Information for Landlords
As a landlord, you can make simple changes to your property that will help your tenants live more eco-friendly
and comfortable lives! Upgrading your property in any of the ways listed below can help you attract and keep tenants, as well as make a positive impact on the environment.
If your tenants are participating in Eco-my-Flat please show them your support! Have a chat with your tenants about ways you could help them eco their flat (no matter how small). Ideas range from letting them make a vegetable garden, to installing a heat recovery ventilation system, or putting in insulation or a heat-pump by making use of great subsidies.
So get in touch with your tenants and check out these great ways to help them and the environment, as well as make your property more attractive to future tenants.
Ways to help your tenants eco their flat:
Energy Efficiency
How your property is heated and insulated makes a huge difference to tenants’ comfort, heating bill, and environmental footprint.
Community Energy Action has subsidies to assist landlords in making their rental properties warmer, drier, and more energy efficient. These subsidies reduce the cost of insulating a rental property by up to 60%. Subsidies are also available for installing Clean Air-approved log burners, heat-pumps, pellet fires and other equipment.
Install a Clean Air-approved log burner, heat-pump or pellet fire
These are energy efficient methods of heating, and are cheap for your tenants to run. Not only do they reduce tenants’ energy bills and their impact on the environment, they also reduce condensation which can otherwise lead to mildew. Grants and loans are available for installing Clean Air-approved log burners, heat-pumps and pellet fires. Have a look at CEA's Insulation subsidies page for more info.
Some of the benefits of installing a Clean Air-approved log burner, heat-pump or pellet fire:
- More affordable heating for your tenants
- This results in happier tenants who can more easily cover their rent!
- Tenants are more likely to heat their property, which means less condensation in your property.
- A warmer, drier property
- Improves tenants’ comfort and health, and increases their enjoyment of your property
- Reduces condensation and therefore mildew damage
- Provides a draw-card for future tenants.
Install more insulation
30-35% of heat is lost through the ceiling, and 12-14% through the floor, so installing insulation is a great way of improving the energy efficiency of your property. Subsidies available through CEA can reduce the cost of insulating your property by 60%. Check out: http://www.cea.co.nz/
Already insulated?
If your property is already insulated, check:
- What is the insulation like now? Ceiling insulation settles over time, and may need topping up to meet standards. CEA can check this for you for free, check out their website for details.
- Is there insulation in the walls, and under the floor? Installing these kinds of insulation makes your property even more energy efficient and pleasant to live in. It also further reduces condensation, along with the associated mildew and heating difficulties.
In the Garden
Allow your tenants to make a vegetable garden
This helps them save money, stay healthy, reduces packaging waste and reduces the carbon emissions it takes to get food to and from the supermarket.
It also encourages tenants to have a greater sense of care and responsibility for the garden and the property. Having space set aside for a vege garden may be appealing for future tenants too.
If making a vege garden isn’t an option, encourage your tenants to install a raised garden box, glasshouse, or to plant vegetables in pots.
Encourage your tenants to build a compost heap or worm farm
This helps them reduce waste, and puts nutrients into the soil.
Other ideas
- Provide your tenants with a hot-water insulation wrap. This could save your tenants $60-100 on unnecessary power use per year, making it that much easier for them to pay their rent.
- Install a rainwater collection device. These attach to guttering downpipes and collect rainwater which your tenants can use on the garden.
- Replace appliances with energy-efficient ones - this will reduce your tenants power bills and help the environment.
- If you are renovating your property:
- Install a toilet with a dual flush, this can reduce water used for flushing by two thirds!
- Consider installing solar hot water heating, which can significantly reduce the cost of water heating- a definite draw-card for future tenants.
- Consider double glazing your windows. This will further improve the effectiveness of heating the property, and therefore reduce heating costs for your tenants.
Thank you for helping your tenants (and yourselves) become more eco-friendly!