Sustainable Life: Winter-proof your living

Posted on 17 May, 2021

A cosy fireplace, a cup of hot tea and a good book are just perfect on Canberra’s cold evenings.

They warm both our hearts and bodies at a time when morning frost decorates our city and temperature dominates the conversation.

If you’re new to Canberra, the first winter is the almost always the hardest. A warm home is the only way to survive. So, crank up the heating and walk around in a T-shirt? Oh no! That wouldn’t work for our planet—or your heating bill.

For most people, heating makes up the largest portion of household energy use. Ironically, this makes heating the biggest global warming contributor from your activities at home.

The good news is that there’s plenty that you can do to stay warm in winter, reduce your energy use and love your planet—all at the same time.

Start with you

Yes, really. Start by keeping your body warm as your first heating choice. Clothing layers are your friend—especially those gorgeous merino wool leggings, singlets and tops.

Wear them always and underneath regular clothes. Put on a jumper, rather than the home heater. For every degree that you dial down on your heater, that’s about 10% off your total energy heating costs.

Another way to stay warm is to drink a cup of hot tea. Stay with me here, even if this sounds a little crazy. Patagonia, in the far south of South America, is absolutely freezing in the wintertime.

Everyone there spends their day – yes, whole day – sipping enormous cups of mate, a type of herbal tea. Typically people carry it around with them, from home to work and back again.

Settling in to watch a movie on a cold night? Have a blanket or two handy in your living room and throw one over your knees if you start to get cold. Grab a hot water bottle or wheat bag to keep your toes warm.

Target your heating

Does the whole home need to be 20 degrees, including the guest wing and bedrooms? Only if you’ve got guests staying and only if you hang out in the bedroom.

Find a way to heat the space that you need, and not an inch more. You might need to install an extra door, or cover some of your heating vents. Be creative about the solutions in your home.

Get the timing right for your heating. Have a warm house when you’re there and switch off the heating when you don’t need it. Most central heating can be programmed.

Some electric bar heaters have a built-in timer and for those that don’t, you can purchase a separate timer for your heater’s electricity plug.

These days you can even purchase a smart power socket that lets you monitor power usage in real time and turn on and off appliances remotely using an app on your smartphone.

Keep your heat inside your home

Insulation is the key—in the roof, the walls and below your floor. In Canada and northern European homes are routinely insulated. Unfortunately for Canberra, true heavy-duty insulation is a new phenomenon.

Next on the hit list are cracks and poor sealing doors that create currents of cold air. Want to know if this is a problem for you? Gently move your hand along the seal around your doors and windows to feel for that cold air current. You might be surprised.

Sealing up cracks is simple and cheap. Lish Fejer’s Green it yourself online video guide explains just how to go about it.

Taking it one step at a time, you’ll be warm on Canberra’s frosty mornings and kind to the planet at the same time.