KITCHEN Between cooking, cleaning, storing food, and washing dishes, your kitchen consumes the most energy in the home. Below are three places in the kitchen where your tenants may be wasting energy. • FRIDGE/FREEZER ° Before putting leftovers in the fridge, advise tenants to let hot food cool first. This prevents the refrigerator from working extra hard to cool the food. ° An overstocked fridge can block cold air vents and the motor will use more energy by running harder to keep food cold. Consider investing in a larger refrigerator and freezer for your rentals to match the needs of the rental unit, especially if it is a single family home intended for multiple individuals. Again, this an amenity for tenants that you can use to increase the rent and occupancy. • OVEN, STOVE, AND OTHER APPLIANCES ° Clean the filter at the bottom of your rental’s dishwasher to keep the machine running efficiently. You can do this during your annual inspection or before a new tenant moves in. ° Advise tenants to use an electric kettle when boiling water rather than the stove. An electric kettle is more efficient because it turns itself off automatically when the water is boiled. ° When using the oven, let your tenants know to use the oven light to check food and keep the door closed to maintain heat. Make sure the oven light is functioning. ° Did you know preheating your oven isn’t actually necessary for foods other than baking bread and pastry? Let your tenants know this and consider offering a toaster oven as an alternative to cook smaller amounts of food and to re-heat food. ° Invest in an electric frying pan for simpler frying needs. They use less electricity than a conventional stovetop to cook the same amount of food.
A CLEAR WAY TO CUT YOUR EXPENSES IS TO SIMPLY BILL YOUR TENANTS FOR THE UTILITIES THEY USE.
P A G E 7 2
Powered by FlippingBook