Abuse of air conditioning

[Antonello37]

Hello everybody. I have 3 air conditioning machines in the apartment in south Italy.
At check-in time I always ask guests to use but not abuse the air conditioning.
Nevertheless, many guests turn the apartment into a refrigerator by sleeping with the air conditioning even when not needed.

how can this problem be handled?
Could I for example, include only a certain amount of energy in the tariff?

Does anybody have suggestions?

[Anonymous]

@Antonello37  I think you need to be more specific about what you expect of your guests' air conditioning usage. And if there's any limitation to an amenity you offer, your listing needs to be very explicit about it. Guests may not agree with your belief that AC is "not needed" when they're sleeping - for many people, it's not "abuse," it's just what they're used to. 

Some hosts have tried seeking compensation for excess energy usage in the Resolution Center, but Airbnb will not back you up if the guest declines to pay, as it's not considered "damage." In all likelihood, all you'd get for your troubles is a bad review. 

[Zsolt32]

Heating-cooling can be really an issue; I experience that some guests are setting the cooling for 18C, while it is 36C outside. This is utterly stupid, unhealthy, and wasting energy. There was a guest who was cooling for 18C whole day, but started heating at night, than continiues cooling from the morning again, when he probably left the apartment. This is crazy practice, and we cant tolerate this while having energy crisys and global warming.

I believe AirBNB should set and announce acceptable range for internal temperature, and guest out of this range should be charged with additional energy fees. 

Me personally I make 21C in the winter in my home, and in the simmer I cool for 26C. But we are hosts and I understand that we should provide comfortable environment for everyone. However, there must be limits. I would propose cooling not lower than 22C, and heating not higher than 25C.

What do U think?

[Zsolt32]

You may try this sticker. I put it next to the controller

[Zsolt32]

the second sticker would be much more beneficial, but currently AirBNB does not support any fee for stupid use - as I know.

I was searching for proper person or link to provide feedback to AirBNB, but I was unable to find any 😞

[Kristin1364]

@Antonello37  Install a wi-fi thermostat. That way you can set limits on the air and heating controls as well as check in and change it when necessary. You can set time limits for changes. You will be in charge of the air conditioner, not the guests.   I installed the Ecobee and there is also the Nest. Hopefully this will help. I had the same problem and this helped my bills. 

[Elaine701]

We've been in this business a long time, and our guests are primarily holidaymakers...

...and my general experience is that it is to be expected that guests won't consider the cost of heating and cooling. They're on holiday, mainly to get a break from these kinds of concerns in daily life. It's the last thing from their mind.

They aren't engineers, and too often make costly presumptions, such as turning the heat up all the way in the assumption that it will heat up faster (it doesn't, it just gets hotter over time). Then they'll forget about it and leave. Come back, open all the doors and windows because it's too hot. Without turning down the thermostat. Some may even lodge a complaint. It's just the nature of the beast. You have no choice but to take control of this. 

So, like others have mentioned here, we do not allow guests to have control over it. We have smart thermostats and have sole control over it on our smartphones. We keep it at a comfortable temperature, and if the guest says they want it warmer or cooler, we'll adjust it by a few degrees either way. This avoids irresponsible/reckless waste. 

We've also installed door and window sensors which turn off the heating and/or cooling if they're left open. And we have a display that informs the guest that the heating/cooling is disabled because windows are open. Admittedly, this part is rather expensive to achieve, but it does simplify things and forces the guest to be responsible without our personal intervention. 

As the cost of energy goes ballistic, I increasingly believe that all hosts should at least install smart thermostats and remove all control from guests. And it's very inexpensive. Far less than the cost of unconscious/irresponsible excess energy consumption. It's the only practical way, really. 

[Enrico361]

Hi Elaine,

this is something I'm looking into for my listing as well and your solution seems to be the most complete one. Do you have brands or product to recommend as far as the sensors go as well as the wi-fi thermostat?

Thank you to everyone who's taking part in this conversation, it's really comforting to not be the only one thinking about these things. I want to protect the experience of our guests but I also don't want to be taken advantage of (our guests kept the A/C unit on all day long even when they stayed outside all day).