Winter is coming… Prepare your home.

REAL STORIES
13.05.23

Are you ready for the colder months?

 

Melbourne is notorious for its cold and long winters. In a challenging economy where we are all conscious of the rising cost of living, our Liveability Experts have provided some useful tips to save your bills from soaring and stay warm and cozy this winter.

1. Setting your temperature gauge

Did you know you know that increasing your heating by a degree can increase your bill by 10%!? Keeping the internal temperature in your house between 18-20 degrees not only keeps you at an ideal temperature but will save your budget from experiencing a winter blow out.

2. Open & unblock your heating vents

This may sound obvious, but rugs, furniture or even curtains can obstruct your airflow. It is also important to ensure that these vents are regularly cleaned to prevent dust from building up and blocking the heat.

3. Open your blinds on a sunny morning

If there is a sunny winter’s day, take advantage of the sun - open your blinds and let the rays naturally heat your space. If you have east facing rooms, it’s best to open these blinds as early as possible in the morning, just be sure you are equally as quick to close these blinds once the sun goes down to retain the warmth.

4. Switch your fan to winter mode

This is by far the most overlooked hack with not many people thinking that a fan in winter can aid in creating a warmer environment. We all know that heat rises so by setting your fan counterclockwise the fan will circulate warmer air and help push it down to where you can feel it.

5. Be weary of mould and mildew

Unfortunately dark and damp environments are the thriving hubs for mould and mildew, this is both harmful to your health, but can also cause significant damage to your home. Our Liveability Experts recommend that keeping the heating at 19 degrees can assist in reducing condensation build up around windows. The most common areas for build up to occur are in bathrooms and wardrobes. Our team recommends regular cleaning with your choice of bacteria cleaning agent as the best way to reduce the growth of mould and mildew. We also recommend placing moisture-absorbing agents in your wardrobe to help reduce the likelihood of growth developing in this area.

6. Styling

The addition of a floor rug or two is a great way to keep the toes warm in winter, especially if you’ve got timber, tiled or polished concreate floors. Switching up your light and summery bedding with a soft flannelette sheet and even a woolen underlay coupled with a warmer tog doona guarantees a comfortable sleep without having the heater going all night. For those pesky gaps under doors, why not keep the heat in with a door snake? It might come as a surprise to you, but those gaps under doors, if not sealed, are the equivalent of having a window open, which counteracts your heating being on.

Want to learn more of our handy hints?

Get in touch with one of our Liveability Experts, today.