In times of rising energy prices, everyone thinks of ways to save money. When you rent a house or apartment, you can’t just make big changes. In this article, you’ll find 5 helpful tips for an energy-efficient rental property.
Energy-efficient rental property: heating
The first tip you’ve undoubtedly heard is to turn your heating down one degree. Yes, this does save you several euros on your energy bill. It is also better to turn down the heating when you go to sleep, about 15 degrees is ideal. Also turn the heating down when you are not at home. This will prevent the rental property from heating up at the wrong times.
In addition, only heat the rooms you visit most often, such as your living room. For example, turn off the heating in your bedroom or study, don’t forget to close the doors when doing so.
Furthermore, you can install radiator foil behind the heater. This avoids heat loss through the exterior walls of the rental property and utilizes the heat from your radiator more effectively. Plus, you’ll save directly on gas consumption.
Lowering the temperature of your central heating boiler is also an option for energy-efficient rental housing. In most cases, the central heating temperature is set at 80 degrees. If your rental property is well insulated, it will stay warm even at a temperature of 60 degrees.
Saving through your interior
You can also live more energy-efficiently through elements in your interior. For example, consider installing LED lighting, blackout curtains and draft strips.
For an energy-efficient rental property, it’s best to choose energy-efficient light bulbs. Replace existing bulbs with LED lights and use 85% less than a halogen bulb and 90% less than an incandescent bulb. In addition, it is best to turn off all lights when you leave the room or home.
Hanging blackout or thick curtains also saves energy. The thick fabric of the curtains acts as extra thermal insulation. So you keep the room nice and warm in winter and even cooler in summer. Just make sure the curtain does not hang in front of a heater. This can keep heat in one place and keep the room around it from heating up.
Installing draft strips on your doors is also an option. Attaching these strips will keep out drafts and cold, especially in rooms you don’t heat. You can purchase draft strips online at Hubo, Gamma or Brico.
Savings in the bathroom
Not the cutest tip, but one for the list: showering shorter, less or colder helps with savings. When you shower shorter and colder, you save a lot of gallons of hot water and therefore gas.
Showering less or using colder water is obviously not pleasant for everyone. Don’t really see this tip, but still want to save money? Then maybe a water-saving shower head is for you! This one has lower water consumption so you can still spend a little longer in the shower.
A water-saving shower head lets through up to 7.2 liters of water per minute without the jet losing its power. You thus consume an average of 40% less water. So with this sustainable investment, you save energy and money.
Savings in the kitchen
In the kitchen, the biggest savings is in turning off electrical appliances. Household electrical appliances that are turned off but still plugged in can still use a small amount of energy. So it’s better to unplug certain appliances.
An inside winner, of course, is cooking with a lid. That way your water heats up two to three times faster, which means less consumption. Ka-ching!
Energy-efficient rental property: washing and drying
Finally, you can also save in the household through your washing machine. You reduce your energy consumption by washing at lower temperatures. When you wash at 30°C, you save about half compared to a 40°C wash cycle.
In addition, you can also choose to hang your clean laundry on a laundry rack.
Do you live in a rental property with energy label D, E or F? Then know that your landlord may not (or only partially) index the rent this year.