6 Ways to Solve the 'Renter's Dilemma' For Home Energy

Watching a skillful home-energyinspector explorea leaky house last week left me with a distinct sensation:envy.

As the inspector wentthrough the process, showing the homeowner how insulation, foam sealing, andother improvements would save money on heating bills, I realized I want some ofthat sweetweatherstripping action for my house. But my wife and I have a simple andcommon dilemma: we rent. We're not going to pay for house improvements becausewe might not live there for long and won't profit from the increased propertyvalue. Our landlord won't shell out for much because he doesn't pay heating andelectricity bills -- we do.

This renter's dilemmais a real barrier to getting more homes weatherized (which, in case you haven'theard, is afan-flipping-tastic policy that helps out cash-strapped residents, savesenergy, and creates building-industry jobs). Renters tend to have lowerincomes, so they could use the savings more.

So I put out acall a few days ago asking for proposals for cracking this nut. Wouldn'tyou know, some decent ideas came back. None of the proposals are a magicpotion, which means it's worth trying out a bunch of strategies. Starting withthree steps tenants can take:

1. Talk to landlords about what they can do. Sounds obvious, butit's an important place to start, and something not all energy-conscioustenants have done (guilty). A coworker got her landlord to pay forweatherstripping of doors simply by asking.

This may work for onlythe cheapest improvements. "Most landlords are looking for ways to recoup theirelectricity costs," Tom Harrison of the efficiency products shop Energycircle.com told me. "A few saythey want to help their residents conserve. And I don't doubt them, but to behonest, of the several I have spoken with directly, they are all Canadian --seriously."

2. Threaten to leave. If you're a desirable tenant, owners mightprefer to pay for some improvements than spend time and money looking for newtenants (The Alliance to Save Energy has a goodlist of specific improvements to consider.)

3. Ask about "green leases." In this arrangement, an owner agreesto pays for improvements (say, $2,000 for attic insulation), then raises thelease ($50 a month) to recoup the cost. If the improvement saves an average $65month in heating costs, the renter comes out ahead and the owner recovers theinvestment in a few years.

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