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Creating a Green User’s Guide for Residents

Posted on 18. May, 2010 by Jennifer Marcus Newton in Real-World Ideas

Getting residents to buy in on efforts to green your property is actually pretty darn important to your overall strategy. Look at it this way: You can invest in an energy-efficient furnace, but if residents crank the thermostat to 77° F when they aren’t even home, you’re just burning up your savings. Literally.

During an 8-hour period (e.g., an average work shift or night’s sleep), residents can save 1% on the heating bill for every degree they lower the temperature. That’s not chump change—especially when you consider savings over the course of a month or year. And here’s the best part: residents feel nary a chill because they are either at work or asleep. Sometimes being green is more about being strategic and smart rather than making a personal sacrifice.

You may have already done your homework by researching and investing in green tools for your rental property. Your arsenal might include a digital thermostat, CFL bulbs, blinds, low-flow showerheads, and dual-flush toilets—not to mention that state-of-the-art furnace. But your work isn’t entirely finished. Now you’ve got to show residents how to choose wisely in their day-to-day use of those green assets to maximize the benefits.

Start by creating a document residents can refer to when you’re not around. Think of this as a user’s guide, quick reference sheet, and best practices checklist all rolled into one. Try to keep the info to a single page residents can quickly scan. List the tool and short description of your ideal strategy for use. Or break sections into categories like heating and cooling or appliances. Give new residents a copy when they sign a lease. Drop a copy off for existing residents. Even tape a copy inside the kitchen cabinet.

Here’s an example of how this might look:

Heating and cooling systems account for approximately 55% of a property’s energy costs. Here are a few tips for smart energy use and conservation.

When you leave the house during winter:

• Program the thermostat from 67° F to 62° F.
• On sunny days, open blinds with southern exposure.

During summer, try these strategies to keep cool:

• Close blinds throughout the property.
• Run a fan or open a window to increase airflow.

After you create and distribute the document, schedule an energy-efficiency walkthrough at the property. This will give you an opportunity to explain the background of each tool or strategy, solidify best practices for use, and allow residents to ask questions. Face-to-face communication will do wonders for building a sense of partnership in greening the property.

Finally, keep a “green” calendar and share online access with residents or set reminders for yourself to nudge residents when it’s time to change single-use furnace filters or clean reusable ones, for example. If you have curbside recycling in your area, include the recycling pickup schedule as well.

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Tags: Green Living