Renting a home doesn’t mean that you have to give up on living green. Renters can save energy and live a greener lifestyle. You can do it whether you are living in a small apartment or a large house. All you have to do is focus on small changes that make a big difference. Read this guide to help you with useful tips as you navigate green renting.
What Is Green Leasing?
Think of a green lease as a standard lease. It lays out who’s renting what to whom and for how much. Green leases usually have additional clauses that incentivize both landlords and tenants to collaborate on sustainability.
Green leases often address:
- Energy-efficient lighting and appliances
- Water conservation
- Waste reduction
- Temperature control
Some green leases have established energy and water use benchmarks. These benchmarks set clear expectations for landlords and tenants alike.
Green leases are also known as “energy-aligned leases” or “high-performance leases.” Simply put, green leases give landlords and tenants both a stake in the rewards and consequences of sustainable building practices.
If a building performs better (i.e., uses less energy), everyone benefits. Costs decrease. Tenants enjoy more comfortable spaces. Pollution is reduced. Landlords and tenants usually avoid making environmentally friendly upgrades because of a problem called “split incentive.” An example of this would be if a landlord invested in LED lighting, but the tenants were the only ones to see lower utility bills.
Green leases solve this problem by creating win-win situations. Landlords and tenants agree to split the savings. For example, let’s say your base utility bill is $200/month. Your bill for one particular month ends up being $150. You and your landlord would then split the $50 difference.
Benefits of Improving Energy Efficiency
Lowering Monthly Utility Costs
Cheaper living expenses are easily one of the most significant incentives for green renting. Energy-efficient homes are cheaper to operate. If your landlord chooses to upgrade the building insulation, replace old bulbs with LEDs, or install high-efficiency HVAC systems, you’ll pay less on electricity and gas bills each month.
The Institute for Market Transformation found that green leases could reduce tenant utility bills by $0.51 per square foot. $.51 doesn’t sound like much, but when you multiply it by 12 months, it can add up to serious savings. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that energy upgrades in multifamily buildings could save renters across the country $3.4 billion annually.
You also don’t need to wait for your landlord to sign a green lease to save money. Many green habits that reduce energy consumption, like turning off lights and unused electronics, air drying clothes, or using cold water, can help cut your bill each month. They also don’t cost anything to practice! Maintain communication with your property management company in Baltimore to collaborate on green initiatives that benefit both your monthly utility bill and the environment.
Reducing Environmental Impact
The next time you drive by a massive apartment complex or office building, think about how much energy it takes to keep every floor fully illuminated and occupied each day. According to a study, buildings account for 39% of carbon emissions worldwide. Tenants like you help contribute to those numbers.
They also have the power to decrease them. Energy efficiency starts with you. By using less energy, you reduce the demand placed on the electrical grid. That means that power plants don’t need to burn through as much fossil fuel to meet demand, reducing carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. The more people who make an effort to reduce energy consumption, the greater the impact.
Green leases can go one step further by investing in renewable energy to power the building. Plus, there are often other building-wide policies and upgrades that can be added to green leases, such as requiring certifications such as LEED or including rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling.
Educating Tenants on Optimal Temperature Settings
Controlling how much you heat or cool your home is one of the simplest forms of energy conservation. Heating and cooling make up a large percentage of most residential utility bills. Countless tenants leave their heat blasting or AC on all day while they’re at work.
Here are a few easy tips to remember:
- Set your thermostat to 68°F (20°C) in winter while you’re home and awake. Turn it down to 60–65°F (15–18°C) while you’re asleep or away from the house.
- In summer months, keep your AC set to 78°F (25°C) while you’re home. Turn it up a few degrees when you leave the house.
- Install a programmable thermostat or smart thermostat if your landlord allows it. Programmable thermostats make remembering temperature changes easy and can save up to 10% annually on heating and cooling costs.
- Keep blinds and curtains closed during hot summer months to prevent cool air from escaping your home. Open them during sunny winter days to allow sunlight to naturally heat your place.
- You can increase energy efficiency in a rental by identifying and sealing minor air leaks around windows. Even a quarter-inch gap can allow cold air to seep into your home during winter or hot air to seep in during summer. It makes your HVAC system work harder than it needs to.
- Many green leases will make the indoor temperature a shared responsibility between the tenant and the landlord. That means your landlord will be open to improving insulation or upgrading the HVAC system if you bring it up. Don’t be afraid to talk to them about it – you both stand to benefit!
Temperature aside, discuss other energy-efficient upgrades with your landlord. LED lighting, low-flow faucets, and ENERGY STAR-rated appliances are all inexpensive changes that can significantly lower monthly utility bills. Landlords who monitor their building’s ENERGY STAR score also tend to have higher tenant retention rates and lower operating costs.
Final Words
Green renting is not just a trend, but it’s a smarter way to live. You save money, breathe cleaner air, and do your part for the planet. Whether your landlord offers a formal green lease or not, you can make your rental more energy-efficient right now.
