Free tips and tricks for staying warm, saving energy and surviving the cost of living crisis
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The Fix It Chicks are here to help with one easy Instagram account to solve all your woes.
Lish Fejer is a much-loved ABC radio personality with a strong science geek bent while Jenny Edwards is an energy efficiency expert and owner and director of the award-winning Light House Architecture & Science.
Together they are bringing the city a steady stream of free (or extremely cheap) and practical ways in which to keep Canberra houses warm in winter, cut down on energy costs and lead a more sustainable life through their Instagram account The Fixit Chicks @jenlishfixitchicks.
Jen and Lish simply don’t tolerate draughts…or any other energy waste.
The pair met while working at the Questacon Science Circus back in 1997, became firm friends, and have forged careers which focus on helping save the planet while making life in Canberra that little bit better.
The idea to launch a social media account with a focus on sustainability made perfect sense, but was a long time in the making.
According to Lish “After doing Carbon Cops (an eco-home-reno show on ABC TV) I felt that there was still so much work to do to help people save energy and live comfortably. I started making DIY videos to show how to do basic energy-saving improvements – I called it GIY: Green It Yourself. It’s just ticked along for years on YouTube and 15 years on, the videos on everything from worm-farming to draught-proofing to cheap double glazing have got millions of views.
“Jen was one of the original moderators of what’s now a mammoth Facebook (120K members) group ‘My Energy Efficient Electric Home’. She’s a brilliant writer and communicator but the busiest woman I know so in the interests of energy efficiency (both our own energy and that of the houses we live in) we thought there might be a more efficient way of delivering the information to an audience that mightn’t be in these groups. Many animated discussions centred around ‘We’ve really got to do something’ and turned into a quick post on the TheFixItChicks along the lines of ‘we’ve got stuff to say, let’s just say it and if people like it … we’ll keep talking’.”
Lish took the plunge in February and jumped on Instagram, challenging Jen to help her post. Jen says the reaction to the Instagram account has been great.
“Great unless you’re one of the blokes who already knows it all and thinks we’re idiots… or you’re one of the people who insists on washing clothes strictly segregated by type, colour or dirt level in hot water at one quarter of your machine’s capacity…”
Lish says The FixItChicks has clearly met a need.
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“It is Jen and I banging on about stuff we’re passionate about – energy efficiency, building science, sustainability, and DRAUGHT-PROOFING!!! As it turns out these are things that people are keen to learn about. We are chuffed that our banter about draught-proofing ya manhole (access-hatch), cooking three-course dinners on a toastie sandwich maker and the joys of insulating windows with bubble wrap resonates with people.
“We’re also loving the community that is growing around it. Between us and the FixItChick-munity there’s so much sharing of hints, tips, tricks and hacks. That’s the beauty of doing in on the socials. It’s like talk-back radio but with pictures!”
Their two different approaches also make for great viewing/content.
“Jen and I are the yin and yang of energy efficiency. She’s got all the expertise on smart, small, sustainable building, living and has long been a campaigner for this. She’s officially Australia’s Energy Efficiency Champion … you can’t argue with that. My forte is in behavioural change and simple tips and tricks to save energy and improve comfort on a day-to-day basis – some of them are rather unconventional. Both of us come from a place of science, experiments and general enthusiasm and desire to help people save money and still be comfortable. Some of the best posts have been the simplest – are you under-filling your washing machine, bubble-glazing: double glazing your windows with bubble-wrap and cooking eggs on your toasted sandwich maker to save time and money. Who knew!”
Jen says it is the ultimate feel-good social media account, helping people help conserve resources as well as saving money, and now more than 21,000 people have agreed (followed).
And she has three top suggestions for Canberrans battling cold weather.
“For me the mantra for many years has been: Draught seal. Insulate. Get off Gas. Soak up the winter sun and shade in summer.”
Lish is also all for draught-proofing but also says she is a big fan of heating the human before the home.
“Wear warm layers, get a great pair of woolly slippers, get a puffer jacket and if you’re sitting on the couch or working from home … you can’t beat an electric blanket or electric throw-rug. The cost next to nothing to run and you’ll be warm.”
