Sustainability in the home

Sustainability has been at the forefront of residential and commercial design conversations for years and as professional property managers it is something we come across quite often. The team at Sycamore ventures into many homes each year and we are noticing a significant shift in design choices at the residential level. It appears that more homes are being built with greener concepts in mind and intent on making positive contributions to the environment. Aside from creating a healthier internal space, home sustainability can lower the cost of running your property and save you a great deal of money on energy, water and maintenance on appliances.

A sustainable home is often referred to as a space that is either built or retrofitted with optimization in mind. Focus is placed on how that efficiency relates to the way the home consumes and disperses energy and water. It goes on to assess the homes use of high-performance, low-impact materials that have been produced, shipped, fitted, and maintained with a friendlier footprint on our world. Every aspect and detail of a home build can be highlighted in the hope of making it environmentally sustainable. Often builders will consider decorating choices, insulation, windows, ventilation, lighting, appliances, plumbing fixtures and smart systems. We compiled a few helpful points below that we hope help you create a more sustainable home for yourself and your tenants:

Install high-performance windows: These make a huge difference. Windows are responsible for 50% or more of lost energy. New technologies include double glazing, special coatings, nonconductive framing materials and air-tight construction with higher-quality materials. Replacing windows will result in higher energy efficiency and quieter rooms.

Invest in energy-efficient appliances for your home: After HVAC systems, appliances are the real energy consumers in your home. Think of them as having two prices: the cost of buying and the cost of operating. When you buy the most energy-efficient options you dramatically cut the latter.

Install a drip irrigation system: Keeping your yard healthy and green isn’t just about aesthetics. Vegetation can keep your home cooler, serve as a wind barrier and contribute to fresher air. If you need to keep your yard watered, you’ll reverse the benefits quickly with the wrong techniques. Drip irrigation is the better alternative as it uses gravity to deliver water to plants, focusing directly on the roots where it’s needed. You save electricity by eliminating pumps but also minimize waste through evaporation.

Use eco-paints: Eco-paints emit fewer toxins to decrease indoor air pollution. They are also less toxic to produce.

Install a cool roof: A cool roof reflects the sun’s heat instead of absorbing it into your home. This can have a very positive effect on your cooling bill.

Recycle and reuse any construction waste: Don’t just get a dumpster and send your waste to a landfill. You might want to save some materials for your own reuse, or you can sell bricks, wood, metal and even old appliances that have scrap value.

We do understand that as a landlord there are times where a retrofit is not possible due to an existing tenancy or perhaps taking on such an expense may not be financially feasible. We have shared some helpful tips to provide your renters that could serve as low-cost enhancements to make their home more sustainable and create a win-win situation in any tenancy.

Invest in curtains or blinds: Simple window treatments can add insulation value to windows by reflecting solar energy and cutting drafts.

Clean your refrigerator’s coils: Maintenance makes a difference. Your refrigerator will draw less energy and perform better if you keep the coils on the back free of dust and grime.

Install a water filter that removes microplastics: Adding a filter to your washing machine will ensure that you aren’t adding microplastics to the environment. You can also filter your tap water coming into your home to keep microplastics out of your drinking water.

Replace fluorescent light bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs: Offering longer life, greater energy efficiency and fewer toxic metals, these new bulbs are worth the switch.

Clean the filter on your clothes dryer: A dirty filter is a fire hazard and a waste of energy. Clean it often for drier clothes and lower energy consumption.

Create a compost bin of kitchen scraps: Composting keeps waste out of landfills and creates a nutrient-rich additive for your garden.

Use smart power strips: Use these in place of regular power strips to save energy. They sense when your device is in active use and will cut power when in standby.

Use cold water when washing your clothes: High-efficiency washers and modern detergents get your clothes clean without needing hot water. Your clothes will also look newer for longer.

Buy recycled products: Buying goods made with recycled materials is good for the environment and generates more demand that encourages more recycling.

Use dryer balls: Dryer balls keep your clothes separated as they tumble, increasing airflow and dryer efficiency. Dryer balls simultaneously soften clothes and saves you the cost and waste of dryer sheets.

Line-dry your clothes: Better than a dryer is to dry your clothes on a line, the old-fashioned way. We understand it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing method, but you can get the benefits of both by line-drying to start and finishing with a few minutes of tumbling in your dryer which can help remove any wrinkles.

Use natural cleaning products: Natural cleaning products keep toxins out of the water supply, out of your indoor environment and off your skin.

At Sycamore Property Management we encourage home owners, property investors and landlords to do their best when acquiring and creating spaces so that they can be made as sustainable as possible. While the investment in purchasing, maintenance and lifestyle changes may take some expense and time to get used to but trust us when we say that they will generate returns. The amount of money saved in energy and maintenance is clear, but the quality of life provided through a healthier home and the feeling of being a better friend to our environment is almost impossible to put a price tag on. As we wrap up our last blog for 2021, we want to take a moment to send a sincere Season’s Greetings to you and your family, and very best wishes for the New Year. Wishing you and your family peace, health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming New Year.