To increase the standard of living for many working-class families in Arlington, Virginia, the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) added quality and affordable apartments in the area, constructing the Queens Court Apartments in 2021. The 244-unit apartment complex not only provides quality living space but was also designed with green, energy-saving components and appliances to create efficiencies and lower the cost of living for residents.

To provide the desired quality living space, save on energy and produce building efficiencies, the Queens Court property manager, S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co., was determined to integrate as many housing components as possible. This comprised of combining the tankless water heaters, generators, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning into a centralized command system. The efficiencies would help manage peak energy demands for the property manager, supplying the proficiencies needed for affordable, quality housing and maintaining optimal performance for the buildings’ equipment.


Combined with Rinnai’s BMS Gateway, APAH was able to achieve an intuitive way to remotely control and monitor the installed Rinnai Commercial Tankless Water Heaters by integrating water heating into its newly developed BMS.





In the past, APAH completed buildings with similar criteria utilizing Rinnai America Corp.’s water heating products. Due to the success of previous projects, Rinnai’s reliability in providing quality hot water and always delivering a quick, turnkey solution for multi-family complexes, APAH decided on installing Rinnai’s Tankless Rack Systems. As the Queens Court Apartments were being constructed, Rinnai launched its new BMS Gateway. The new product delivered exactly what the property manager wanted in terms of a fully integrated system, as the tankless rack systems could now be uploaded into Queens Court’s building management system (BMS).

“Working with Rinnai has been painless,” says Scott Shatrowsky, senior construction manager, KCM Build Construction Management. “They’ve been attentive the entire time installation has been taking place on the tankless rack systems, including getting the BMS Gateway up and running. We are very happy we partnered with them.”


Combined with Rinnai’s BMS Gateway, APAH was able to achieve an intuitive way to remotely control and monitor the installed Rinnai Commercial Tankless Water Heaters by integrating water heating into its newly developed BMS.

 

Rinnai’s tankless units alone were able to offer the apartment complex precise load tracking, which allows the amount of energy consumed to be directly correlated to the amount of water heated versus having to heat and re-heat stored water with boilers and tanks — a waste of water for the building and the residents. But combined with Rinnai’s BMS Gateway, APAH was able to achieve an intuitive way to remotely control and monitor the installed Rinnai Commercial Tankless Water Heaters by integrating water heating into its newly developed BMS. The BMS Gateway allows the apartment complex to control peak energy demands, decrease water waste and lower overall water utility costs for Queens Court residents.

The BMS Gateway provided exactly what the property manager was hoping for in terms of component integration. The remote capability delivered efficiencies for the building management team, including turning tankless water heaters on or off, adjusting water temperature, monitoring flow rates and operating hours. Additionally, if there’s a potential issue with a unit, the building maintenance team can use the BMS Gateway to quickly locate and diagnose any problem 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, Virginia, with a quality, affordable living space for many working-class families.

To learn more about Rinnai, visit www.rinnai.us.