Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland
That is one of the big issues I have with rental houses that I see, the design and repair of them is done so that they are cheap to build but not cheap to live in, if a builder had incentive to make the houses that they build more efficient then everyone would be better off, one way tho is with rental property, if the property owner makes the place as efficient as possible then they can include the utility costs, that money that would have otherwise been wasted on poor design is now in the pocket of the property owner, with the renter happy because they don't get surprised with heating bills, the owner gets paid back for making good choices and less energy is wasted over all.
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The reason most property owners do not invest in high efficiency is that it isn't profitable. I would never pay utilities for my rentals, especially since I rent to the lowest income people. They tend to be the most self-centered and make the poorest decisions about everything (including conservation of resources). They would crank the heat up and leave the doors open all winter for sure.
One of my AC units appears to be from the 50's, and I have no incentive to replace it until it dies. If there were a gov't program that made high efficiency units cost the same as cheapo ones, I would get it. However, I generally think the gov't should not create artificial markets.
If I had a very nice property that I rented to intelligent middle-class people, then I would consider HE as a selling point. Renters need to have the mental ability to understand that they will save money by renting an HE unit before they are willing to pay slightly more to live there. You might also find people willing to pay more just to live "greener", but most are more concerned with keeping their pockets greener.
I have roommates in my own home and include utilities in the rent for simplicity. Even if we split utilities, I don't think there would be much incentive to conserve since any individual's use is split between everyone else. For this reason, I have installed low flow faucets, shower heads, and toilets. Lighting is mostly CFL and LED, and will be installing automatic light switches in hallways that turn on with motion and turn off after a period of time. I'll also put vent fans on a timer since these also tend to be left on.