With much of the buzz about “greening your home” focusing on large-scale projects like solar panels, green roofs, and LEED certification, it may appear that you can only achieve a green home if you are a homeowner. If you rent a home or apartment, energy efficiency projects with long payback periods may not make sense for you. As a renter you probably also experience the “split incentives” dilemma, where the landlord has little financial incentive to invest in making the building more energy efficient because the tenant is responsible for paying the utility bills.

There are still plenty of actions with quick or immediate paybacks that renters can take to reduce utility costs. In this article, we’ll focus on some of the most important strategies you can implement to make your apartment or house more energy efficient. Read more »

The “split incentives” dilemma between property owners and building tenants can often throw a wrench in even best-intentioned energy management plans. It’s a time-old problem. In some cases, the tenants may want to reduce their utility bills but the property manager bears the cost, but not the benefit, of building improvements. In other cases, the tenants pay a fixed fee for all utilities (regardless of use) and have little financial incentive to improve efficiency. In all scenarios, clear communication between both parties, the property manager and building tenants, is key to any energy solution. EnergyVibe recently gave a webinar presentation for the Arlington Green Games program, with advice about how office tenants can work with their property manager to reach their energy efficiency goals. It starts with a conversation.

View the webinar: Engaging Your Property Managers