You’ve probably seen more than one article on how to save money while making your property greener. In today’s tough economic climate, these ideas are more relevant than ever. Here are a few:
- Convert lighting to compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs ). There are an average of five bulbs used in each guest room alone. Have you reviewed your lighting needs lately to ensure you are maximizing CFL usage and reducing energy costs? According to Energy Star, qualified bulbs like CFLs use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
- Install ceiling fans to circulate the air. This allows you to raise the temperature on your air conditioning.
- Reset thermostats. You may be surprised to find out that you can increase or decrease the settings a few degrees without anyone noticing. Also, do you have the thermostat set the same 24 hours a day? Is there a reason for that?
- Adjust temperature limiters on PTACS to save energy and money.
- Install low-flow faucet aerators and showerheads to limit water flow. Most guests won’t notice this, but making the switch will reduce overall water usage.
- Keep your money from going down the drain! Make sure toilets are working properly. Install new flappers or fill valves. Some systems can save up to 3,000 gallons a year!
- Display linen re-usage signage. Placing reminders in guest rooms asking guests if they need their linens washed every day is a simple, but effective way to reduce laundering costs.
- Don’t just use Energy Star-qualified lightbulbs, switch to Energy Star appliances as well for significant energy savings over the life of the product.
- Use microfiber products for cleaning. They clean effectively with fewer chemicals and can remove up to 98% of surface bacteria.
- Switch to concentrated forms of sustainable cleaning products versus ready-to-use. This saves money since you aren’t paying higher shipping costs for the increased volume of product, and it reduces your carbon footprint too.
If you’re already putting some of these “green” money-saving ideas into practice, I applaud you! If not, please consider incorporating as many of them as you can into your daily, weekly, or monthly maintenance schedules. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to include them, and the savings can really add up.