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Are Houston Apartments Built for Freezing Temperatures?
Image © HASLOO | iStock by Getty Images
Sure, if there is power. Here’s why Houston-area apartments can’t sustain days without power in freezing temperatures and how you can be better prepared for future climate-induced disasters.
By MORGAN
TAYLOR, HAA Staff
THE TEXAS WINTER storm happened months ago now, but we still have some questions. Houstonia published an article right after the storm titled “Houston Homes Aren’t Built for Weather This Cold: Here’s Why.” The story was posted online on February 19 at 10:18 a.m. The author of the story, Laura Furr Mericas, wanted to know how Houston homes are built compared to homes built for freezing temperatures up North, what areas of the home are most prone to pipe breaks, building code changes and how Texas homes insulate heat. ABODE wanted to know the answers to these questions for Houston-area apartments. So, we asked Helena Finley, the senior vice president of construction operations for The Morgan Group, a few questions. Finley explains that it isn’t a matter of if apartments are built for freezing temperatures or not, but how apartments can withstand a lack of power. 26
ABODE
May 2021
We were in a similar situation almost exactly a decade ago. In February 2011, an ice storm crippled power plants and forced rolling blackouts. If the Texas power grid fiasco is to blame, what can we do to protect ourselves? Finley shares how The Morgan Group has plans to implement changes to be better prepared in the future through alternate power sources, off-grid communication platforms and more. How are Houston-area apartments built, or not built, for long periods of freezing temperatures? Morgan also builds in Colorado, so we have some experience with building for cold conditions. It was not so much the freeze that affected us, but rather the combination of not having power with consecutive days of below freezing temperatures. Plumbing riser closets or chases are generally built with a heat source, but without power, there is no
heat, and therefore, pipes will freeze and burst. If we had electricity, far fewer pipes would have broken. How do new construction apartments compare to older apartments? Many of your newer properties have gas heated boiler systems. Not having to rely on electricity to heat water was a huge benefit. We had fewer issues with fire sprinklers breaking in newer properties. Following Hurricane Harvey, we saw changes to the building code in Houston. Do you anticipate this happening following the freeze? The focus will likely be on how to fix the power grid infrastructure to make sure that power plants are correctly winterized. It’s unlikely that the code would change to require properties to have back up power. Although not code related, we are making changes to www.haaonline.org
