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Sustainability is now more than ever becoming a standard for tenants when looking for a place to rent. Property managers need to lean into this rise in sustainable living and make sure their properties are environmentally friendly. Here are five quick, easy, and cost-effective changes we recommend property managers make to their units to make them more green.
Invest in Solar Panels
Installing solar panels into your properties is an incredibly effective and cost-friendly way to make your units more sustainable. It only costs around €4 to buy and install a solar panel, and the cost-effectiveness doesn’t end there. Solar panels can help save 95% of your utility bills per month. Countries like Ireland are even awarding grants to homeowners to pay for and install solar panels on their homes.
Choose Eco-Paints and Wallpapers
Believe it or not, traditional paints and wallpapers are often damaging to the environment. In fact, paints and wallpapers often contain harmful chemicals or VOCs (Volatile organic compounds) that can cause great harm not only to the people living in the home, but also to the environment. That is why it is important to purchase paints and wallpapers that are environmentally friendly. Several companies now specialize in creating eco-paint and wallpaper, such as the UK-based company, Little Green.
Offer a Recycling Guide
Recycling is very important, but more times than not, people are not educated on what can and cannot be recycled, leading to tons of unusable materials. A way that property managers can work to eliminate waste and increase usable recycled materials is by providing each tenant with an easy-to-read guide on common items that people try to recycle that cannot be recycled and vice versa. This is a low-cost, yet effective way to educate tenants on the city recycling guidelines that will lead to more useful materials for recycling. There are several blogs and websites that deep dive into this topic that property managers can use as a resource when making their recycle guides such as:
Switch to LED light bulbs
The easiest way to reduce energy consumption and increase sustainability in a property is by installing LED light bulbs. When you install energy-saving light bulbs in your units, you can light your properties with the same amount of light while using less energy. Lighting comprises about 15% of monthly utility bills, so by switching to LED light bulbs, the average household can save up to €220 a year. LED light bulbs can also last up to 25x longer than incandescent or traditional light bulbs. LED light bulbs cost €4 on average, compared to incandescent bulbs which cost €1 on average. This increase in cost is justified because money saved from reducing energy bills and the increased lifespan of the LED bulbs make up for the increase in cost.
Install a Smart Thermostat
Connecting your heating and cooling systems to an app is one of the easiest ways to reduce energy usage within your home. A smart thermostat is a thermostat that allows you to adapt the temperature of the rooms in your home anywhere at any time using an app on your phone, tablet, or even your smartwatch. Not only is this a more convenient way for tenants to adjust the temperature of their unit, but it also helps them to save energy.
These smart thermostats are a great option because they precisely adjust the operation of your heating and cooling to avoid unnecessary costs due to over usage and heating unused rooms. The cost to buy and install a smart thermostat is anywhere from €200-€500, which may seem expensive at first glance, but these thermostats can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars throughout their product lifetime.
