How to Conserve Water in Boston Apartments

No matter who pays the water bills in an apartment it benefits everyone when less water is consumed.

Conserving water in apartment buildings protects one of the Earth's most precious natural resources, but it can also save money in the long run for both tenants and landlords.

Along with reducing water waste and expenses, water conservation steps can also help to keep the planet healthy and safe. Below are a few eco-friendly property management solutions to help landlords and tenants work together to conserve water.

Water Saving Tips for Apartment Tenants 

Even though apartment dwellers usually consume less water than stand-alone homes, there are many things renters can do to consume less water.

The following eco-friendly and sustainable property management steps are easy to take and can make a significant difference in the amount of water consumed on a daily basis.

Bathrooms

• Take showers instead of baths, since bathtubs usually require about 50 gallons of water to fill.
• Reduce shower times by one or two minutes to save up to 700 gallons per month.
• Turn off water when brushing your teeth or shaving to save about 3 gallons of water per day.
• Never place trash in the toilet, since each flush uses about 1.6 for a water-saving toilet to 7 gallons of water for a conventional toilet

Kitchens

• Scrape dishes with a spatula or a used napkin to limit pre-rinsing.
• Wash dishes in a full dishwasher instead of by hand.
• Fill containers with soap and rinse water for hand washables instead of running water.
• Use sprayers and vegetable brushes to clean food.
• Do not use your garbage disposal to get rid of food.
• Defrost foods in a refrigerator, microwave, or cold water bowl instead of running water.

Laundry

• Wash only full loads of laundry to use less water and to reduce energy costs in Boston.
• Avoid washing clothes and other types of laundry unless truly needed. For example, use or wear bath towels and clothing at least two times unless they smell bad or are stained.

Outdoor Areas 

• Collect water used for boiling eggs, steaming vegetables or while waiting for it to heat up in the kitchen or shower to water grass, plants, flowers and trees on your patio or balcony. 
• Save rainwater in a cistern, rain barrel or other type of container to water greenery.
• Choose drought-friendly plants so that you will not need to water very often.

Touch Base With Your Landlord

• Report any type of leak to your landlord, including dripping faucets, seeping plumping joints or running toilets. Also contact your landlord right away if you notice broken sprinklers, washing machines or pipes.
• Notify your landlord if you observe any type of water waste. For example, let your landlord know if gardeners use water to clean pathways rather than sweeping with a broom.

Water-saving Tips for Landlords

Promoting eco-friendly property management practices can help landlords streamline their operations and save water and money for everyone.

In addition, renters are more likely to consume less water if landlords take the steps below.

Promote Conservation Habits

Make sure tenants understand that you support water-saving measures and other earth-friendly conservation efforts so they feel comfortable contacting you with their water conservation issues and suggestions. Preventative maintenance to mitigate common HVAC problems or burst pipes can help to keep everyone safe from issues.

Encourage tenant water conservation efforts by posting the above tips in a common area.

Plumbing and Water-Saving Appliances

• Fix any reported leaks, seeps or drips as soon as possible.
• Install low-flow shower heads and water-saving faucet aerators.
• Place low-flow toilet, since they use only 1.6 gallons for each flush and can save thousands of gallons of water per year.
• Install water-saving dishwashers.

Landscaping

• Design outdoor landscaping with drought-friendly plants, flowers and grass to reduce overall water consumption and include automatic shut-off devices on irrigation systems to prevent water systems from operating during inclement weather.
• Make sure gardeners use hoses with shut-off nozzles and incorporate efficient outdoor watering schedules to prevent water runoff and water waste. 
• Advise gardeners to keep mower blade settings high so that longer grass to prevent water loss and protect roots from harsh weather.
• Mulch any plants, trees or flowers to reduce water evaporation and weeds. 

Eco-Friendly Property Management

Premier Property Management is an eco-friendly and sustainable property management company that can help keep your investments solvent. Whether you decide to save money on new water heater efficiency standards or take steps to reduce water waste, green habits like these can help you earn the respect of the community, reduce your impact on the environment and preserve your working capital.

Why Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Property Management Matters

During the past decade, there is much to be said regarding sustainability for home energy usage.

So what steps have you made to be more environmentally efficient?

The United Nations officially declared 2012 to be "The Year of Sustainable Energy For All," primarily third-world countries, across the globe.

How Energy Efficiency Can Benefit Your Community

This article is an examination on the legislative and residential aspects so that you know about the best property management company to hire that can provide these types of environmentally conservative services, plus help you save money and energy in your building.

On the home front in the U.S. There has been more hot summers and rough winters that have come forth from drastic climate changes. Plus, California residents are currently facing a water crisis due to a lengthy drought that has caused more home fires than we can recount in our recent memories.

The demand for natural energy resources has increased, and the U.S. government and Environmental Protection Agency have collectively moved forward to reduce emissions of carbon for the sake of public health. 

It's essential homeowners, property managers, and HOAs to have the knowledge of these energy alternatives for their property to adhere to the upcoming changes in the state regulations regarding energy usage to combat climate change and increase sustainability. 

Eco-Friendly Property Management Solutions

There are many ways to minimize your expenditures versus your residual income from your tenants paying their rental costs and/or condo fees to keep your financial balance sheet in the black with great energy solutions to keep in mind during the rest of the summer. But for all times of the year, these following landscape construction techniques can help you reduce energy usage for your community and save you money:

• Recycled Mulch - When you put this on your property's soil around hedges or other plants, the use of recycled mulch can help improve irrigation and water evaporation. If you have use city-supplied water, this could help reduce monthly water bill costs. Also, make sure that you are following the fire-safety regulations for mulch to reduce the chance of burning down your house and land.

• Don't Send Scrap Items To The Landfill Right Away - Some stuff could be put in storage instead of dumping it in the trash. Waste management costs are very high nowadays, so you can minimize the amount of your tenants trash heaps by telling them to save items like cardboard, old china plates, or paper. If you have a common room in your building, or a multi-family house with children, set up an "Arts & Crafts" event to recycle these items for them to create something new for their home. Also, this can help your tenants get to know some of their neighbors.

• Solar Panels - There are two sets of phrases "tax credit" or "tax exemption" that will make you really like this idea. The costs of solar-powered energy from the installation of panels on roofs and on the property to give greater photosynthetic effects to the grass or other horticulture on your property can come back to you basically as an account receivable. This can save you lots of money for your real estate investment. In Massachusetts, owners of residential businesses are eligible for these tax write-offs annually.

  

• Use Natural and Organic Pesticides for Landscape Maintenance - "Organic" is still the craze in 2015 as Americans look to become healthier in what they consume or live around. Items such as fertilizers and pesticides can certainly make a difference for you and for tenant's pets.

• Use Rain Barrels To Irrigate Your Plants - Instead of buying or using city-supplied water by the boatload that can run up your water bill, you should try using rain barrels to store some natural water for later usage on your plants. In Boston, we have more than enough rain that comes throughout the year, so use that to your advantage by use of water collection as it comes. You might also want to think about getting flood insurance for the rainy weather.

• Use Electric Lawn Mowers - Lawnmowers are a necessity for any type of lawn care if you do not have an eco-friendly landscape construction company. Yet it's the type of lawnmower that can help you save money and on gas to power them if you use an electric battery-powered lawnmower instead. Also, it's non-polluting and efficient just much as gas-powered lawnmowers. This will keep your property "greener" than ever in terms of its look, the energy sustainability involved, and in terms of your wallet in the long run.

Breakdown of the U.S. Government's "Eco-nomic" Plans for 2030

The U.S. government looks towards the long-term needs for its citizen's health, and budget their economic plans accordingly. This is considerable for your long-term home value plan because a major part of your expenses will be from the various levels of energy usage of your tenants in your rental units.

One example of this is how they went into experimental measures in 2005 by increasing the start date for Standard Time in the fall season to increase solar light usage and lower heating and electricity usage in home nationwide. Another example came recently this month when the Obama administration announced their Clean Power Plan, a two-year plan to combat climate change and boosting the U.S. economy. The crux of the plan is to lower of renewable energy costs, creating a plethora of jobs, with a benchmark of 30 percent more renewable energy by the year 2030. 

This will be state-regulated on weather natural gas or renewable energy sources, but the plan will affect landlords and tenants inevitably. Under this plan, the biggest takeaways are the following:

• Saving the average American family about $85 per year on their energy bills in 2030
• Save enough money to power 30 million homes
• State and federal government initiatives are to save consumers $155 billion between the years 2020 and 2030

Eco-Friendly Final Thoughts

Do you have any experiences with creating sustainable or "greener pastures" for your property?

Or is there something that you learned that can be valuable towards your knowledge and bank account in this blog? Energy usage is a complex topic, but it can be made simple if you continue to do your research and not be too caught behind before it's too late when your investment is in the red.

What other ideas do you have for creating renewable energy? Tell us your thoughts.