10 Profitable Ways to Make Your Holiday Rental More Sustainable
Find out how to make your holiday home more sustainable
November 2024
Sustainability is more than just an eco buzzword – it’s also a great way to improve your profits. Here are ten tried and tested strategies to increase revenue while also doing your bit for the planet.
1) Change to energy-saving lightbulbs
Have you got LED lightbulbs in your property yet? Not only are they an easy way to help create a sustainable holiday rental, they’re also great for your wallet.
LED bulbs use 75% less energy than traditional lightbulbs. What’s more, they last far longer — up to 25 times longer, in some cases. Some people are still wary of them, claiming that they give a dimmer light, but that’s simply not the case any more. From a user’s point of view, there’s now no difference between an LED bulb and a traditional bulb. However, they will make a big difference to your bills.
2) Remove single-use plastics from the bathroom
Here’s one of our favourite cheap ways to improve sustainability. If you’re still providing guests with miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, it’s time to switch things up. These tiny bottles inevitably end up in landfill, and replacing them after every guest can be costly.
Instead, use refillable dispensers. This is great for your budget – they cost far less over time – as well as for the environment.
You can also consider other ways to cut down on single-use plastic in the bathroom. For example, many hotels now offer toothpaste in squeezable cardboard containers rather than traditional plastic tubes. Bamboo toothbrushes make a great, sustainable alternative to plastic.
3) Install a shower flow restrictor
Don’t worry — a shower flow restrictor isn’t as miserly as it sounds. In fact, it will have no impact on your water pressure, so guests can still enjoy a nice, relaxing shower. However, it can save around 40% of water per shower. This makes it an ideal way to improve sustainability at a low cost.
You probably already have a dual-flush toilet in your holiday home, as they are now standard in most countries. If you don’t, that should also be a priority. Dual-flush toilets are vital for sustainable practices for holiday rentals, as they can save up to 15,000 litres of water each year.
4) Add leak detection devices to your property
Prevention is better than cure. Leaks lead to huge amounts of water waste – and, if left unchecked, can spiral out of control, damaging your property.
You can get small, battery-operated leak detection devices designed to sit in hotspots like behind the toilet or under the sink. If they detect water, you’ll get a message on your phone, allowing you to act fast.
5) Encourage guests to use the eco settings on the dishwasher and washing machine
This is tricky. You personally might choose energy-saving settings when you run the dishwasher and washing machine – but as a landlord, you have no control over the people who rent your house for holidays. What can you do?
The answer is simple. When you advertise your holiday home, make sure to focus on its green credentials. If you’ve taken steps to make your home more sustainable, you’ll be able to attract a particular kind of clientele – the guests who search holiday rental portals for eco-friendly properties. These guests tend to prioritise sustainability, and will usually be happy to see a reminder card on the washing machine or dishwasher encouraging them to help save water.
6) Recycle wherever you can
Recycling is always high on lists of how to make holiday rentals sustainable. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of recycling will depend a bit on where your property is located. In some areas, it’s a common practice, and all waste is sorted. In others, the recycling infrastructure is not yet well-developed.
You can do your bit by using recycled products in the home. Nowadays, it’s easy to find paper towels, napkins, and even toilet paper, all of which make great additions to an eco-friendly property.
7) Upgrade your white goods
Sometimes saving money requires an initial investment. Appliances like fridges, freezers, washing machines and dishwashers can all be swapped for energy-efficient models.
Older appliances use a staggering amount of energy. Replacing them with energy-efficient versions result in major savings on your bills. The higher the rating, the better. If you can afford A-rated appliances, that’s fantastic. However, even minor upgrades can make a big difference. Some estimates suggest that in the UK, swapping an F-rated fridge for a C-rated one can save you £40 a year.
8) Install solar panels
If you’re serious about sustainable holiday rentals, then solar panels are the way to go. Yes, there’s an initial outlay involved — but this is an investment that can really help you over time. In fact, properties with solar panels see their electricity bills reduced by 50 to 70%. That means that solar panels make a huge difference year-on-year.
Even if you don’t plan to rent out your holiday flat forever, and you’d like to sell it at some point, solar panels make sense. Research suggests that they can add up to 14% to the value of your property.
9) Put in a heat pump
Like solar panels, a heat pump is a serious investment that can save a lot of money over time. Research shows that a heat pump can reduce heating and cooling bills by between 20% and 40%. They also see lower maintenance fees, making them a great choice if you want to improve both sustainability and profit.
Heat pumps are a particularly good idea if you have an old gas boiler with a low energy rating. Yes, you’ll need to spend money installing the pump, but you’ll see immediate results in your monthly bills.
10) Partner with local green companies
One of the best things about a sustainable holiday rental is the type of guests you can attract. After spending money improving your home’s sustainability, it’s time to advertise – and make sure that you focus on your green credentials. Write about your eco-friendly philosophy in your listings on holiday rental websites, and you’ll be able to charge premium prices to attract environmentally-conscious guests.
To really improve profits, look for partnerships and deals with local companies. Think about restaurants that offer sustainable local food, green-conscious tours and so on. Consider rebranding your entire holiday rental to focus on sustainability. Eco-conscious guests often have higher budgets and are willing to pay more if they can protect the planet, which means that sustainability can lead to huge profits for you.