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Energy efficiency and going green continue to be focal points of property owners. While there are clearly environmental benefits to more efficient use of natural resources, there are also significant dollar savings you can realize by improving the energy efficiency of your properties.

A good first step is to have an energy audit performed by a trained professional. The cost of such an audit can usually be easily recouped by implementing a few of the recommendations it yields.

Weatherization
A common recommendation suggests a simple weatherproofing plan. One Department of Energy study estimated the average cost of such work to be $2,500. The savings from such projects were 2.2 times what was spent on weatherization.

Added Insulation
A more extensive project involves adding insulation. Energy Saving Trust (EST) estimates that one third of a home’s heat can escape through non-insulated exterior walls. In a wood frame wall, loose fill and foam is normally blown into the cavities through holes that have been drilled in the exterior walls. Filling the cavity prevents heat loss and can dramatically reduce heating and cooling costs.

Window Replacement
It’s estimated that another third of a home’s total energy is lost through windows and doors. Single pane windows are least efficient, but installing double or triple pain windows increases the insulation factor significantly.

Heating And Cooling Equipment Upgrades
Older heating and cooling units can result in serious energy loss. While newer equipment has energy efficiency ratings in the high 90 percentile, older units operate in the 30-40% range. While replacing the units can be expensive, the return on investment can be relatively quick considering today’s cost of energy. There are also significant tax credits that are available to help reduce the cost of installation.

Go Paperless
This is often overlooked, but reducing your reliance on paper in managing your business is not only good for the environment but it can also significantly lower your operating costs.

By using the latest in property management software like that offered by AppFolio, you can eliminate the cost of expensive ink cartridges, pricey
bank checks, postage and stationery paper. The use of web-based technology also allows property managers to greatly increase their business productivity. In a recent survey conducted by National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) and AppFolio, 48% of respondents said they use web-based property management software. Fifty percent of property managers accept online rent payments and 41% report using an owners’ portal to communicate with owners and post statements and documentation, both of which can save on the cost of paper.

Whether you implement large or small projects, there are dollars to be saved through energy efficiency initiatives.

The environmental benefits to “going green” are well known. For rental property owners and managers there are also significant costs savings to be realized, as well. Here are some areas in which you might consider making green investments and saving money.

Electricity Savings

• Consider tinting windows and planting shade trees. Trees on the east and west facing surfaces of your buildings will help reduce indoor temperatures in the summer. In more northern areas, the leaves will fall in the winter allowing the sun to help warm the buildings’ interiors. In addition, there are now auto-tinting windows that act like variable shading sunglasses that adjust with the sun. Some manufacturers estimate that this can save up to 40% in energy costs.
• Energy efficient appliances. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, energy efficiency standards in appliances have saved about $2,000 per household while cutting electricity use 5% and reducing pollution levels by over 2%. The NRDC projects that to double over the next 20 years. This type of investment doesn’t have to be undertaken all at once. As older appliances wear out, simply replace them with more energy efficient models.
• Exterior lighting. A smart investment that will pay off almost immediately is to replace your exterior lighting with more energy efficient Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). It’s been estimated that CFLs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs for the same amount of light. They also can last up to 10 times longer, which can quickly offset the higher purchase price.

Recycling/Waste Removal Savings
Investing in a convenient, well-lit recycling center that makes recycling easy for your tenants provides two benefits. First, it makes your property more attractive to the environmentally conscious tenant. Second, many waste management companies will offer reduced rates to clients who provide recyclables pre-sorted.

Water Conservation

• Weather-based lawn watering systems. These systems can sense when it has rained and will automatically regulate how much water your lawns require to stay green. Converting from a standard watering cycling system can result in nearly 20% savings. Many local water agencies offer rebates to purchase such systems.
• Low-flow showerheads. The key metric here is “gallons per minute” (GPM). It’s estimated that replacing a standard 2.5 gpm shower head with a low-flow 1.5 gpm will result in significant water and cost savings.

Paperless Management System
Integrated property management software is another important investment you should make. Using such software eliminates the cost of paper and ink resulting in considerable savings in time, money and energy. This investment has the added benefits of offering your tenants the convenience of online payment and communication while lowering your administrative costs.

Making investments to “go green” can help you both in attracting new tenants who care about the environment while at the same time reducing your overall costs.

The imperative to “go green” is becoming more central to today’s property management world. Going beyond a simple moral imperative connected to environmental sustainability, going green is also about the way we do business in general.

Of course saving the planet from ecological collapse is vital. On top of this, it’s good to know that green initiatives also improve efficiency, lower costs, reduce waste and save energy. There are many ways you can “go green,” but one of the most direct and effective ways is with energy efficiency. Energy not only produces waste and pollution, but is also very costly. Improving your building’s energy efficiency not only helps the environment, it saves you money in the long-run and makes you more appealing to younger and affluent tenants looking to find an apartment and make a positive impact at the same time.

To that end, here are three ways to make your buildings more energy efficient:

1. Let There Be Light
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyStar.gov website, lighting accounts for the largest portion of a commercial or large residential building’s energy use, around 35%. That’s more than heating and cooling combined. Therefore, increasing energy efficiency in your building’s lighting can make a major impact in cost and energy use. You can engage in this project on a lot of different levels, from the basics of replacing all bulbs with energy efficient versions, to installing motion sensing light switches that shut off when not in use. Even a small change in the way you think about lighting in your buildings can make a significant difference.

2. Insulation Sensation
Another major factor in a building’s energy efficiency is the effectiveness of its insulation. Develop a strategy to reduce air leakage through the building envelope (the barrier between conditioned and unconditioned space). This applies to both walls and windows. Make sure your building’s external walls are well-insulated. Especially check for areas that are over-exposed and could lead to air leakage.

To a certain degree you can’t control what tenants do with their windows, but you can certainly remind tenants to keep windows closed. Ideally, you would install energy efficient windows. Adding storm windows is fairly impractical for larger apartment buildings, with the hassle of taking them in and out in the spring and autumn, but there is a wide selection of efficient year-round windows that greatly improve your building’s energy efficiency.

3. Make Your Own Energy
The most far-reaching way you can improve energy efficiency in the buildings you manage is by producing energy with the installation of a solar panel, wind turbine, or geothermal unit. The most viable option for many nowadays is solar panels. Many companies actually will subsidize the initial cost of installation for a longer-payment plan that does not change your cost of energy in the short-term. And in many states, you could be eligible for renewable energy tax credits. A state-by-state listing of available tax credits and additional financial incentives can be found at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency website.

Did you know the term going green doesn’t just mean being environmentally conscious, it also means saving money? Who wouldn’t want to do that? All too often, property managers forget that an energy efficient property is the best way to cut costs, add value to a rental space, and appeal to an all new set of prospective renters. So how difficult is it to make your rental property energy efficient? It’s not as hard as you might think.

Little Changes Make a Big Difference
Even little changes can make a big difference toward conserving energy. Most can even be done in a matter of minutes if not in just one day. Installing ceiling fans and a programmable thermostat are excellent examples of what property management can do to encourage residents to conserve energy. Have your maintenance crew change air filters in the heating and air conditioning system often as well. Adding energy efficient blinds or curtains can also make a big difference, and they’re a great feature to advertise in a rental listing.

Adding shade to the outside of a property can also make a great contribution. Not only does it help cool the building, it also increases curb appeal and can bring in a different breed of renter than you might’ve though possible.

The Green Renter
It may seem strange to say adding energy conserving measures will bring in a new type of renter, but it’s entirely true. Many residents put such a focus on being environmentally friendly that adding these features will make them more likely to submit rental applications for your property. They’ll also be more likely to assist in conserving energy once they take possession of the space.

Once you welcome a resident to your property, give them a list of ways they can help continue your energy conserving initiatives. These are simple tasks like setting the temperature at comfortable but efficient levels and turning off the lights if they’re not using the room. Obviously, you can’t force a resident to do anything, but many can be swayed when they see the benefits of being eco-friendly.

If you manage a large residential building and are looking for a way to go a little bit greener with the property, then a community garden is a great thing to introduce. It is something that residents will appreciate, since they do not have green space of their own, and it will be beneficial to the image of your building.

When setting up a community garden for a residential building, there are some things that must be considered first.

How will it be organized?
Will you set up the garden so that it is sectioned off, allowing each resident access to one area where they can do what they like? Can people simply plant flowers and decorative plants, or will they have the option of planting vegetables, too? Will you have a section for flowers and another one for vegetables? Or will you make it possible for all residents to contribute, and have them share the maintenance duties for the entire garden? You can always ask residents for feedback on what they’d prefer before setting up the community garden. Of course, if you want the whole community to share the work and the plants, then you’ll have to come up with a strategy for dividing any vegetables produced among the involved parties, and that could get complicated.

How do you deal with neglect?
You will also need to determine what will happen if people neglect their portion of the community garden. After all, dying plants are neither attractive nor healthy. If someone is not taking care of his or her section, can someone else simply take it over? Will their plants be pulled out of the ground? Or will property management have to deliver a warning to the resident? This is an issue you will have to be prepared to deal with eventually.

Similarly, you will need to determine how you’d like to handle weeding. If one section is neglected and weeds are allowed to grow, they will spread to the rest of the garden. Perhaps you want to use a company to treat for weeds each year, or maybe you want it to be a group task completed by residents.

When you manage a property / apartment complex, our customers find that it can be beneficial to encourage environmentally-friendly habits among the residents. Maintaining an environmentally-friendly building is not only good for the environment, it also happens to help market your units, and in some cases, save money. Here are 4 ways that you can encourage good behavior among residents that will have environmental benefits.

1. Make recycling convenient.
   First, ensure that a residential building that you manage has recycling bins. Having recycling bins on each floor of the building rather than just outside will encourage people to put their recycling in the bins rather than throwing it in with their garbage.
2. Offer incentives for saving on utilities.
   Utilities may be included in the rent and monthly fees that residents pay, however, that does not mean that you can’t give them incentives for keeping their electricity or heating bills low. Even if only a portion of individuals in a building do so, it can mean substantial energy savings. It could also mean that you save money – something that the property owner is sure to appreciate. Investigating solutions for utility billing can also help here – studies have shown that when residents pay for their own utilities they conserve more.
3. Get planting!
   Trees, in particular, offer environmental benefits. Make sure that there are plenty around the property. Take the opportunity to make a little bit of a haven for residents with a bench in the pleasant area that you have created…they will appreciate it!
4. Set up a community garden.
   While not always practical, a community garden is a great option for some properties. All you need to do is create a patch of earth and invite residents to plant their own fresh vegetables or fruits.  Take photos and use them on your Facebook or blog page and be sure to incorporate the garden into your tours.

All of the options above benefit the environment, but they also help you bring something more to the table when marketing the property. Showing you know how to leverage the green advantage can help you prove to an owner that you’ve got exactly what it takes to turn a profit and attract environmentally conscious residents.  Of course, the opportunity to make a positive environmental impact with your property is also its own reward. Check out our other posts on 7 Easy Ways to Green Your Rental Properties and 6 Ideas on Attracting an Eco-Conscious Resident Using Facebook.

We’ve written before about how greening your properties can give you a competitive advantage over your competition. But did you know that greening your property management office can also boost your business? Property managers who have gone green and paperless find that it saves them both time and money. And when you combine a green office with environmentally friendly changes to the properties you manage, you can market yourself more effectively as an eco-friendly business. A green image can be a big benefit in today’s market.

Here are seven tips on greening your property management office.

1. Go paperless.
   One of the most important green changes you can make to your office is to go paperless. Reducing the amount of paperwork you handle saves you time and money, gets rent money in the bank faster, frees up office space and saves trees. These days, you can conduct almost all your business via the Internet, email and fax. And using web-based property management software makes going paperless even easier. Email owners and residents, collect rent online, enter work orders and store digital documents, all right from AppFolio.
2. Say no to junk mail.
   Junk mail accounts for a ridiculous number of dead trees, and everyone hates it anyway. So dig yourself out from under the avalanche of ads and bogus offers. Check out the FTC’s instructions on how to opt out of junk mail. A few extra minutes spent now calling or emailing the appropriate agencies can save you the time and trouble required to sort through and discard junk mail in the future.
3. Buy rechargeable batteries.
   Rechargeable batteries will cost you a little extra money at the register, but are well worth it in the long run. One rechargeable battery can replace hundreds of single-use batteries. You’ll also reduce the amount of toxic metal waste put into landfills. Rechargeable batteries contain the same harmful materials as regular batteries, but you’ll use fewer of them. And remember, whether you use rechargeable or standard batteries, recycle them properly rather than just tossing them in the trash.
4. Replace incandescent bulbs.
   Replacing incandescent bulbs in your office with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can save you money by reducing your electrical bills. And the less energy you use, the fewer of the Earth’s natural resources you’ll consume.
5. Hold meetings online.
   Consider conducting meetings over the Internet via Skype, Google+ Hangouts, GoToMeeting or another video chat service rather than having everyone drive to the office. Not only will you save people money on gas, you’ll preserve the world’s oil resources and cut down on air pollution from car exhaust.
6. Turn computers off.
   Computers use up a ton of energy, and leaving them on overnight is just wasteful. Make it a company policy for everyone to turn off their desktop computers before leaving work. And while you’re at it, make sure to turn off other major office equipment, such as printers, scanners and fax machines, when not in use.
7. Install a programmable thermostat.
   A programmable thermostat will quickly help you to cut down on your energy bills. Set it to a comfortable level during work hours and program it to reduce the temperature by a few degrees during the hours when no one’s in the building.

Did you know that, in addition to protecting the environment, implementing eco-friendly practices at the properties you manage can benefit your business? Greener units are a great selling point and can help you to attract a better kind of resident. Implementing these practices can help residents cut down on water and energy expenses, making your apartments more attractive. Also, residents who are more eco-conscious are more likely to respect both their interior and exterior environment, inflicting less wear and tear on their living spaces.

Here are seven easy ways to get started on greening your properties for the new year.  Not only does it help you to attract eco-conscious residents, you will find some money saving opportunities as well.

1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
   ENERGY STAR-qualified CFLs produce the same amount of light as traditional bulbs with only about ¼ of the energy.
2. Repaint your units with low- or no-VOC paints.
   The EPA has found that levels of organic pollutants are two to five times higher within homes than without. These compounds can have serious health and environmental consequences. Using paints low in these compounds will improve the quality of life for your residents.
3. Install low-flow water fixtures and toilets.
   These fixtures produce a water flow that feels the same while using less water, saving both a natural resource and money. Many utilities and city governments offer incentives for installing low-flow fixtures, so make a few calls for added savings.
4. Install programmable thermostats.
   The automatic settings help your residents to more accurately regulate temperatures and save money and energy at the same time. Make sure to educate your tenants on their use.
5. Insulate your water heaters.
   A $20-$30 investment in an insulation blanket can translate into 9% savings on water heating. Older water heaters in particular need this attention.
6. Check furnace ducts for leaks.
   Sealing these leaks can account for as much as a 20% energy savings, plus will improve the air quality in your properties.
7. Use ENERGY STAR appliances.
   Encourage your owners to install ENERGY STAR appliances. ENERGY STAR-rated refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers use significantly less water and energy.

Facebook is a great tool for you to use to entice potential renters and owners to enlist your services. By using Facebook to highlight your companies ‘green’ attributes, you may attract the customers you want. Here are 6 ideas on how to do it.

1. Use content from your blog.
You can blog about how greening the property can help residents save money. You could also try showcasing how your office is going paperless and look good to prospective owners. By posting links to your blog from your Facebook Page, you help maximize the reach of your content.

2. Post photos of ‘green’ improvements at your properties.
Photos are a great way to engage with people on Facebook. Try snapping nice photos of your new drought tolerant landscaping, fresh no-VOC paint, or modern appliances in natural daylight. Create photo albums by property with 3 photos in each album. Facebook will display up to three photos in the feed on your wall so try grouping them in interesting and easily digestible albums.

3. Share links to ‘walkable’ places in the neighborhood.
Eco-conscious residents looking to live a healthy lifestyle will love seeing the posts about local restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, and parks that they can walk to on your Facebook page.

4. Giveaway reusable grocery bags for all tenants who pay rent online!
Use Facebook to market a green giveaway on your company page.

5. Host a pay rent online contest and use your Facebook page to promote it.
This is a great way to get the message out!

6. Ask your residents for their ideas on ‘greening’ the properties.
Using your Facebook page to start a conversation with residents can send the message that you care about their opinions and their happiness. Not to mention, they may have some great ideas for you!

Going Green in property management offers a unique opportunity to save money, improve your property management marketing and attract better residents. In today’s property management industry, going green can be your competitive advantage. There are several great resources and education available to property managers who are interested in becoming certified or credentialed.

Below are four different “green” programs outlined directly from their websites for your reference:

NAR (National Association of Realtors)

Green Designation Program
The program provides advanced training in green building and sustainable business practices so that you can seek out, understand, and market properties with green features.

Website

IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management)

Sustainable Real Estate Management provides:

• Credit toward the Credential for Green Property Management (CGPM) awarded jointly by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) and the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI).
• Continuing education credit for U.S. Green Building Council LEED Professionals
• Core training required for staff at properties receiving funding under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Market to Market (M2M) Green Initiative and Green Retrofit Program.

How you will benefit:

• Implement sustainable property operations and increase energy and water efficiency
• Improve indoor environmental quality
• Learn to run a sustainable real estate management company

Website

Eco-Broker Certification

Helping you save money and live comfortably through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmentally-sensitive choices.

• Energy efficiency
• Sustainability
• Green issues

Website

NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers)

Going Paperless Course
Course materials will include conversion of paper to digital documents, ease of transferring documents, office sharing of documents, uploading documents to clients / customers using the Internet, portability of information, and cost savings / increasing revenues.

Website