Cedar Management Group Blog
In today’s world “going green” seems to be a recurring theme in an effort to positively impact the environment. Homeowners Associations have begun to do all they can to stay environmentally friendly while at the same time cutting expenses in the process. Many homeowners associations have clubhouses where they hold meetings, enjoy work out facilities, and have movie nights. A simple way to reduce your energy bill and help the environment is by properly managing your clubhouse thermostats. In the summer months try raising your thermostats to 78 degrees or higher and in the winter try lowering your thermostats to 68 degrees or lower in an effort to reduce energy. Using programmable thermostats that automatically adjusts indoor temperature according to preset times can also help the community association stay environmentally friendly. These programmable thermostats will save you a lot of energy and are great for clubhouses whose occupancy varies depending on the season.
Switching light bulbs in the community from standard incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs is another great way to positively impact the environment. Compact Fluorescent bulbs are really energy efficient, cheap, and they last on average about seven years. These fluorescent light bulbs typically use about 2/3 less energy than the old standard incandescent bulbs and they provide the same amount of lighting. Compact fluorescent light bulbs do not give off as much heat as the standard bulb which in turn reduces the energy cost you would use to cool the clubhouse.
HOA’s can also work with the community landscapers to make sure they use environmentally-safe organic weed controls and fertilizers. Most townhome and condo community associations have pest control contracts where vendors come out to spray and treat pests. By utilizing Integrated Pest Management community associations can communicate to the pest company only to come out and treat when pests are reported as oppose to randomly spraying chemicals around the buildings throughout the year.
Composting is one of the most environmentally friendly practices an HOA can use to impact the community. The HOA can have a compost site where residents can come to deposit their organic household and yard waste, and over time it will turn into reusable composted soil.
All the ideas above are great ways to keep your community green and safe for the environment. Community associations can utilize these examples and pull together in an effort to be a little kinder to mother earth!
