users in the metropolitan area to purchase natural gas from sources other than the major utility companies such as Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) and Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG). Ho…
In 1988 Mayor Ed Koch announced a new program that would give homeowners and multiple-dwelling buildings ten years to switch over to water meters, a program that is scheduled for completion by December 31, 1998. With this change, all New …
What do you know about lead-based paint? Perhaps you know that it's a toxin that's espe- cially dangerous to children under the age of six, and that even fetuses can be affected since they can be exposed to lead through their mother's blo…
You are walking along the sidewalk and, as happens so frequently in New York, you approach a portion that is covered by a sidewalk construction shed. Thinking nothing of it, you stay on that side of the street and continue walking under i…