Stay Eco: A Beginner’s Guide to Green Renting

With climate change accelerating, environmentally-conscious renters are now turning their attention to green living. Studies show that over 80% of property seekers tend to include energy-efficient strategies on their ‘most wanted’ list. It’s entirely possible to live carbon neutral and spend less in the process. If you’re looking to play your part in helping the planet, here are some tips on finding the right eco property.

Appliances

When you’re looking for green properties, energy-efficient appliances should always be on your criteria. The EPA’s Energy Star program is a great barometer by which to judge the energy efficiency of an appliance and their list of verified items includes refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry machines, and more. Before even viewing a property, you can ask a landlord to provide specifications of appliances to better gauge their energy efficiency.

Even if things aren’t entirely up to scratch efficiency-wise, it’s possible to make quick and effective adjustments to existing house features. Examples of such changes could be LED bulbs, adding insulation, or just caulking air leaks. If you’re willing to invest, you could even carry out filter replacement – dirty filters mean appliances have to work harder and burn more electricity over time.

Structure

When assessing whether a property (either house, apartment, or condo) is eco-friendly, you need to pay close attention to its structure. Some permanent features, such as solar panels or house insulation, contribute significantly to a home’s energy consumption and therefore its net CO2 emissions. Always be on the lookout for homes that are built with sustainable, recycled materials and that facilitate waste reduction with compost heaps and specialized litter.

A home’s economy extends to its plumbing. You should ideally be looking at high-efficiency toilets (under federal law, these should not use more than 1.6 gallons per flush) and low-flow faucets (these should use less than 1.5 gallons per minute) that carry the WaterSense label. WaterSense is another governmental program that helps consumers to identify water-efficient products. Remember, although likely to cost more and affect rent prices, these kinds of installations can save you money on bills in the long term.

Location

A property’s location can have an indirect impact on its residents’ carbon footprint. If you’re still required in the office, proximity to the workplace will play an important role in day-to-day petrol use. You can also factor in traffic congestion (in areas where there are high volumes of traffic, you’re likely to spend longer stationary with the engine running). if your new property is located far from your current one, it might even be worth looking for eco-friendly moving companies. Just search for ‘Angi movers near me.’ Remember, if going for this option, to always insist on a written estimate and expect an in-home inspection, as valid services will do this before evaluating cost.

The other consideration is space. Rural locations will give you a lot more of it and may even facilitate homesteading, which is an incredible way to help the planet. Just by growing your own vegetables, you’ll be driving less, using less power, and cutting out the supply chain.

Moving into an eco-home is about more than just cutting down on bills, it’s a profound and substantial move towards helping the planet. By supporting the transition to clean energy and adapting your life to cut down on emissions, you can move a step closer to eliminating your carbon footprint and inspire others to do the same.

If you’re interested in analysis, evaluation, and design of solar installations, administration and creation of SRECs, and registration of solar power generation in the Maryland area, contact High Castle today at: highcastlesolar.net

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