The Bite:
Relationships with crotchety landlords and ladies can be anything but heavenly. Give 'em a few eco-tips that speak to their bottom line (hallelujah!), and you'll be one step closer to domestic harmony.
Want your landlord to see the energy-efficient light?
Submitted by tmeronek on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 2:01am.
The Benefits:
- A greener home-sweet-home. Improvements like more efficient appliances and eco-flooring benefit both you and your landlord.
- Better for the earth. Energy Star washers use 50% less energy than conventional ones, and eco-paint won't emit nasty stuff into the air.
- A 'lord that smiles down upon ya. Higher property values and lower bills (35%+ savings with energy efficiency) will win you points.
Personally Speaking:
Jen's
friends with her old landlord in DC, and he recently sent her an email saying
that after a year of making her suggested small changes, the savings are now
racking up. He made no mention of any rent rebates though... damn it.
Wanna Try:
Surefire tips for getting on their good side:
- AC - new air-conditioning and even shade trees can lower energy bills.
- CFLs - replacing regular incandescent light bulbs with CFLs in common areas can reduce lighting bills and require fewer changes.
- Efficient Windows - windows account for 25%-50% of a home's heating/cooling losses.
- Energy Star Appliances - more efficient appliances save big on energy and water.
- Low-Flow Johns - newer toilets like those with a dual-flush system (with a low-flow flush for number 1 and a regular-sized flush for number 2) save as much as 6 gallons per flush.
- Cabinets, Countertops, Flooring and Paint - eco-versions help increase LEED green building credits and raise property values.
- More Energy-Saving Tips - post on a public bulletin board in your complex.
Andrea Thomas
Delicious
DiggBang For The Bite
If 10,000 landlords of high-rise apartment buildings make Energy Star-suggested changes, the energy saved each month could power a crotchety landlord's TV for 1,640,625 years.
Cocktail Fact
One Scottish landlord's property manager ad requested that applicants have "the guts to kick someone between the legs as we evict them and their two-year-old child onto the street."
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Apr 02, 2007
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