In order to provide residents of Arlington, VA with access to quality and affordable apartment living, the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) constructed the Queens Court Apartments. The 244-unit apartment complex increased the standard of living for many working-class families in the area, as well as included green housing components integrated into the apartment design, such as energy, water and material efficiencies. 

The need for building component integration  

The integration of housing components was important for The Queens Court property manager, S.L. Nusbaum Reality Co., who wanted to combine as many of the buildings functioning elements, comprising of the tankless water heaters, generators, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, into a centralized command system. This would help manage peak energy demands for the property manager, provide efficiencies needed for green housing and maintain optimal performance for the buildings’ equipment.  

Decision to incorporate a building management system 

In the past, APAH had worked with Rinnai America Corporation on three different projects all within the Arlington area, including Columbia Hills, Gilliam House and Columbia Grove. The company had been pleased with the reliability, efficiency and support of Rinnai equipment, so they decided on the installation of Rinnai’s Tankless Rack Systems and BMS Gateway into the Queens Court Apartments.  

Rinnai tankless units offer precise load tracking, so the amount of energy consumed is directly correlated to the amount of water heated at any given time versus having to heat and re-heat stored water with boilers and tanks. And at the time of installation, Rinnai had just released their BMS Gateway, which provides an intuitive way in which to remotely control and monitor Rinnai Commercial Tankless Water Heaters. Both products combined to give the property manager the ability to integrate water heating into their newly developed Building Management System, allowing them to manage peak energy demands and decrease water waste.  

An integrated and efficient system 

The BMS Gateway provided exactly what the property manager was hoping for in terms of component integration, as it allows building managers to turn tankless water heaters on or off, adjust water temperature, monitor flow rates, operation hours and more. It also allows the building maintenance team a way to quickly locate and diagnose any potential issue with a tankless water heater with a simple error code.  

With Rinnai’s Tankless Rack System and BMS Gateway installed, the property was able to create the efficiencies and component integration needed to provide Arlington, VA with high-quality, affordable living space for many working-class families.