Airbnb just gave one good reason for hosts in Massachusetts to be energy-efficient.
The popular short-term homestay company recently announced it is now offering financial incentives to its energy-efficient hosts in partnership with Abode Energy Management.
Airbnb claims this offer is part of its efforts to encourage sustainability with its many Airbnb hosts.
Although the company has been struggling during the pandemic, Airbnb.org will partner up with Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) for the next few months.
Airbnb Energy Efficiency Program Grant Details
Airbnb hosts greatly vary from each other due to them owning different houses that suit their needs and possibly their guests via Airbnb. That also means that how they consume electricity also differs from one another.
As such, there will be Airbnb hosts that are more environmentally conscious than most and would install more eco-friendly features in their homes to leave a smaller carbon footprint and consume less electricity. Unfortunately, eco-friendly and energy-efficient furniture, appliances, and equipment can be expensive, and maintaining them could be even more.
To solve this, Airbnb partnered with Massachusetts-based Abode Energy Management to support hosts on their eco-friendly home improvement journey. Abode will match Airbnb hosts who wish to be eco-friendly and energy-efficient with a Home Performance Contractor to schedule a no-cost Mass Save Home Energy Assessment, informing hosts on what upgrades they need to make to turn their homes into energy-efficient ones.
In addition to the assessment, Abode will work with hosts to address their questions and discuss financing options to meet their individual needs while they turn their home into an energy-efficient one. To make the upgrades affordable, Abode will help Airbnb hosts access rebates p to $10,000 to convert to air-source heat pumps and additional rebates for weatherization upgrades, depending on eligibility.
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Last but not least is Airbnb's $2,500 grant that covers completed weatherization upgrades and air-source heat pump installations. These upgrades and installations would provide Airbnb hosts with lower heating and cooling costs and a more modern (and energy efficient) means to heat the air in a house.
Unfortunately, this grant will only be available to Airbnb hosts in Massachusetts since this is the first push of Airbnb's home energy efficiency program in the US, with the UK and France being the first to have it, per The Independent and Ethos. It is unknown if Airbnb plans to expand its program to other states in the US.
Airbnb's Goal With Its Energy Efficiency Program
Airbnb mentioned that nearly two-thirds of hosts in the US would use the money they make on Airbnb to cover the rising cost of living due to the ongoing economic recession and inflation. However, with the rising energy prices, doing so while having power in one's house will become more difficult.
As such, Airbnb's program intends to enable its Massachusetts Host community to have an alternative means to support themselves, and save money, per the company's head of sustainability, Ammet Konkar. The program will also let hosts use more of their earnings for essential costs rather than their energy bills while being eco-friendly simultaneously.
Case in point, a recent study from the US Energy Information Administration said that the typical Massachusetts home could reduce its annual carbon emissions by more than three metric tons just by switching from an oil or electric resistance system to a new, efficient heat pump.
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