Environmental Stewardship

Skyline's Industry-Leading Portfolio Efficiency Plan (PEP)

The Skyline Group of Companies (“Skyline”) is committed to doing its part to help protect the environment. By developing and implementing a Portfolio Efficiency Plan (PEP), it has been able to drastically reduce its carbon footprint across its property portfolios. Skyline has been diligent in cutting down its energy, water and natural gas usage, as well as reducing waste and improving its recycling rates. In fact, the PEP has enabled Skyline to reduce its environmental impact by more than 50 million litres of water per year, over 10 million kWh of electricity per year and over 1 million cubic meters of natural gas per year--and these are just a few of the highlights!

These initiatives not only decrease Skyline’s carbon footprint, they also reduce costs and add to the bottom line.  The efficiencies are a strategic part of the effective operations of the Skyline Apartment REIT and Skyline Commercial REIT, ultimately creating value for tenants and investors alike.

Sustainability is one of the key tenets of Skyline’s core philosophy of being a responsible corporate citizen. Skyline is accountable to over 20,000 families who live in its buildings, as well as thousands of commercial tenants and nearly 400 employees. It takes this responsibility seriously. That’s why Skyline strives to make improvements every day, prioritizing environmentally sound practices on an ongoing basis.

Skyline is proud of its green accomplishments, and continues to adhere strictly to the PEP with each new building it acquires and as it provides improvements and upgrades to existing buildings. It is committed to continually educating its employees and residents about sustainability best practices. After all, the biggest impact can be achieved when everybody works together!

Read on to find out more specific details about Skyline’s comprehensive PEP.

PORTFOLIO EFFICIENCY PLAN (PEP)

Refrigerator Replacement
Refrigerators are a major consumer of electricity in an apartment. Skyline has been able to reduce its electricity consumption by replacing all older refrigerators in its units. The new energy-efficient models use up to 75% less electricity than the older models.

CFL Lighting
Skyline has replaced all incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs in its buildings to CFL lighting. This energy-efficient lighting can use up to 80% less electricity than the older, inefficient bulbs.

Heat Reflector Panels
Skyline has installed heat reflector panels into many of its buildings that rely on radiant heat. Heat reflector panels are placed behind the radiator, and the aluminized surface reflects 93% of the infra-red heat that is normally absorbed by the wall, so that the heat is distributed back into the room. Installing these devices has allowed Skyline to lower the temperature on its boilers and save energy while producing the same amount of heat in the units.

High Efficiency Laundry Equipment
Skyline is working with its laundry providers to install new, high efficiency, front-load washing machines in its buildings. These machines will use less water and less detergent.

Toilet, Showerheads, Aerators and Sink Plugs
Toilets are replaced with low-flow models. The new toilets save as much as 15 litres of water per use. Also, by installing low-flow showerheads, Skyline has reduced the water used for bathing by about 30%. Sink plugs have also been provided. By using these plugs, less water is used when shaving or washing the face. The plugs also help decrease the amount of water used for daily hygiene. Aerators have been installed on all kitchen taps. These devices have a filter that prevents too much water from escaping. By installing these devices, the amount of water being used when the tap is running has been drastically decreased.

Boiler Replacements
Skyline has completed 53% of boiler replacements in its portfolio. By replacing old heating systems with new high efficiency boilers, Skyline has drastically reduced its consumption of natural gas and has lowered its CO2 emissions by as much as 50%.

Electronics & Battery Recycling
The Skyline Corporate Office is also proud and excited to announce its internal recycling efforts among staff. The office takes part in the Guelph wet, dry, recycle system, as well as the recently added Electronic & Battery recycling program. Skyline recycles all single use, rechargeable, button-cell, 9V and lithium batteries in-house from all Skyline electronics. This is a great step forward in helping reduce improper disposal of hazardous material which would otherwise end up in our public landfill sites.

If you have a suggestion or idea on how to further reduce our environmental footprint, please email us at: info@skylineonline.ca