Rental, plan to buy...
 

My question is that, even though I plan to buy, the deal may fall through... is it worth doing some of the more simple upgrades to the home to conserve despite that I may have to leave them in place [padding someone else's wallet] if we can't buy the place?

I know about simple [cheap] things like insulating the water heater tank, shading windows in the summer, insulating the heater runs [high eff. nat gas forced air] etc... what are some other things I can do that are not likely to violate the owner's property rights [until we can determine whether or not I can buy the home]?

First of all you might be able to negotiate a deal with the landlord: You invest with your money, thereby increasing her/his property's value (by reducing its energy consumption), so s/he may deduct part of it from your rent. That's always better than nothing.

If it doesn't work out, then do it anyway. If you plan to stay there for longer than you'll feel the savings. In any case you are doing something useful for the Earth, someone else, and maybe yourself.

Agree. Ask the landlord to cover the cost of materials and deduct the cost from the rent. My land lord paid for only a little bit, and didn't cover everything. Simple things you can look at and replace could be door weather stripping, duct sealing and/or insulation (if not insulated), and possibly attic insulation. How much you do will depend on a number of factors:

1. How long are you going to stay there if you cannot purchase?
2. How much work does the house require? (ie. my rental house has 8+ inch of insulation in the attic already)
3. Will this work net a savings?

There are tons of small things you can do, CFLs, low flow aerators and shower heads, AIR SEALING. These all don't cost much at all (except time), and pay big dividends. Pretty much anything on our list has a pretty good roi, and most can even be done to rental properties as long as your landlord doesn't mind...

60+ Home Energy Saving Tips You can do Right Now - EcoRenovator