You owe it to your tenants to make their experience as pleasant as possible. What’s going to happen if they get their electricity bill and notice their bill is sky-high?
Energy efficiency is a growing concern for everyone today. People want their homes to save energy to help the environment and save money.
The question is, what improvements can you make that isn’t going to break the bank? Below are nine energy improvements you can make that will help you keep electricity costs under control.
1. Use a Programmable Thermostat
It takes a lot of energy to keep a home at a stable temperature. The problem comes from when you keep that temperature when you don’t need to.
A programmable thermostat will allow your tenants to change their home’s temperature automatically at certain times. This means they aren’t using the AC and furnace at times when it isn’t needed.
Doing this stops your home from working too hard when it doesn’t need to. You’ll get a lower electric bill as a result.
2. Caulk and Seal Your Entryways
If you own an older property, the chances are that your windows and doors haven’t held up over time. They can develop cracks that allow air to leak into the house.
If you’re using old doors and windows, it might be time to upgrade to a newer model. New products are more energy-efficient and will help keep the outside elements from getting into your home.
If you don’t want to invest in upgrading your doors and windows, you can add weather-stripping and caulking to these entryways. It will stop air from getting through the cracks.
3. Buy Smart Power Strips
Your appliances aren’t really off when you turn off the power. Almost every product keeps drawing a small amount of energy when they’re off. If you have a lot of appliances, this can add to your power bill.
Smart power strips can detect when something is off. It will stop anything that’s off from draining power. These power strips are inexpensive and will pay for themselves very quickly.
4. Modify Your Water Heater Settings
Do you expect scalding hot water every time you turn your water to warm? Most people don’t. They wait a little bit before getting into the shower or putting their hands under the water.
If you keep your water heater temperature too high, it can add to your total power usage. Most modern water heaters have temperature settings that let you lower the heat.
You can safely set water heaters down to 120 degrees. If you set your temperature any lower, then you run the risk of bacteria growing in your water heater.
5. Seal Switches and Outlets
If your insulation is holding up, then your walls are going to protect your home from the elements. Unfortunately, air can find its way in if you have light switches and power outlets.
Hold your hand over these areas to try and feel any air coming through the wall. If you notice any, your outlets and switches are leaking air into your home’s interior.
You can install gaskets to shield your home from the air. It will keep air from getting in and air from escaping through your outlets.
6. Install Energy Efficient Bulbs
A lot of older homes still use old light bulbs. While they work fine, they also use a lot of energy and don’t last very long.
Upgrade all the lighting in your rentals to energy-efficient LED bulbs. These bulbs will use less power and last much longer for your tenants. You’ll drop the power bill and save money buying new bulbs for your renters.
You can also program LED bulbs to use different colors. They will give your renters the ability to personalize their home and light it up the way they want.
7. Replace Air Filters
If you want to save electricity, helping your AC and furnace work more efficiently is vital. The problem is, they aren’t going to work well if you leave dirty filters on them.
These filters need to be replaced regularly if you want things to work in optimal conditions. Fresh filters will also extend the life of your equipment by reducing the work it has to do.
If you don’t think your tenant will take the initiative to handle filter replacements, send them one every three months. They’ll have no excuse to ignore their filters when they get them for free in the mail.
8. Insulate the Top Level
Insulation is one of the primary ways you keep the temperature of your home stable. It’s what stops warm and cold air from leaking in and out of the house. If your insulation is starting to fail, you’re AC and furnace are going to work overtime to keep the temperature stable.
Hot air rises, so it typically escapes out of the top level of your home. Redoing the insulation on the top level or attic is one of the quickest ways to lower your energy bill.
9. Make Use of Landscaping Shade
You don’t need to make a bunch of home improvements to reduce the energy consumption of your rentals. You can do some simple landscaping in the yard to add some shade to your home.
Adding shade to your rental properties stops the heat from the sun from hitting your home. Your tenants will need to use their AC less in the summer to keep cool.
Better landscaping also adds to the curb appeal of your home. If you’re looking for renters that take curb appeal into account, you may be able to get extra rent from your new landscaping.
Don’t Dismiss These Energy Improvements
Don’t let energy issues cause you to lose your tenants. It costs much more to leave a property unrented than it does to add a few energy improvements to your home. Start today so you can start saving your tenants money on their bill.
Of course, home improvement isn’t the only thing you can do to go green. Keep reading our blog to learn the other things you can do to stop using so much energy.
