How do you encourage guests to be mindful of energy usage?

[Elisa]

 

Hello everyone and have a great week! 😊

Reading through your posts in the community, I’ve noticed that managing electricity use is a common challenge for many of you.

Some guests might not be fully aware, which could unintentionally result in extra energy use.

Clear communication seems to go a long way, and tools like smart thermostats have also been mentioned as helpful solutions.

I’m sure there are plenty of other creative, guest-friendly ways to approach this. How do you encourage guests to be more mindful of their energy use during their stay?

I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts!

Warmly,
Elisa 🌻

[Elisa]

Hi @Brendan226 😊, 

Thank you for sharing this here!

That’s a great idea. Where did you install the sensor switches inside? In which part of your listing?

[Brendan383]

Vacation sensor switches (turn off after not detecting activity for 30 min, but only turn on manually) were installed in any location where the sensor has a view of the area the light is illuminating and in places where noting could obstruct the sensor. So in the kitchen, where switches are over countertops they were omitted etc. In addition the outside lighting moved to a timer switch. I have 4 outside doors and an upper balcony. The waterside is used often so I left this a regular dimmer switch, but the upper balcony, and other lights over the exterior doors moved to timers. The less used doors have a 1-2-4-8hr selector and the balcony and front door, where I want to be able to leave lights on for guests arriving have a 2-4-8-12hr timer selector. The side lights which were often left on more than half the time (yes, they were running over 12hrs a day on average) have gone down to a fraction of that. Barley ever used. They are hooked up to two 300w bulbs, so 600w each. We have also noticed that the indoor lights are used less. Most notably they are less likely to light the non-sleeping areas while they are sleeping. There is already household night lights installed throughout. They are built into the walls and can not be turned off. But many guests just left the lights on all the time unless it was bothering them when they tried to sleep. There are still lights on the regular switches which can be left on, but its no longer possible to keep them all on if your not using the space.

After a year of use now I have had no complaints. I on the other hand find the switches to be very handy and prefer using them. I particularly like the utility room switch, as I often have my hands full when leaving, so I sometimes just reply on the sensor to turn the light off. I also like the outdoor timer switches. I sometimes turn one on when taking garbage out and instead of turning it off, when I come back, let the timer turn it off. I also sometimes turn extra outdoor lights on when I know someone is visiting. I just pick the right time for there arrival, and let the lights turn them selfs out. I wouldn't often turn those lights on because I know I might forget to turn them off in situations like awaiting someones arrival where I am not myself under the light, and are often occupied when its time to turn if off (after the friend arrives)

[Richard3358]

I just build the energy costs into my listing.  I also have a note asking guests to set the AC to 78 when checking out, and not to run the AC if they have the patio doors open because it could freeze up the AC unit.

Otherwise if they want to have it set at 60 to sleep then fine, whatever keeps them comfortable.  I think you should be more concerned about how you are cooling the unit, be sure you have efficient systems installed.  I keep my bedroom at 62 degrees at night.  When I travel I expect that I should be able to get at least 70 degrees at night.  Most people will probably be happy with 72 - 74. 

As for lighting, now most lighting is available in LED that is nearly identical to filament.  I resisted the change for years because ambiance is very important to me, but finally they have nearly perfected it.  Switching to LED makes it a non issue for lighting, the costs to run lighting is so insignificant you should not even think about it.  The vast majority of energy costs comes from hot water tanks, AC and Heating.

I would think energy costs would be the least of your worries, and whats the most important is a great guest experience.