Warming up your home during the colder months often means turning the heater on. For some, it’s a bit of a struggle to find the perfect middle ground between beating the chill and an energy bill that doesn’t blow the bank. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Below we’ve listed six energy-efficient ways to help you heat your home this winter.

Insulate your home

Heating and cooling accounts for 40% of household energy use, making it the largest energy user in the average Australian home, according to Your Home. If you don’t already have insulation throughout your home, insulating the floors, walls and ceilings can make a massive difference to the internal temperature.

Utilise natural resources

Using a natural resource like the sun can also come in handy. During the day, open your curtains to allow the warmth of the sun’s rays to enter your home. As soon as the sun starts the set, close all your curtains and use them as another form of insulation to prevent the heat from escaping and the cold from creeping in. 

Allow air to circulate

Sitting directly in front of the heater or situating a chair or couch in front of the fireplace might instantly warm your body, but what about warming the house? Placing any item in front of a heat source will actually take heating an area up much longer. This is because the item absorbs the warmth and takes it away from circulating around the room. Keep all furniture away from the heat source, allowing the warm air to flow freely. To make your heating even more efficient, close the windows and doors of the rooms that aren’t being used, that way only the rooms that are being used are being heated.

Seal cold spots 

The edges of doors and windows are usually the main culprits of cold spots in homes. Find these areas and stop them in their tracks by sealing them up. The source of the cold spot will depend on the type of material you use to seal it. For example, if there’s a draught coming through a small crack in a wooden window frame a silicone sealant can be used to patch up the area. If there’s a breeze coming through the seal of a sliding door then weather seal tape or roller door seals may combat the problem. There are many inexpensive ways to block cold air from creeping into your home and most of the products you'll need to do this can be picked up at your local hardware store.

Block out draughts

Invest in a double sided draught stopperto stop cold draughts coming through the bottom of doors at main entry ways. You’ll notice it makes a difference in keeping the warmth in and the cold out.

Rug up

If you have hard floors, such as tiles or floorboards, start rugging up. Create a barricade between your cold floors and feet by covering them with rugs – the thicker the rug the better! This will reduce the amount of heat needed to keep you warm in a room and create a soft and cosy barrier between your feet and the floor.

This content is intended to be general in nature and is not financial or professional advice. We recommend you obtain independent professional advice relevant to your circumstances, before making any financial or commercial decisions.