Part One of Two.
It is summertime again. Around Lake Anne, the Reston Lake Anne Air-conditioning (RELAC) controversy is stirring again among homeowners forced to use the antiquated chilled water system to cool their homes. Because the system works OK for some but not for others, RELAC continues to be a source of grief and tension among neighbors in lovely Lake Anne.
When it was introduced in the 1960s, RELAC’s chilled water A/C was an innovative concept, providing quieter A/C than systems with conventional outdoor condenser units of that era. Environmentally conscious residents liked that concept. And, the RELAC cooling is said to have been comparable to the conventional A/C of the time. That was then, this is now. In the 50 years since the RELAC system was installed, conventional central air systems technology has dramatically improved. They cool far more effectively and efficiently than the 1960s versions. Meanwhile, RELAC’s equipment remains unchanged, except that it is much older. Conventional A/C units are now smaller and much quieter than 50 years ago. For example, I cannot hear my next door neighbor’s unit turn on although it is barely 20 feet from our door. Furthermore, the aged RELAC system is less friendly to the environment because many users must run the system continuously in hot weather and run fans and dehumidifiers. RELAC’s new local owners are trying to improve the service, but they lack the millions of dollars needed to replace miles of pipes, buy modern chillers, etc essential to catch up after 50 years of zero investment and minimal maintenance. Those that could have already fled the RELAC system in favor of conventional A/C. This includes businesses, the Reston Community Center/Lake Anne facility, and about 30 residential owners who’ve left RELAC with the required exemptions based on doctor certified need for cooler, drier (healthier) air to breathe. The developer leading Lake Anne’s redevelopment told me on Reston TV recently that they do not intend to connect any new homes or businesses to RELAC. When I asked why, he said diplomatically, “it’s not very good.” Many feel it is time to do away with the monopoly status of RELAC, i.e., to let individual homeowners choose to either remain with RELAC or to install conventional A/C. In fact, a petition with more than the requisite signatures needed for a referendum of the 343 affected homeowners has been sent to the Reston Association requesting they conduct a referendum. The issue to be decided is simply whether or not the homeowners can have the right to choose the home cooling that they wish. It may have been reasonable to accord this innovative system monopoly protection for a reasonable period of time to prove itself in the market place. It has had 50 years—that seems more than enough.
I expect that if voters decide to allow choice, some will leave the system in a few years in order to get better cooling. Others will stay—because they are content with RELAC service and/or because they don’t want to pay the $4,000 to $8 thousand dollars it is likely to cost to change to conventional A/C. A referendum held about 7 years ago was narrowly defeated by a vote of 130 to 100. The campaign was nasty at times.
Next Time: What has changed since the last referendum and what RA might do to provide affected homeowners with better, independent information before the vote.