How can I save energy whilst hosting?

[Robin4]

Power wastage is a never ending problem with guests.

Although we produce most of our own energy on the property, whatever gets used on the property is energy I can’t export back to the grid and get paid for! So whichever way it goes, guests wasting power is costing me money.

You can ask guests not to run appliances like air conditioning when they are not present but, they just ignore you, so, not wishing to upset them, I gave up trying.

To this point automatic air conditioning off controls are activated by motion sensors within the property, and that can be an issue at times when the guest is there but there is no movement. The guest gets annoyed having to turn the a/c back on again all the time, I know, I have tried that approach!

My first step at control was to use a master a/c controller that would not allow the temperature to be increased above 23c (73f) on heating, or below 20c (68f) on cooling, and that overcame the problem of those guests that will leave the cottage for the afternoon and evening on a cold afternoon, after winding the temp up to 30c so it would be toasty warm to come back to......they figure they are paying for it so, they might as well put it to good use!

This control is available in the US for less than $50 and is a really good investment!

Sometimes they will ask why we do this, and I just say with the price of electricity being what it is here, for my listing amount of $90 per night we have to set the limit somewhere….and they accept that. Well none have marked me down for it yet!

But, they still steadfastly refused to turn the a/c off when they were not there.

Oh joy of joys, I have at last got them beaten, and my solution was really cheap to make up, and install!

I purchased a cheap frequency transmitter which is on the cottage keyring........

I then bought a motion/receiver relay which I have installed on the front gate...........

This relay is hooked up to the air conditioning power circuit and as soon as the guest leaves the property the air/con system will turn off, and as soon as they come in from the street, the air/con will start again and within 5 minutes will have the cottage up to temperature again!  

If the guest just wants to get something from the car, the air/con will stop as soon as they leave the driveway but, turns on again as soon as they re-enter the property and as far as they are concerned there has been no interuption to the a/c operation.

The only major challenge I could not solve myself was the situation where the guest would actually turn the a/c off before leaving the premises. I didn't want the situation where their leaving would actually activate the unit so I had a local electronics guy install a sensor circuit that would detect when current was not being used by the a/c on leaving or entering the property, and bypass the gate sensor!

So far it is working like a gem and will pay for itself within a couple of months.

Available equipment may vary from country to country but, everything I used is wisely available off the shelf products  so, where possible, if anyone wants the details of how this has been accomplished I will gladly supply to interested hosts!

Cheers......Rob

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Robin4  it sounds perfect 🙂

[Cathie19]

I love the idea @Robin4, but as I usually have family groups which can be all adults, this wouldn’t work for me. Two or three go off for the morning and one stays around the house and pool. Or dad goes to the shops whilst mum and the kids might be having downtime with a DVD.  So not viable  for me.... 😫😩😢😭😭😭😭

[Robin4]

@Cathie19 

Ah there is always a problem but,  there is always an override Cathie.

At the moment there is just a small failing but, I am working at refining it.

If someone is left behind in the property all they have to do is press the start button and the residual current in the start capacitor will trigger the sensor and the a/c will again start, When the guest with the keys returns, as the a/c is already on, the sensor will turn the a/c off and it will have to be manually started again! Now this is a situation that has not happened since I have had this running,  but I am sure it will and I am sure my techno guy will get this sorted.

Hey Cathie, I have just noticed our 'spellchecker' is up and running! Whoopee!!!

Cheers......Rob

[Lynnie1]

We don't have A/C but do have heating & cooking that uses oil (kerosene). Most bulbs are now LED, but I've had quite a few month-long 'worldschoolers'. They don't always have a car, so are in the house most of the time. They use a lot of energy and because one parent tends to telecommute, I've had to top up my monthly internet 4 times recently at €30 each time. I've now put in the description that week or longer rentals have a reasonable allowance. After that, they can pay the actual cost. I will install a meter for the oil inside. I now have to figure out what that 'reasonable allowance' is!

[Abhishek44]

How can I request guest to turn off the electricity and make sure they understand? they may respond, in hotel we are not ask to do so, but it's our responsibility to save energy, I don't know how to make sure it's taken care. 

[Stephanie365]

For those of you without the option of "smart" controls for the HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Con) there is a simple solution:  Putting a lock box on the thermostat. 

In my welcome manual, I let guests know that the HVAC is set for heat at 68 and A/C at 73 and that due to the fact that the thermostat controls half of my home and not exclusively the guest suite, I cannot permit guest access. So far, no complaints. And no Energy Bandits.

The lights are more challenging.  I've had guests leave for the day and leave lots of lights on.  I don't mind a small light being left on, especially if they're planning on coming back after dark, but it's not necessary to leave all the kitchen and living room lights on. It is noted in my house manual and in my listing that I won't enter the guest area unless I see a violation of house rules, a safety issue or lights left on with no one home.  And turning off lights is a house rule, so I feel zero guilt going in and turning off lights.  Again, no one has complained that I've entered when they weren't home.

The worst guest I had would go to bed and leave all the living room lights and kitchen lights on all night long. Fortunately, they were only here for 2 days.

[Sudsrung0]

How much do you guys pay for Ecobee 3  ? 

I've just looked here in Thailand 15,000 Baht = 488$ US 

[Sudsrung0]

Got that wrong it's Nest that much

[Robin4]

@Sudsrung0 

Sounds very expensive to me Sudsrung!

Here is a list of the top 10 remote controllers and their prices if purchased through Amazon.

Emerson Sensi:  from Amazon………….……………..$89.00  US

Emerson Sensi Touch:  from Amazon……………..$135.00 US

Ecobee 3 lite: from Amazon………………………......$159.00 US

Ecobee Smart with Alexa:  from Amazon………$240.00 US

Honeywell T5:  from Amazon………………………......$128.00 US

Johnson Controls GLAS:  from Amazon…………$189.00 US

Lux Geo:  budget from Amazon……………………....$93.00  US

Lux Kono:  from Amazon……………………………….....$129.00 US

Nest Learning T/stat:  from Amazon……………….$189.00 US

Nest  E :  from Amazon…………………………………......$157.00  US

All are currently in stock for delivery!

Cheers.......Rob

[Kaylene5]

Where do you get that from?

[Robin4]

@Kaylene5 

These units are available on-line through Amazon!

Here is the link if you wish to follow up!

https://www.amazon.com./s?k=ecobee+3+lite&crid=27P0YSJXKLYWN&sprefix=Ecobee%2Caps%2C495&ref=nb_sb_ss...

Good luck.....

Cheers......Rob

[Lynette57]

Well sounds like the perfect solution @Robin4  

This might tickle your funny bone

Just had an enquiry from prospective company guest for 4 workers to stay

After reading their reviews, about them leaving lights power and AC running all day while they were absent from property and also leaving rubbish and food lying around the whole house including bedrooms I decided to accept them as long as they responded to house rules,

"In the event that A/C power lights etc were left turned on ( as I monitor the house) they would be immediately evicted with no refund.

Guess what no response and request to stay withdrawn.  (Im happy with that LOL)

Guess this company knows that boys will be boys. 

[Robin4]

@Lynette57 

I really sincerely hope for your sake Lynette, the company is not Adani  !!

Queensland might be in for a bit more than they bargained for! You can just imagine the crap that is going to be left behind from a massive mining operation if the boys can't even keep their own nest clean and in order!

Cheers......Rob

[Marisa182]

@Robin4 

It's always interesting to see what Robin is up to. I thought I was the only host concerned about power wastage, and was beginning to feel bad about it. After all, I am getting paid by my guest. But I'm happy to see that other hosts feel the same way.... my other pet peeve is indoor and outdoor lights left on all the time, and when they go out and leave ground level basement windows open, even it it's raining!

[Lakshmi16]

Thank you all for sharing your insight and methods you folks are using to contain the waste of energy. 

I am in the same boat and exploring options to save energy from two large sources 1) AC/heater 2)Jacuzzi/Pool.

I am researching on Wifi instruments such as Honeywell and Ecobee to replace my existing thermostats so that I can have more control on AC/heater.

I will be following this thread to know different tricks the hosts are adopting.