Preservation and insulation
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Dear tenant,
With this newsletter we would like to inform you about the status of the long-term sustainability of our properties and what we can do together in the short term.
How are the sustainability plans coming along?
As most of you know, SKAR has been working with the City of Rotterdam since this spring on a business case about making our studio premises (owned and managed) more sustainable. In a pilot, five different buildings have been investigated on the possibilities and costs of making them sustainable. A specialized agency calculated what needs to be invested in the buildings in order to get rid of the gas as much as possible and make them more sustainable. We also looked at what we could do to keep the rent and other costs affordable.
The calculation model shows that the business case shows a deficit that we think is bridgeable, but there are still uncertainties. Prices of both contractors and materials are in tremendous flux. Within four to six weeks, we hope to hear more information from the municipality. Should the business case go ahead, we will first sit down with the municipality and the Triodos Bank and possible other subsidy providers to further work out the business case and make it financially sound. If that is successful, we can then investigate for each building what the most effective sustainability measures are and when we can get started.
Given the pressure on contractors and preservation materials, it is likely that we will have to deal with the current situation for another winter or two. Until then, we want to continue to even out the cost of energy to ensure the affordability of studios in all properties. This will allow SKAR to keep prices for tenants as stable as possible.
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Winter is approaching and that leads you to be very concerned about energy costs. Next period we want to encourage all tenants to get to work with simple energy-saving measures to increase the comfort in their studios, so that everyone can continue to work well. This requires more cooperation between tenants and within different studio buildings. We want to help you with this, but your own commitment is of great importance!
SKAR can help in five ways. Partly by actively looking with you at how to consume as little energy as possible (this will vary for each building) and partly by looking at how we can make it a little lighter financially for tenants.
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Optimally adjusting boilers
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Since May, most of the boilers have been on low temperature or even turned off to minimize gas consumption. Since late September, the central heating boilers have been restarted and we have commissioned our installation partners to adjust the boilers as optimally as possible. For all properties whose energy contracts SKAR manages, we are adjusting the central heating boilers with a lower base temperature while maintaining sufficient comfort. In this way, we hope to save energy.
Despite this ambition, however, we must remain realistic. Unfortunately, these are often old, inefficient boilers where there is not always much to gain. We are in talks with Energiewacht to see what the possibilities are for reducing the number of heating hours per day. If that is an interesting option, we will inform you about it.
SKAR also manages properties whose energy contracts and central heating systems are not run through SKAR, but through the tenants themselves or through another owner. For these properties, we will approach the owners to see what is possible.
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One-time purchase of frame film
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SKAR has budgeted for a one-time purchase of insulating window frame film that can be used to turn single-pane glass into double-pane glass. Frame film is a simple and affordable way to increase comfort in the studio and save energy. The frame film insulates in both winter and summer, lasts for a few years and is basically good for tenants to apply themselves.
This material allows tenants, who have single-pane glass, to insulate large window areas in their studios. SKAR has room scaffolding available for this work, which can rotate for each property. If needed in difficult locations, a more experienced technician will assist in the application of the window film. SKAR provides this window film on a one-time basis.
To manage this project, we will first visit a few properties to take stock of what is needed and how to organize it. More information on this will follow later.
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Knowledge transfer: isolation course
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SKAR wants to offer knowledge transfer about insulation to tenants with a course by energy coaches from WijkEnergie Werkt. The goal of the course is to learn what insulating measures you can take yourself, what the effects are, what materials you need for it and how to install it.
For taking this course, SKAR does set some prerequisites.
Namely:
- you have time and energy to transfer the knowledge learned to other tenants within your premises and at other studio premises in your neighborhood;
- you make an inventory of the amount of frame film per studio for your building and collect the material (location to be announced);
- you help co-tenants in your own building and at other studio buildings with the installation of the window foil;
- you are an "energy liaison" on behalf of your building in communicating with SKAR about the implementation of the insulation project and other energy issues.
Insulation Course
Date: Friday, November 11, 2022 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: first floor of Het Archief, Robert Fruinstraat 52, 3021 XE Rotterdam.
Learning to apply window frame foil is part of the course.
If you would like to take this course and can commit to the terms, please sign up quickly at this form. A maximum of 20 tenants can participate in the course.
Note! Please also indicate in this form if you prefer to do this task together with one or a few co-tenants within your building. Because we understand that it is quite a lot of work. Please also include these tenants with name and contact information.
Finally, we offer to help you with insulation, but we cannot provide compensation for this work. We hope that the commitment to work together to insulate will soon turn out to your advantage through energy savings.
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SKAR wants to help tenants pay (part of) their rent by doing odd jobs, as we did during corona. In Het Archief at Robert Fruinstraat 52 in Rotterdam-West we have a number of jobs that need to be done. These are mainly preliminary cleaning work, painting of floors and ceilings, building walls and finishing for new studio spaces. We would like to start this work as soon as possible.
Looking for cooperating foreman/woman
For this handyman project, we are looking for a tenant who has sufficient handyman and construction experience and knowledge of materials to supervise the work on site as a cooperating foreman/woman. Tenants who fit this profile and have time and interest should contact Mariëtte Maaskant at mariette@skar-ateliers.nl.
Sign up for odd jobs for rent
If you are a tenant who would like to do odd jobs to "clear" your rent (backlog) and have time in the next few months, please sign up using this form .
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SKAR notices that it is becoming difficult for more and more tenants to afford the cost of their studios. The uncertainty of energy prices contributes to this. For now, it does not look like energy prices will drop in the coming years. Therefore, we would like to explore "studio sharing" further. For many, sharing a studio that you have for yourself for more than a decade may be an impossible thought or a very uncomfortable step. At the same time, this is also a complex and uncertain time that calls for unusual steps.
Sharing a workspace with another tenant (or tenants) may be the solution to keeping the space as a whole affordable with each other. We know that a number of tenants do work outside the studio in addition to their own work. This means that there are studios that are used irregularly or outside of normal working hours. This offers opportunities, provided good mutual agreements are made, to share existing studios in order to lower the costs per tenant and, not unimportantly, to offer other artists workspace.
We want to work on a plan in the near future to make sharing a workspace easier and to align the necessary administrative and legal frameworks accordingly.
Do you have an enthusiasm for sharing your studio and/or would you like to exchange thoughts with us about it? Then send an email to aanbiedingen@skar-ateliers.nl. Include your name, premises, studio number, contact information and the discipline you work in.
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As a tenant, what can you do yourself?
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We know that many tenants have been paying close attention to their energy consumption for years. Unfortunately, now prices in particular play a major role, making it necessary to monitor consumption even more closely.
Perhaps superfluous, but enclosed we give you some tips anyway:
- Be aware of your own behavior. Keep (intermediate) doors closed in your own studio and in the common areas and turn off the lights;
- Explain to your fellow tenants that you are doing this to save energy;
- Replace the lighting in your studio with energy-efficient LED lighting in the studio. LED typically uses 50% less energy;
- Prevent standby consumption by turning off computers, modems, kitchen appliances and adapters of rechargeable devices;
- Turn off your radiators when leaving your studio or when you are not there for a few days;
- Make sure you have a warm sweater, a full stomach, thick socks and occasional exercise, which will make you less likely to feel cold;
- For rooms with high ceilings, a low-rotation ceiling fan can help push heat down;
- An open door, but don't have enough heat in your studio? Check that your radiators are open first, before reporting;
- Another tip for home heating: see how to set your central heating to a lower base temperature (max 60 degrees or even lower) here.
If there are any questions after signing up for this newsletter, please let us know at info@skar-ateliers.nl.
Warm regards,
The SKAR Team
Photo: Solar panels Ackersdijkstraat 20, Frank Hanswijk
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