Our “Big Wins” Guide to preparing your home.
This work is part of NFE’s ‘Stay+Beautiful’ Project. We want to help our owners to build more resilient businesses that are prepared for the future. Luckily this also means reducing utility bills, showing guests you care, and delivering a top service.
Guests want greener homes.
So where you make changes, please tell us so we can include these into the house information – it will help market your house.
Don’t forget to tell people what you are doing. Include a page in your house book, make a short video and send it to them at checkin, all of these “proof-points” show people your values around caring for them and the planet, it can help them respect your home – and your utility bills – more!
6 CHANGES THAT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY – AND SHOW GUESTS YOU CARE
All homes are different. We know changes can be expensive, but also that many are not. Proving to your guests that you care is about being conscientious, communicating your goals and where you’re at with them, delivering small details as standard (like eco dog poo bags and eco firelighters) whilst you’re working toward big things.
1 – Get a smart meter installed ASAP – when people can see energy use, they are more aware of usage.
If you have one, make sure it’s in a place where guests can clearly see it and discuss it – kitchen is best. You want them to see and experience their energy use, and for it to be a topic of conversation through their stay. Doing this helps them be continually aware, without confronting them with negative messaging. It really helps.
2 – Heating control and efficiencies
Save hassle and costs – install a NEST / HIVE or similar smart thermostat. This will track and control heating options – from an app on your phone.
The new systems are very good.
Make sure you set it up so that guests can amend temps between a range – we suggest between 15 – 21 degrees – but need to contact you for more heat.
Also check if your boiler can have a sensor fitted to communicate to an app on your phone. Worcester do offer this and it can replace a Smart Thermostat and be cheaper.
You will know your house, your signage and set up and what you provide. Those with wood burners might want to make other adjustments.
Critically, with these systems, you have the option of an ‘Eco” setting. This will allow your thermostat to turn to your heating temp’ right down when the movement sensor is not triggered because no one in the house. This is great for saving money when the house is empty. Ensure that the min temp is correct for your house insurance specification.
Check any meters are set up right.
3 – Energy tariffs
Consider changing your energy tariff to 100% green – it will save about 40% of your carbon emissions. Your bill may go up, but hopefully, with good communication (more on that later) not excessively. The aim is to show your guests you’re doing the right thing, not the cheapest thing, so they respect your efforts and trim their energy usage. We know that doesn’t always work, there are always some people who are frustrating.
Try to fix tariffs for long term budgeting.
4 – Look at solar/renewables.
Our house Deer Lodge, run by Paul Frampton, a local renewables engineer has amazingly low energy bills per month given that he has a pool and hot tub.
Read our interview here.
5 – Insulate
Get your drafty gaps sorted out. We use a digital thermometer to work out where the cold is getting in. You can point these brilliant things at anything and get a digital reading from a distance. The kids will love it too! It will tell you where all your heat is going, so you can deal with issues with more information. You can buy a Digital thermometer here.
Lymington Transition Group offer a draft-proofing service. Get hold of them via Facebook. There will be a small charge.
Double insulate your roof. 150mm is what most places have but 300mm of roof insulation is best. We doubled our office insulation in summer 2022.
Do consider topping it up. It’s not that expensive and it really helps. Ask your local builder.
6 – Do the lights
Check your lights are all LED or low-energy. You can get masses of info on the Energy Savings Trust website.
7 COST-SAVING, CHEAP + SIMPLE CHANGES THAT SHOW YOUR GUESTS YOU CARE ABOUT THEM + THE PLANET.
We can’t emphasise how important this is. People are more likely to help you and look after your utility bills, if they think you are looking after the planet. This list is all about proving you care.
1. Waste! People are bothered by it!
Prove your hospitality values and set up your waste-system brilliantly. Ideally this will include composting which often guests think is supplied as normal in rural areas.
Learn more here about how to impress guests with our War on Waste project.
- 2- Make warm in winters give a ‘hygge’ pack.
- Do it like the Vikings do – get into hygge… we’re serious! Consider providing bed and sofa blankets, to encourage snuggling up, rather than turning up the heating for hotter air temperatures. You could also encourage body-heat increase with herbal night-time teas. Don’t forget to tell guests you supply this and why.
- 3- Bog Roll – everyone has to interact with it! It’s a statement of caring.
Whilst only 0.0003 of global trees are cut for toilet roll, changing your bog roll to eco won’t save the world, but it will show, very clearly, that you are serious about being greener. FYI according to AimHi Climate Course, Feb 2022. 91% of deforestation is due to farming, food and, of that 70% is to feed animals we eat.
Bulk + eco toilet/kitchen rolls are handsome and eye-catching. We tested Who Gives a Crap for cost v’s roll length against other supermarket brands and WGAC is marginally more expensive by a few pence for the roll length: Buy it here.
4 – Bulk + green hand wash/shampoo – it’s another statement of caring
There are so many lovely options now. We use Naked Pantry in New Milton (they do a great café there too).
5 – Save money (and your skin and lungs) with Cleaner Cleaning!
Change-over days can be full of chemical-filled air, mountains of plastic rubbish bottles, pollution in the water, eczema on our cleaners hands. It had to stop. This is an area you can really impress people with and you’ll save money too. Read our How To Guide here.
6 – Get local with your welcome pack and eco stuff in the house.
We’ve spoken to masses of local companies and have trade discounts for you. All local, sustainable and most products last for 6 months. You can see details here on our Local Larder page.
7. Make the small things green as standard.
Dog poo bags, fire lighters, hand wash, loo roll etc can easily be swapped for more green options.
MORE CHANGES THAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS.
1. Get Water Savvy
Taps/showers have lo-flow – we love Eco Flow swizzle taps for kitchens. Buy them at £12.99 less the NFE discount. They’re really effective. We tried them in our homes and LOVE them – Eco Flow taps are based in Milford on Sea.
Set your water thermostat carefully.
Collect and use rainwater in the garden.
Visit Bournemouth Water who are giving away 3 water saving items for housing. Visit them here.
2- Calculate your carbon emissions.
Work out your carbon footprint at the house. Work it out but don’t include guests travel, just your own and the things you can control. It’s not too hard to do using this carbon calculator (which is free!)
3- Offset your carbon damage – it’s a start but it’s cheating really. We need to reduce as a priority.
Use companies who are verified the credits. We use Gold Standard as advised by our BCorp Consultant.
Expect to spend £15-20 per tonne, per year. Many projects are hugely inspiring. Do make sure you communicate this to your guests too. Add a page to the welcome pack and show the offset certificate too.
For more information that has been written for our industry – read this community page on VRMB here.
This article has been updated Sept 2023.
