The Hows
Some high impact options for landlords wanting to green their rental property
Here are some options which will make a big difference to the sustainability of your rental or investment property, and will increase its value along the way.
quick links
Insulation
Low flow showerheads
More sustainable heating
Pelmets, curtains and draught proofing to keep the heat in
Tanks
Shading your windows – key to keeping the property cool in summer
Dual flush toilets
A better hot water system – solar, gas or heat pump
Insulation
Why get insulation?
Insulation can cut your property's energy use from the heating and cooling of your property by 45%, and it’s one of the most cost effective ways of increasing its sustainability and market value.
How much does insulation cost?
Getting insulation batts installed should cost about $1500, for a standard installation. Foil insulation should cost about $250 plus installation.
What type of insulation should I get?
We would recommend either glasswool or polyester batts, with a rating of R3.5 or higher, in the ceiling to keep the winter heat in. We would also recommend a layer of double sided foil insulation stapled just below the roof line, to keep the summer heat out. Putting insulation in the ceiling is definitely worthwhile, and if you want to make your property extra green, you should also consider putting insulation in the walls and under the floor.
How do I get insulation installed?
The easiest option is to ring an installation company and leave it up to them. If you are worried about the integrity of the company, go for one which has been established for many years. If you would rather install it yourself, make sure that you find out safety information first.
What about fires and electrocution?
Downlights are a fire hazard because they get really hot. Leaving a gap in the insulation around each light lets heat escape, which is exactly what the insulation is trying to avoid. It will also create safety issues if the insulation moves (some tradies have been known to shove it out of the way while they’re working in the roof). The better solution is downlight covers. If you’re not convinced that your installer will really use them, get them to show you the covers first. The best option is to also replace downlights with a more energy efficient alternative which doesn’t heat up as much.
Installing foil insulation can cause electrocution when it’s accidentally stapled into live wires, or when the covering around the wires deteriorates over time or is chewed on by rodents, leaving live wires in contact with the foil. Houses often have their electric cables just above the plaster ceiling, so putting the foil away from the ceiling and just under the tiles or tin of the roof can cut the electrocution risk while still keeping your house cool in summer. Of course you should always make sure your wiring is in good condition – bad wiring is dangerous with or without insulation.
More info
Low flow showerheads
Why get a low flow showerhead?
Installing a low flow showerhead (also known as a water saving showerhead) is a really easy way of saving nearly 50,000 litres of water every year, and over a tonne of greenhouse gases. Increased energy and water efficiency will increase the value of your property.
Do I already have a low flow showerhead?
If you’re not sure if the existing showerhead is a low flow one, see if it says on the showerhead, or simply hold a bucket under the shower while you run it for a minute. A standard bucket holds nine litres, and if it's about full after the minute, you have a low flow showerhead. If it’s overflowing well before you're minute's up, it's worth switching your showerhead.
How much does switching to a low flow showerhead cost?
The showerhead itself is free if you exchange your old one, through your water company. However if you have an instantaneous hot water system (a small box on the wall instead of a large tank), or gravity fed water read our extra information on this first. You can also buy low flow showerheads, and get a $10 rebate on showerheads costing $30-$100, and a $20 rebate for showerheads over $100. It will take a plumber about 10 minutes to install the showerhead, or you can do it yourself easily enough.
How do I get it installed?
Ring your plumber and get them to do the rest. To install it yourself, you don’t need any particular skills, just a new showerhead, a spanner, a rag and the Teflon tape and instructions which come with the showerhead.
More info
Rebate information
A three minute video on how to install a low flow showerhead
More sustainable heating
Why get more sustainable heating?
More than half of the energy use in Victorian homes goes to heating them. Putting in a more sustainable system will make the property more appealing to future tenants, and future buyers.
Do I already have good heating?
Reasonably environmentally sound:
- gas room heaters
- reverse cycle which isn’t ducted
- hydronic heating
- a slow combustion stove
Less environmentally sound:
- electric heating (other than reverse cycle)
- in-floor electric heating or
- open fires
If you have ducted heating, it’s important that the system can be zoned, so your tenants can heat just the space they’re in, instead of wasting energy on heating empty rooms.
How much does installing a more environmentally sound heater cost?
Read our heating systems fact sheet to decide which type is best for your property.
The price will depend on a whole lot of factors, but as a rough guide:
- buying and installing a gas room heater costs about $2,500
- a single reverse cycle unit costs about $2,500
- ducted gas heating starts at about $5,500 for a small efficient system
- hydronic heating starts at about $6,500 for a small system and
- slow combustion wood stoves start at about $2,200
How do I get it installed?
Most installers will happily come around for a free quote, and lots can quote on a couple of different types of heating at the same time. But be warned – sustainability doesn’t tend to be their priority, so make sure you ask them questions about what star rating the system has, how well it can be zoned and what the running costs are.
More info
Sustainability Victoria fact sheets:
Choosing a heating system
Hydronic heating
Gas ducted heating
Wood heating
Gas room heaters
Reverse cycle
Pelmets, curtains and draught proofing to keep the heat in
Why get pelmets, curtains and draught stoppers?
In Victoria, more than half of our household energy use goes to heating, and lots of that heat is wasted. All of the cracks and gaps in your average Victorian home are the equivalent of having a 1 by 1.5 metre window open all the time, while 40% of the heat loss from homes is through uncovered windows. Pelmets, curtains and draught proofing are a very effective and economical way of cutting heating (and cooling) energy use.
Do I already have pelmets, good curtains and draught proofing?
Pelmets are the boxes which cover curtain rods. To keep the heat in they need a top, not just sides. For curtains to be effective they need to be thick and to reach a long way below the bottom of the window frame. Blinds are only effective at keeping the heat in when they sit up against the window frame and are not slatted (e.g. roller blinds and roman blinds can keep the heat in because they are one continuous piece of fabric, venetian blinds don’t because they have slats). For draught proofing, check that the property has thin foam strips around the edges of doors and windows, and seals or draught snakes along the bottom of doors.
How much do pelmets, curtains and draught proofing cost?
Ready made pelmet kits are hard to find, so the cost of pelmets is the cost of getting a handy person to construct and install them, or the cost of getting a custom made curtain company to do this. They are simple to make. Curtains with blockout on the back to help them insulate start at about $40 per window. Foam weather stripping only costs about $5 for a 5 metre pack, while the rubber, brush or roller seals you attach to the bottom of doors start at about $10.
How do I get them installed?
Installing pelmets yourself will require some basic woodwork skills. You can buy curtains that are designed to be very easy to install yourself, or you could get a curtain installer to come out and give you a free quote for both curtains and pelmets. You could get draught proofing installed by your local handyperson, or you could do it yourself. Foam weather strips require no tools. For weather seals for the bottom of doors you will need a hack saw to cut the strip to size and a hammer. You can also get adhesive versions that you simply peel and stick.
More info
Tanks
Why get tanks?
While our dams get lower and lower, huge quantities of water disappear down our storm water drains when it rains. So why not catch some of it? A 5,000 litre tank collecting water for use in the washing machine, toilet and garden could save your property 52,000 litres of water a year. Plumbing the tank into the washing machine and toilet is important to reduce water use in the house as well as mains water use in the garden.
How much do tanks cost?
A 2,000 litre tank plumbed into the toilet and washing machine starts at about $2,500 including installation. You can reduce this by getting rebates from both the Victorian and federal governments, totalling $900 for a 2,000 litre tank and increasing for larger tanks. When asking about tank costs, make sure you also ask about delivery, installation, and costs of extras like pumps.
How do I get them installed?
Get several installers to visit the property and provide a free quote. More information on tank types and sizes should be provided with the quote, and is also available below.
More Info
Background information, including sizing and tank types
Shading your windows - key to keeping the property cool in summer
Why get external window shading?
Shading windows can cut the amount of heat pouring through them on hot summer days by 70 to 85 percent. This matters because it’s those hot days when everyone turns their air conditioners on when Victoria’s electricity use peaks, which is then uased as the justification for building more power stations.
Window shading can be:
- external blinds
- retractable awnings
- fixed awnings (the clever thing being that they will keep the sun out when it’s high in the sky in summer, but let it in when it’s lower in winter)
- plants or vines on a pergola – if they’re deciduous they’ll keep the sun out in summer and let it in in winter
- deciduous trees or shrubs
The north and west facing windows are your priority as they get the most direct sun, followed by the east facing windows. There's usually no need to shade south facing windows.
How much do awnings cost?
Simple awnings start at a couple of hundred dollars per window and go up for more sophisticated designs and larger windows.
How do I get awnings, external blinds or a pergola installed?
You can get free quotes from installers, or you can buy awnings or blinds designed for DIY installation. For a pergola you will need to get a quote from a local builder.
More info
Sustainability Victoria fact sheet on window protection
Dual flush toilets
Why switch to dual flush toilets?
A dual flush toilet could help your property save 22,750 litres of water every year.
How much does switching to dual flush cost?
If you live in Melbourne, you can get a single flush toilet replaced with a dual flush for around half the normal price, thanks to subsidies and rebates available through your water retailer. Once you have taken these into account the total cost of the new toilet and installation should range from $284 to $513, depending on what type of toilet you get. If you are in Victoria but outside Melbourne, you can't get the subsidies but you can get a $50-$100 rebate.
How do I get my toilet changed to dual flush?
If you're in Melbourne and want to take advantage of the discounted prices, all you need to do is contact your water retailer (the company which sends your water bill). You can also do this by going to www.dualflush.com.au or calling 1300 2 FLUSH. If you're outside of Melbourne you will need to organise your own plumber. They should be able to source a new toilet, or you could buy one yourself and have them install it.
More info
Information on subsidised toilets for Melbourne
A better hot water system - solar, gas or heat pump
Why do it?
Water heating makes up 20 percent of energy use in Victorian homes, and if you’ve got an electric hot water system, that 20 percent is chewing through the greenhouse gases.
How much does it cost?
Check out our hot water systems fact sheet to work out which type of hot water system is best for you.
- Solar hot water costs about $2,000 - $5,000 including installation when you take into account the rebates and the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs). RECs and VEECs are certificates which you are allocated for generating renewable energy, which you usually sell to the installer in exchange for a discounted price.
- Heat pump hot water costs start at about $1,800, including installation, rebates and RECs and VEECs.
- Gas hot water usually costs about $1,000 - $1,200, plus another couple of hundred for installation, whether it’s instantaneous, storage, natural gas or LPG. You can get a rebate for installing an efficient gas system.
How do I get gas, heat pump or solar hot water installed?
Have a number of suppliers visit your property to give free quotes. Rebates for installing gas hot water are straight forward. However information on other hot water rebates and on RECs and VEECs is complicated and depends on where your house is, what system you are replacing, what size system you are getting and what the current REC and VEEC prices are. It is easier to get this information from the person giving the quote than it is to work this out yourself. If you’re interested to find out more, see the links below.
More info
Federal solar hot water and heat pump hot water rebate
Victorian solar hot water rebate
Renewable Energy Certificates
Sustainability tips for renters
More Landlord resources
Greening your property makes money (and sense)
Help your tenants be green too
Stan invested in his rental property
