Winter Warming

How to have a warm and energy efficient home this winter.

Install insulation batts – Insulation batts installed in a typical home over a period of 40 years will save over 340 times the energy that was required to make the batts. Not only that, it will keep your house a few degrees warmer in winter, and cooler in summer.

2. Gas vs. Electric heating - Try to opt for energy efficient electric heating. Heaters where the energy from the electricity is “burnt” or used directly to produce the heat produce approx. 3.5 to 4 times as much carbon emissions as the same unit of heating produced with gas. However; there is a much more efficient way to deliver heating electrically by using reverse cycle air conditioners and heat pumps. Essentially, these devices use the electrical energy to move heat from one place to another as opposed to “burning” it to directly produce the heat.

3. Heating in winter accounts for almost 50% of energy costs. Keep your bills down by closing doors to unused rooms. This will keep the warmth in the areas that you spend the most time in.

4. Cover up those windows – A window loses 5 to 10 times more heat than the equivalent area of a wall. Floor length curtains are a very effective insulator against those cold winter days – they stop the warm air coming into contact with cold windows, and leaving you with a cosier room to sip some hot chocolate in.

5. Dress appropriately – reduce unnecessary harmful emissions by substituting gas/electric heating by rugging up. Get yourself a cute pair of slippers and a thick blanket to rug up. It makes no point to sit in the house with a t-shirt on and the heating up full. You will save money and the environment by throwing on an extra layer or two.

6. Consider your floor finishes – Typically tiles are the coldest of all floor finishes. Consider using floorboards or carpets (the warmest) to promote a warmer environment inside the home. If you don’t want to change your flooring completely, adding a large floor rug will help to reduce the coldness of tiles.