Designing and decorating your rental property definitely takes some time, money, and effort. Some owners even wonder if it’s worth it, considering they’re not the ones who are going to live there. But, by constantly improving your rental property, you’re increasing its value. As well as that, you’re giving your tenants a better quality of life. Being eco-friendly may be a little bit pricey, but it’s worth it in the long run. The good of our planet should come before anything else.
1. Upgrade to energy sufficient appliances
One of the best ways to save energy in an apartment is to buy the right kind of appliances. All of the major appliances in your rental apartment should have a high energy star rating. This rating is government issued and determines how much energy the appliance wastes.
If it’s been a while since you took a look at the appliances in your rental property, you should definitely upgrade them. Not only is this amazing for the environment, but it also saves your tenants a lot of money on utility bills.
2. Add a water filtration system
Not everyone likes or wants to drink tap water. It’s full of toxins and chemicals that you don’t really want going into your body. On the other hand, filtered water that you can buy in the store comes in plastic bottles. You have to keep buying it, and thus you pile on plastic bottles just like that. We all know how long it takes for plastic to disintegrate and what a toll it is taking on the environment.
So, to let your tenants drink tap water without fear, you should install a water filtration system. There won’t be any need to buy water in plastic bottles again.
3. Switch the bulbs
Not many people are aware of how much energy traditional light bulbs waste. As well as that, they’re not very durable, so you have to keep spending money on new ones. Instead of driving up your electricity bill and wasting so much energy, you should look into high quality led lighting bulbs. They might be more expensive to purchase, but they last much longer, making them worth it.
As well as that, led lights are extremely eco-friendly and will save you a lot of money on your bills. Another bonus is the quality of light they produce. Your tenants won’t be greeted with an alerting yellow light which can give them headaches after some time. Instead, it will be a soft white light that has the power to soothe the environment.
4. Install a thermostat
Energy usage is a huge topic in the eco-friendly world. People are constantly looking for ways to use less energy. One of the best ways to do that is to install a programmable thermostat in your rental property. This way, you’ll be able to control exactly how much energy you’re using, or in this case, your tenant will.
As well as that, it gives the tenants complete control over when they want their thermostats running. Heating and cooling the place is thus no longer an issue, nor does it waste any more energy than it should.
Conclusion
Being eco-friendly today isn’t as hard as it used to be. People have figured out better and more efficient ways to bring the art of eco-friendliness into their homes in the most convenient ways. This is the main reason why you don’t have to worry about making your rental property eco-friendly. It may take some time, but in the end, these changes will improve your tenants’ quality of life, increase property value, and most importantly, help save the planet.
This article has been contributed by Stella Ryne.