To address the challenge of incentivizing landlords to make energy efficiency improvements to their rental units, the city of Ann Arbor is currently working to pass a Green Rental Housing ordinance, which will require all rental units to meet a minimum energy efficiency. To support the rollout of this ordinance, the city is developing a resource hub for renters and landlords. CLC Fellow Natalie Britton worked to develop renter-oriented materials for this hub with two major goals in mind, as informed by the results of an 8-month long community task force conducted by Ann Arbor in fall 2022: 1) educate renters on energy-saving behaviors, and 2) provide resources for renters who want to do basic weatherization themselves or in partnership with their landlords. The toolkit contains a series of “how-to” flyers describing ways to save energy with limited autonomy over a home, as well as tips on how to distribute the flyers effectively through strategies like peer-to-peer engagement.

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Project team: Natalie Britton (Fellow), University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability; Zach Waas Smith, Joe Lange, and Carissa Ebling (Mentors), City of Ann Arbor; Jason Duvall (Technical Advisor), University of Michigan Program in the Environment
• Project Presentation (PDF)
• Project Deliverable: Toolkit to Support Renter Energy Conservation and Weatherization (PDF)