How to stay warm for free

AN energy efficiency and sustainability advocate is doubling her delivery of a free workshop on how to cheaply stay warm over winter.

Following a recent session this week at Wendouree Neighbourhood House, Ellen Burns will be repeating the Smart Living Ballarat event this Wednesday at the Sebastopol Library.

Having delivered the workshop for the past three years, Ms Burns said it’s being doubled due to popular demand.

“Every time I run it, people are always asking me when am I running it again,” she said. “It’s normally held once each year.

“There’s a huge demand for tips on how to stay warm over winter specifically for renters.

“People who own their own homes can do things like boost insulation and more serious long-term fixes but a lot of people don’t have that ability or the budget.

“What I try to do is focus on showing people things that are free often with things they already have in their own home or can take out before summer.”

Ms Burns has long been a key figure in BREAZE’s Smart Living initiative, and was named a Ballarat Circular Economy Champion in 2022.

She said the workshop has been tailor-made specifically to suit renters.

“The first year I ran it, it mainly consisted of tips from local home efficiency expert Dale Boucher and it was focused much more on tips for homeowners,” she said.

“Personally, I don’t own my home. When I was looking through his presentation, I realised I couldn’t do many of the things he suggested like double glazing windows and improving insulation.

“The first time I ran the workshop I added free tips on the end of it and the feedback was people wanted more free and renter-friendly tips so last year I made the session solely about that.”

For those who miss out on the in-person workshop from 12.30pm to 1.30pm, the event will be livestreamed via the Smart Living Ballarat Facebook page where the recording will be posted afterwards.