Environment
-
October 26, 2021
11 Energy Saving Tips For Renters | Ivy Energy
Austin Young

11 Energy Saving Tips For Renters Looking to Save Money

If you rent an apartment, townhouse, or a home, these simple yet often overlooked tips will show you how to be more energy efficient while saving money, and reducing the risks and challenges we face of climate change. If there are things you can't change on your own, share these tips and encourage your landlord or property manager to help you make the changes necessary to improve your communities energy efficiency and the costs associated. 

Lighting

Lighting is one of the easiest places to start saving energy. Replacing your five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR certified lights can save nearly $45 a year in energy costs. ENERGY STAR certified LED light bulbs provide high-quality light output, use up to 90% less energy, and last 15 times longer than standard bulbs, saving money on energy bills and replacement costs.

  • Replace a bulb and reduce your carbon footprint! A single light bulb that has earned the ENERGY STAR prevents, on average, 795 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime.

Cooling

Considering purchasing a room air conditioner? Choose an ENERGY STAR certified model. They use 9 percent less energy than standard models and on average, cost less than $70 per year to run. ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioners come with better materials and clearer instructions to improve sealing and insulation around the unit, so costly and uncomfortable air leaks are minimized.

  • In the winter, be sure to insulate room air conditioners from the outside with a tight-fitting a/c unit cover, available at your local home improvement center or hardware store. This keeps heated air from escaping outside. Alternatively, you can remove the window unit in the winter months to prevent energy losses.
  • Be sure the window unit fits tightly in the window so outdoor air is not getting in.

ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioners with connected functionality offer additional convenience, comfort and energy-savings, including the ability to:

  • turn off the unit remotely using your phone or computer;
  • schedule changes to temperature settings based on your needs;
  • receive feedback on the energy use of the product.

To keep out the heat of the summer sun, close window shades and drapes in warm weather. During cold weather, take advantage of the sun's warmth by keeping drapes open during daylight hours.

Smart Thermostats

For the average American household, almost half the annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling – more than $900 a year! Being smart about how you control your temperature settings will help you save money and stay comfortable in your home. If possible, install a smart thermostat to automatically adjust your home's temperature settings for optimal performance. An ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat can reduce your heating and cooling bill by more than 8% and save you about $50 a year, on average. If your home is unoccupied much of the day, an ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat can save approximately $100 a year.

Electronics

Consumer electronics play an large role in your home's energy consumption. According to the Consumer Technology Association, 3.4 billion consumer electronic devices consumed about 143 tWh of electricity in 2017, representing about 10% of residential sector electricity consumption.  A home equipped with televisions, set-top boxes, a Blu-Ray player and a soundbar that have earned the ENERGY STAR cna save nearly $140 over the life of those products. 

  • Use a power strip as a central "turn off" point when you are done using equipment.
  • Even when turned off, electronic and IT equipment can use a small amount of electricity. Using a power strip for your computer and all peripheral equipment allows you to completely disconnect the power supply from the power source, eliminating standby power consumption.

Air Registers/Vents

Make sure all air registers are clear of furniture so that air can circulate freely. If your home has radiators, place heat-resistant reflectors between radiators and walls. In the winter, this will help heat the room instead of the wall.

Shared Solar 

Several apartment and condo communities have started to adopt on-site shared solar. Thanks to the growing innovations, tools and research in the field of clean energy, there is some hope for tenants and landlords in California who are looking for affordable utility options. One such tool for relief is Ivy’s multi-family billing software called Virtual Grid. It lets property owners purchase a solar asset to generate electricity onsite, which in turn, can be sold to their tenants in that building.

The Ivy Intelligent software is run using proprietary virtual grid algorithms to distribute solar energy. This is based on real-time energy usage data and relates this solar allocation to exact avoided utility rates, creating the best method to equally distribute the benefits among all the tenants.

Why choose Ivy for your Solar Energy needs?

Ivy’s solar energy distribution helps in creating a win-win situation for various reasons:

  • Benefits both property owners and tenants
  • Low maintenance
  • Guaranteed savings

Get in touch with Ivy today, to know more about how you can get guaranteed savings from solar by referring your building owner or property manager to Ivy Virtual Grid.

Water Savings 

Shower/Bath

A ten minute shower can use less water than a full bath.

  • With a new 2.5 gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head, a 10-minute shower will use about 25 gallons of water, saving you five gallons of water over a typical bath. A new showerhead also will save energy — up to $145 each year on electricity — beating out both the bath and an old-fashioned showerhead.
  • To avoid moisture problems, control humidity in your bathroom by running your ventilating fan during and 15 minutes after showers and baths.

Dishwashing

Save water by scraping dishes instead of rinsing them before loading in the dishwasher. Run your dishwasher with a full load and use the air-dry option if available.

  • Rinsing dirty dishes before loading your dishwasher uses a lot of water and energy. Most dishwashers today can thoroughly clean dishes that have had food scraped, rather than rinsed, off — the wash cycle and detergent take care of the rest. To make the most efficient use of your dishwasher's energy and water consumption, run the dishwasher only when enough dirty dishes have accumulated for a full load.

Clothes Washing

Wash your laundry with cold water whenever possible. To save water, try to wash full loads or, if you must wash a partial load, reduce the level of water appropriately.

  • Hot water heating accounts for about 90 percent of the energy your machine uses to wash clothes — only 10 percent goes to electricity used by the washer motor. Depending on the clothes and local water quality (hardness), many homeowners can effectively do laundry exclusively with cold water, using cold water laundry detergents. 
  • Washing full loads can save you more than 3,400 gallons of water each year.

Clothes Drying

Don't over dry your clothes. If your dryer has a moisture sensor that will automatically turn the machine off when clothes are done, use it to avoid over drying. Remember to clean the lint trap before every load. Dry full loads, or reduce drying time for partial loads.

  • It's easy to over dry your clothes, if one setting is used for various fabric types. Try to dry loads made up of similar fabrics, so the entire load dries just as the cycle ends. Many dryers come with energy-saving moisture or humidity sensors that shut off the heat when the clothes are dry. If you don't have this feature, try to match the cycle length to the size and weight of the load. A dryer operating an extra 15 minutes per load can cost you up to $34, every year.
  • The lint trap is an important energy saver. Dryers work by moving heated air through wet clothes, evaporating and then venting water vapor outside. If the dryer cannot provide enough heat, or move air sufficiently through the clothes, they will take longer to dry, and may not dry at all. One of the easiest things you can do to increase drying efficiency is to clean the lint trap before each and every load. This step also can save you up to $34 each year.


Did you know?

CA has passed laws like AB802 and Title 24, mandating renewable energy on certain multi-family properties?

Click Here to learn more about how you can comply while turning a profit with Ivy’s Virtual Grid alternative to traditional Sub Metering.

Editors Picks
Here's Why Electricity is so Expensive in California | Ivy Energy
Growing Demand for EV Chargers at Multifamily Buildings
Nikki Chi
Solar on Apartments: Don't let Sub-Metering Waste your Time and Money
Austin Young
Apartment Energy Revolution
Nikki Chi and Austin Young
What Does the Inflation Reduction Act Mean for Multifamily Solar?
Allie Detrio and Austin Young