Have you used the fact that you are a renter as an excuse for not making sure your home is green? It may have worked in the past, but in today’s rental market, it won’t work anymore. Renters are making better choices for the environment every day.
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Look for a Green Rental
The market offers you so many different choices. Opt to rent from people who care about the environment. Older buildings may have been retrofitted to make them more efficient. New buildings often have been built to strict efficiency guidelines. Ask for this information as you tour the sites.
You should also make sure you know where the recycling facilities are and exactly what is recycled. Larger cities may even have composting options. If there isn’t, you can purchase small vermiculture habitats to compost your own food scraps. These often fit right under your kitchen sink.
Another great option to ask your potential landlord about is called a submeter. This small device can be installed in each individual unit. It collects data about water usage in that apartment or unit. The analytics offer great information for both the renter and the landlord.
Most renters are thrilled with submeters because they only have to pay for water they actually use. Seeing the actual savings in dollars, when less water is used, really rewards the renter’s conservation. Interestingly enough, it has been found that residents who have submeters tend to use 20-35% less water than residents who aren’t lucky enough to have submeters.
Managers and owners can see where water is being used. If the information suggests that there is a leak, that can be quickly fixed. Larger costs for apartment damage can be avoided. Constantly-running toilets and leaky faucets don’t waste water. The owners and operator save money, as do the renters. Water is conserved, which makes us all winners.
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Change Your Light Bulb
Compact Fluorescent (CF) bulbs were recently introduced to the market and are a boon to energy conservation. You can save about 66% of your energy usage when you replace CF bulbs with incandescent bulbs. CF bulbs also last longer; they can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. You get to conserve your energy by not replacing them as often. CF bulbs
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Turn Off Your Electronics
When you turn off your television, dvd player or computer, you may think you are really turning it off. That may not be the case. Most of these devices simply go into a standby mode. The average household wastes 1,000 kilowatts of power on standby. That’s enough to power that household for over two months. So, to really turn it off, unplug your electrical device.