Air conditioning in Auckland homes is an increasingly affordable and efficient way to keep the place cool in summer and warm in winter. Now that the colder months are approaching, it’s heating that is becoming top of mind so here are some other low-cost ways to keep things cosy and comfortable in your home.
- It’s amazing what you can learn with the help of a humble candle. Light a candle and trace it around the edges of your windows, doors and vents but at all times, ensure your drapes are out of the way. When the smoke starts to go sideways, you know that you have found a draught and that is where a lot of heat is escaping from. Products like window sealant tape and foam door frame strips are a very cheap way to retain heat.
- Learn how to use the timer on your heat pump. For example, if you set it to start at a temperature of 20 degrees an hour before you come home, you’ll make big savings compared to running it at 23 degrees all night.
- Make sure that curtains and blinds fit nicely against the window frame. This is often more important than the material they are made from.
- Floor-length curtains are better at retaining heat than sill-length curtains. Some research indicates that sill-length curtains are hardly more effective than no curtains at all.
- Double glazing might seem like an expensive undertaking but did you know you can buy DIY window insulator kits at your local hardware store? Not only are they cheap but they’re extremely efficient.
- And cheaper still, but maybe not so pleasing on the eye, is bubble wrap! This can be used as a temporary option over the winter months, especially on internal windows in areas that visitors won’t usually see. It’s simply a case of attaching it to the pane using Blu-Tack or double-sided tape. As long as it sits flush against the frame, bubble wrap will work extremely well.
- Did you know cat flaps are a prime source of draughts? If you’re the handy type, you can unscrew the assembly, clean the area where it comes into contact with the door, then screw it back in tightly. After that, a thin line of silicone sealant around the frame will make a big difference. If the draughts continue, some light rubber insulation tape on both sides of the flap should also work.
- Rugs are excellent at improving insulation, especially if you’ve got wooden or concrete floors. Using a thick rug in living areas will guard against heat loss through the floor, especially if there’s no underfloor insulation in your home.
- If you use pot lids when cooking, you can reduce the amount of moisture released into the air by three litres per day. Moisture and cooler weather do not mix – think of the mould and mildew they create as just one of the side-effects.
As you’ve just read, maintaining comfort levels in your home this winter doesn’t have to be a costly exercise. These simple, cheap tips just prove that effective home heating doesn’t have to be expensive at the same time.
