Approximately two thirds of the population lives in rented property, either in houses or apartments. A lot of these renters don’t realize that they can save on their energy cost in the same way as homeowners can, even though they rent. If you are a property renter and are paying for heat, air conditioning, electricity and hot water, you can reduce the energy costs by making energy saving home improvements that will reduce your energy cost.

There are many ideas on how to save energy and reduce heating and cooling costs but many of these energy saving tips include purchasing and installing items that are permanent. This makes many renters reluctant to invest money into property they don’t own.

Landlords have little or no motivation to better seal and insulate the rental property if the renter is paying all the utility bills. As a renter you can still make these improvements on your own and save money on energy or you could choose to not do anything because it's not your home. If the net savings on making the improvements is more than the cost of the improvements the renter winds out in the long run. Here are some energy saving tips for renters:

Renting for one to two years:

· Replace all bulbs with CFL's (compact florescent lights). This will reduce your electric consumption and offer improved lighting ability at lower cost.

· If you are paying for your water or the heating of water, replace your shower heads with water saving shower heads.

· Place rolled up towels or draft stoppers at the base of all outside doors during the winter.

· Place a thermometer near your thermostat to help determine how accurate the device is and then make sure you do not set your temperature above 65 degrees in the winter, no more than 60 degrees when no one is home, no lower than 75 degrees in the summer and 85 degrees when no one is home.

· Install heat shrinkable window seal on any window that is drafty.

· Remove all window air conditioners in the fall.

· Clean radiators or baseboard heaters to ensure better heat flow.

· Vacuum out the coils under refrigerators at least once a year to reduce running time.

· Operate a humidifier in the winter to help increase humidity. This increases the capacity for the heat to remain in the home and also feels more comfortable.

· Use a ceramic style space heater in the room that you spend more of your time in. and keep the main thermostat low. The rest of the home will be cooler since the heat will not run as often, reducing your energy consumption.

Renting for more than three years:

· Implement the saving tips previously covered for the one to two year renters.

· Caulk around the inside and outside of all windows and doors to seal cracks and reduce air flow

· Install new door seals around the exterior doors.

· Place reflectors behind radiators with the aluminum side facing forward, towards the radiator. This will help the heat circulate outward into the living space.

· If there is a basement insure that it is properly insulated with R-13 insulation.

· Seal any attic access by installing an attic access cover to seal and insulate the opening.

· Install foam insulation over basement hot water pipes.

· If there is a gas or electric hot water tank, install a water heater wrapping kit.

· Install a dryer vent seal to reduce cold air from backing into the home when the dryer is not in use.

· Replace the heating and cooling thermostat with a programmable type.

It may cost several hundred dollars to make these energy saving home improvements to your rental property but you get all that money back in reduced energy costs.

See more energy saving ideas.