Heat your home and reduce energy this iso period

HOUSEHOLD energy assessor, Dale Boucher commonly sees the same efficiency issues throughout older Ballarat homes.

While the city is in isolation, he said there are simple and cheap DIY improvements residents can work on, to reduce energy costs, and keep their house comfortable at all times of the year.

He said draft-proofing is often the cheapest and most effective project, keeping warmth inside during winter and lowering bills.

“Older houses commonly have gaps in external doors, windows, skirting boards, door and window architraves, wall vents, evaporative cooling vents, central heating vents and ceiling exhaust fans,” he said.

“You can spend a fortune heating your home and the conditioned air escapes through the gaps and cracks in your home.

“A draft-proofing program should be carried out in all rooms and any gaps can be taped, sealed or repaired. $200 worth of draft-proofing will definitely make your home warmer in winter.”

At any hardware stores, tape seals, rubber seals and under-door seals for external doors are easily accessible.

Caulking guns, with gap-filler to seal cracks and gaps in skirting boards and architraves are available, alongside ceiling exhaust fan covers, and even covers for wall vents in homes with un-flued gas heaters.

Mr Boucher said homes across this region require adequate insulation in the ceiling, walls and underfloor, if the floor is suspended.

“Ceiling insulation is the easiest to inspect. Homeowners need to check that the insulation cover is complete, and there are no gaps in the insulation.

“We often say that 10 per cent of gaps in ceiling insulation will result in a 50 per cent loss of performance,” he said.

“Insulation gaps can be repaired by purchasing a bag of top-up insulation from your local hardware store and patching the gaps.”

Ceiling insulation can improve with a second layer of fibreglass or polyester batts over existing insulation.

“This can double or triple the R-value of your ceiling insulation,” Mr Boucher said.

Window performance can also improve. The Australian Window Association estimates up to 49 per cent of heating energy can be lost, or 87 per cent of heat can be gained, through windows in winter or summer.

“In the Ballarat region, all windows require coverings, with heavy drapes and pelmets providing the best insulation, and honeycomb blinds a good alternative.

“A cheap way to improve window performance is by installing bubble wrap to the inside of a window,” Mr Boucher said.

“The bubble wrap acts like double glazing and will reduce heat loss in winter. Most single-glazed windows can be retrofitted to double glazed windows, but this is significant cost.”

If you’ve always got a high energy bill, chances are your hot water system is the dominant culprit.

“Hot water costs can be reduced by wrapping the pipes from the tank to the kitchen, or bathroom, with pipe insulation, which can be purchased from your local hardware store.

“Another hot water energy saver is to reduce the temperature of your tank. Water stored in tanks needs to be 60 degrees to eliminate the risk of legionella,” Mr Boucher said.

For more information, visit boucherconsultancy.com.au.