Keep Your Home Warm and Your Costs Down

Is your home colder on the inside than on the outside?
Almost 60% of homes in Victoria have either no ceiling insulation or are under-insulated. These households feel cold and are missing out on bill savings of more than $400 per year on average.

Sealing draughts and gaps in your home will help keep warm air inside, and means that your heating system doesn’t have to keep working to keep the cold out.

Here are some tips from the experts behind Council’s REthink Nillumbik program – a series of fun, hands-on sustainability events, many of them at your local library!

Create zones for winter comfort

Some fixes are very simple.

Hanging a curtain in a doorway or opening can halve the space your appliances are trying to heat, saving you money and keeping you warmer in a smaller space.

Seal your ceiling vent when it’s not in use

Got a ceiling vent from an evaporative cooler? They are the third most impactful draught in a house, letting vast amounts of warm air escape from your home in winter.

Put covers over them after your last use in summer and leave them on until the following summer.

You can buy ready-made covers in clear or white, or use an inexpensive DIY solution like adhesive contact film cut to size. And if you're decommissioning your system and haven’t yet plastered the holes, you can simply use plywood and paint it white.

Too many windows making your home impossible to heat? You don't have to replace them all. 

This simple fix involves fitting a panel of rigid insulation board into the lower portion of the window frame, reducing the cold glass area while keeping the light coming in from above.

It costs very little, requires no tradesperson, is easy to buy from your local hardware store, and makes a real difference to comfort and heating costs. 

For more events, head to nillumbik.vic.gov.au/rethink

About REthink Nillumbik 
The REthink Nillumbik program is funded by Nillumbik Shire Council and supported by Edendale Community Environment Farm and NECAH (Nillumbik Environment and Climate Action Hub). The project is delivered by local organisation Going Green Solutions, a team of people passionate and experienced in sustainability, reducing carbon emissions and waste.