How to subtly ask guests to turn off the lights in the apartment before leaving somewhere?

[Marko230]

Too often guests just turn all the lights on and keep them on throughout their stay (like they're getting a kick out of electrical energy being consumed). How to subtly ask guests to turn off the lights in the apartment before leaving somewhere? And to be at least basically mindful of energy consumption...

[Trevor243]

We have this in our guest information packs .... "Please ensure the cooker, gas fire and lights are turned off before you go out" .... same for check-out

We could talk about the environment or whatever, but although "environmental awareness" is big in the news, it's not a big thing in people's lives - it will bore them and they'll stop reading ......

[Mark116]

@Marko230   You don't really need to be subtle.  Everyone, everywhere is aware of the benefits of conserving energy.  So just ask them to turn off lights when they leave to help conserve energy.

[Ute42]

.

@Marko230   

Why „subtly“ and why „ask“?

Just tell them right into their faces to turn the lights off when they leave.

• „But maybe I'll get a bad review when I tell them“

Marko, no airbnb-guest in the word needs Your lights-off reminder as a reason for a bad review. They'll find enough other reasons including none.

[Ange2]

@Ute42   "no airbnb-guest in the word needs Your lights-off reminder as a reason for a bad review."

I had to laugh at that.  Guests I had balked when I asked -  pursed lips,  rolled eyes, fingers madly jabbing at phone screens, and I do have night lights and motion sensor lights so it's never really dark. Bad review:  'it's dark'.   But they were super ornery from the get-go.

I still ask everyone, energy conservation is important.

Luckily it's an ingrained habit with more and more guests.

[Ute42]

.

@Ange2   

Marko in London has 275 reviews and I think he's in his thirties. And he questions us „how to subltly ask guests to turn the lights off“? Come on. Would You marry this guy?

[Lawrene0]

When it was just one particular light that was being left on here, @Marko230 , I used signage. The difference was huge. Where most guests had left it on before the sign went up, most guests turned it off after. 

I'm not a big fan of signs everywhere, but for some things it is all that works. 

[Sandra856]

@Marko230 I had to add it to my houserules together with please turn down heat when windows are open. Open windows when it is freezing cold or snowing outside and lights left on unfortunately was a common thing.

[Anthony608]

This was a very annoying thing for me as well.  Guests would routinely leave all lights on in the house, oftentimes sleeping with their room lights on and leaving lights and fans running in both the kitchen and bathroom at all hours.  Had one time someone got up for a midnight snack and eight hours later, at 8 o'clock in the morning, found kitchen and bathroom lights on and both the stove and bathroom fans had been running all night.

I put this in my house rules and, in really bad cases, I do mention it to the guests, mostly stressing the fans in the bathroom are not designed to run constantly for hours at a time.  Since it is now in the house rules, for really bad cases I could mention it in the review.  Lights in the room I overlook, but leaving lights on in public spaces, and overheating the small exhaust fans by running them nonstop for hours is a serious thing.

[Lil5]

I understand we all have some similar issues here. I wonder whether anyone knows that there’re light bulbs with a timer or something so will go off after certain time. I don’t think people leave anything on on purpose. It’s due to the unawareness. I always say you can’t tell a blind person “watch where you’re going “ does it make sense?