Our planet is suffering now more than ever before from carbon emissions, pollution, deforestation and countless other environmental problems. Unfortunately, buildings are one of the greatest sources of carbon emissions. Sustainable property management is one of the things that can be done to reduce the carbon footprint of a building. Moreover, it is creates a nicer living environment for residents of the property.
Read on to learn about the different eco-friendly practices that can be employed in property management.
Cut Down on Wasted Energy
To save costs and offer an eco-friendly environment for your tenants and residents, you need to cut down on wasted energy by installing energy-efficient appliances, preventing air leakage and making sure that the whole building is well insulated (read our Best Insulation Choices for Green Building for more on this topic).
Using a programmable thermostat to control the temperature in the building would also be a good investment, as it will prevent energy from being wasted on heating. This way, the total energy output of the building will be reduced.
Saving Water
If you are a property owner, you need to calculate the amount of wasted water in your building. Carrying out an audit would be a good idea to find solutions for conserving wasted water.
Get the Green Building Project Checklist
Use this handy checklist on your next project to keep track of all the ways you can make your home more energy-efficient and sustainable.
There are many things that can be done to save water, such as changing toilets, shower heads and water taps to more efficient ones, fixing leaks on the spot, and switching to efficient appliances that do not waste water while running.
Read our Green Building Guide to Water Efficiency for a more detailed look at this subject.
Eco-Friendly Lighting
Only one apartment’s lighting usage can burn through significant amounts of carbon every year. However, if you use LEDs you will significantly reduce the amount of energy used.
Thanks to smart technologies, there are daylight sensors, motion-activated lighting and other lighting options that save energy, both within apartments and in common spaces like halls and stairwells.
Environmentally-Friendly Pest Control
Pest control is necessary for maintaining your building and keeping it safe for residents and tenants. However, using chemicals in pest control is not necessary.
First, you should reduce the risk of pest infestation by securing trash cans, blocking any holes that pests can enter from and making sure that your tenants are keeping their apartments and the building clean. Then, you can resort to environment-friendly pest control options that do not harm the environment and are not cruel to animals.
Create a Paperless Environment
In the digital age we are living in, it is easy to limit if not eliminate the use of paper in property management. It’s so easy nowadays to do everything digitally – even signing documents.
Switching to digital documents is not just an environmentally-friendly approach, it increases your efficiency because it speeds up your processes and saves you time and money.
Regular Inspections
In order to run a sustainable property properly, you need to pay regular visits to your property to fix any problems on the spot before they cause more damage. You also have to make sure that eco-friendly practices are being applied and maintained yourself.
Recycle
Residential properties produce a large amount of waste. Therefore, in order to maintain an eco-friendly property you need to set up a recycling system. Install recycling bins all over the building and provide the tenants and residents with clear recycling instructions in their apartments.
Train Your Staff
Although you will pay regular visits to the property to make sure that everything is eco-friendly and maintained, you can’t be there every day. This is why you need to train your staff on green initiatives and have them attend green management classes to get more involved. This way, you will ensure that your staff is fully aware of the environmentally friendly practices you’ve put in place, and they can manage the property efficiently even if you are not there to supervise.
Green Purchasing Policy
Adopting a green purchasing policy means that all the products and services used in your building should have a reduced impact on the environment. Refrain from purchasing products that contain toxic substances, and choose recyclable products. Moreover, all the appliances in the building should be eco-friendly.
We need properties that are managed by eco-friendly practices now more than ever. Finding environmentally friendly solutions in all fields is on the rise. Saving water, using eco-friendly lighting systems, developing a recycling plan and creating a paperless environment in managing your property will reduce your carbon footprint and save you money too.
Feature image: Adrian Dorobantu; Image 1: Charles Parker
