Green living: why does it matter for landlords? How do sustainable options help with furnished rentals? An apartment set up in an eco-friendly way isn’t just good for the environment. It also reduces your energy costs and has an impact on your income. With sustainable living becoming a trend, tenants increasingly expect green living solutions, creating a positive image of your apartment can make a real difference. Here are our top 5 tips for making your mid-term rental apartment more sustainable.
Make sure you have the right lighting
The right lighting doesn’t only look good, it’s also sustainable, reducing your carbon footprint. We recommend using LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs for your lamps. This will save you a lot of energy, as LED bulbs use about 80% less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. You can also install motion sensors in the home, for example, at the entrance and the hallway. Motion sensors make sense, especially for rooms where it’s easy to forget to turn off the lights. You can use a multiple socket for all lamps in the same room, so your tenants can switch off all lights in the room at the same time.
Choose the right appliances to save energy
Appliances make a key difference for furnished rentals. Old refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines are less energy efficient than new appliances. To make your furnished apartment sustainable, you should make sure you have new appliances. You should pay attention to their energy efficiency class, indicating how much energy they consume. The highest energy efficiency class is A, the lowest is G. Replacing “power guzzlers” with new appliances will make a huge difference to your costs. You should also consider which appliances your tenants can turn off overnight. A multiple socket makes it easier to switch off standby appliances.
Use smart technology
Smart technology is in vogue, making living more comfortable, they can also significantly reduce electricity consumption in furnished rentals.
- Smart home sockets make it easier to switch off devices in standby mode, and they can be used with timers. You can use an app to find out which devices consume a lot of energy.
- Smart lights and light management systems save energy by using intelligent controls to adjust the light in the apartment depending on the amount of daylight. Tenants can use an app to control the lights even when they are not in the apartment.
- Smart thermostats and heating systems can save up to 30% on heating costs. WiFi thermostats even learn the usage patterns of tenants and adapt to the users. These systems can also be used to preheat the apartment.
Generate electricity with solar panels
You can make your contribution to an environmentally friendly world with a photovoltaic system or plug-in solar devices in your rental apartment. Electricity is generated via photovoltaic systems. Solar panels, also known as solar modules, are mainly suitable for house roofs and can cover a considerable part of the energy consumption in a house or an apartment.
Smaller plug-in solar units are more suitable for apartments. They can be placed on a patio, balcony, garden, garage roof, or exterior wall surface, facing the sun. Plug-in solar devices are cheaper, easier to install, more mobile and they need less space than photovoltaic systems. On sunny days, you can cover a large part of the basic load of a household with plug-in solar devices.
Go green by saving water
High water consumption harms the environment in several ways, as it produces polluted wastewater, and heating water frequently consumes a lot of energy. Saving water in furnished rentals isn’t hard if you remember a few small things.
- Water-saving faucets and fixtures: when furnishing your rental apartment, choose water-saving faucets and fixtures that regulate the flow rates. They are available for example for kitchen and bathroom sink faucets and toilets.
- Water-saving shower heads save up to 50% of the usual water consumption when showering.
- Shower or bathtub? If you choose to have a bathtub in your apartment, you may have to deal with high water consumption from your tenants. A shower is a more efficient solution.
Energy efficiency class: Replace old appliances that use a lot of water and replace them with appliances with a high energy efficiency class.
Setting up furnished rentals sustainably doesn’t have to be complicated. With our tips you can save energy, help the environment and your wallet. Remember that sustainable living is not just the responsibility of landlords. We recommend that you tell your tenants in person beforehand how they can save energy specifically in your apartment or give them a written overview. This is especially helpful if your apartment is equipped with smart technologies.
Checklist
When looking to get started with furnished rentals, landlords face the task of setting up their apartment both practically and attractively. Wunderflats’ checklist will help you think of everything. Click here to find out more. You can also find more information in our article on Furnishing your apartment for mid-term rentals.
Wunderflats is the right platform for you if you want to start renting out your property on a temporary basis. We will help you to successfully list your apartment and find suitable tenants. To get started, visit Wunderflats.com. You can also find out more about our professional rental management and furnishing services, by visiting Wunderflats Plus.
