When renting a home, you can sometimes feel powerless to make the changes needed to make the home “greener.” Although a good talk with your landlord can sometimes help clear the way for improvements that you’d like to make while staying there, there are always other ways that you can “go green” as a renter. These vary from how you use the items in your home to how you care for the items in your home. And as little as some of the entries may seem, each adds to the efficiency of your home. Here are 10 ways we feel you can help improve the efficiency of your rental home.

Reduce Energy Consumption

If you want to improve your ‘footprint,’ as they say, you must think more efficiently. At the top of that list is the need to reduce energy consumption. This includes turning off electronics when not in use, ensuring that your furnace or AC unit is not working too hard due to a drafty or leaky home, and even installing LED light bulbs (proven to affect energy consumption drastically).

Separate Trash, Recycling, and Compost

The concept of separating your trash into three different categories takes a lot of planning; however, it is something that a lot of people choose to do due to the impact. Regarding recycling, it can be pretty easy to set up a box, store all your recyclables, and then google the closest recycling drop-off location. As it may seem easy to handle recycling, compost may be a bit more challenging. With over 35% of trash being made up of food, it makes sense to look into composting to reduce the amount of waste collected. Numerous products offer ways to pull off composting indoors and even in areas as small as an apartment. To learn more, check out EarthEasy.com.

Programmable Thermostat

With so many technological advances, it is hard to pinpoint just one that will greatly impact your daily ‘footprint.’ However, one in particular is a very good method of reducing energy usage. A programmable thermostat is a great way to control when you’re using the most of your heat (or air). You can set a schedule to have the furnace kick on in the morning just before everyone wakes up, but keep it low while you sleep. You can even schedule an AC kick-on hour before you leave work.

Low-Flow Shower Heads

When saving water, a low-flow shower head can make a difference. A normal shower head can use up to 3.8 gallons of water per minute, whereas a low-flow shower head is usually below 2.5 gallons. I know that many of us enjoy a high pressure shower, however every bit counts, and if you want to reduce consumption and cost, low-flow is the way to go.

Move Furniture Away from the Radiator

If you have a radiator, keep your couches and chairs away. Not on the other side of the room; that is not what we are saying. However, you don’t want todon’tthings too close to the radiator as you may stop the flow of warm air from traveling around the room. Yes, we all love to sit up close to the heater and bask in the warmth, but by allowing it to expand throughout the room, you will be sure to save on the cost by not needing it quite so much.

Energy Saving Power Strip

Sometimes, even when you turn off your devices, they drain electricity. It could be something as small as an LED light or a backup. There are numerous reasons why devices can benefit from having access to a continuous source of electricity. However, every little bit adds up, and if we want to increase our savings, a good way to do this is to get a power strip that can stop all intermittent power consumption or turn off the power strips you use daily.

Caulk Windows and Doors

If there are issues with warm or cold air coming in from around the edges of your windows or doors, it may be a good idea to pick up some caulk at Lowe’s or Home Depot (or Lowe’salmart) and follow along with a YouTube video. This will help create a barrier to stop all those unwanted breezes from coming through.

Clean Refrigerator

The coils on the back of your refrigerator can easily be considered the best way to improve your refrigerator’s efficiencyrefrigerator’sre they are working at their maximum by keeping them clean of dust and debris. So break out the broom and the vacuum and attack all those dust bunnies on the back of what should be one of your most cherished appliances.

Blackout Curtain

Blackout curtains can be used for much more than blocking the sunlight to stay asleep longer or enjoy your favorite movie. You can use blackout curtains to block cold air from entering your home at night, and by opening them during the day, you will allow heat from the sun to help warm your house during the day. Also, during the summer, you can close the curtains during the day to stop unwanted heat from entering the home. This will help the AC work better.