Efficiently warm your home

Reducing heat loss is an important part of keeping warm this winter.

When we think of winter warmth, two things probably come to mind—our personal comfort and our pockets.

It’s nice to be warm, but not so nice to receive high power bills.

There are some ways, however, to save money while heating your home.

REDUCE DRAUGHTS

Sealing gaps will provide gains for relatively little cost. Door frames can be draught sealed along the sides and across the top.

There are specially-made extruded foams and rubber strips that can be attached to the timber to provide a cushion for the door to close against.

To be effective, the curtains or shutters must fit snugly, trapping a layer of air between them and the glass.

THERMAL INSULATION

It’s easiest to insulate while floor, wall and roof framing are exposed. Don’t be afraid to add more than the minimum.

There is no better or more cost-effective opportunity to add extra value to your home than by increasing the amount of insulation while work is underway.

Insulating walls can be a specialised job and experts will need to be consulted. When renovating and removing linings or claddings, take care not to remove bracing and get building consent before you start. Insulation needs to be fitted tightly into spaces as any gaps will create thermal weak points.

HOTWATER HEATING

Modern hot water cylinder shave in-built thermal insulation to reduce heat loss.

A-grade cylinders give the best insulation. As a rule of thumb, if the cylinder feels warm to the touch, covering it with an insulating blanket will reduce heat loss. These are available at good hardware stores.

A considerable amount of water remains in the pipe after tap use and insulating hot water pipes also helps reduce heat loss.

If continually running out of hot water, the cylinder may be too small. A bigger cylinder set at a lower temperature will be more cost-effective in the long run.

So, the key factors to reducing heat loss include eliminating obvious draughts, adding as much thermal insulation as you can afford, then looking for the smaller gains with hot water use and minimising heat loss.

Winter heating, family needs and periods of illness will all demand more power for heating.

To meet these, it pays to plan early. It’s all a question of balance. Spending enough to be comfortable and saving enough to be happy.