Winter Survival: 6 Cost-effective Hacks One Must Consider
Winter is a season of cozy blankets and coffees. However, winter can also be recalled for levelled up thermostats and running heaters all through the day.
These heating provisions make it a pretty costly time to live in, with the electricity bills at their highest for the year. Almost 5 of 8 Australian households receive the highest bills in winter. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you have to only survive on the heating blankets and hot showers. So, we bring you 6 hacks that can help you get through the winter without spending a fortune.
1. Consider installing a controlled thermostat
Install a thermostat that can be programmed for lesser power consumption when you’re out for work. This would help you save on energy, and can be programmed to heat your place just in time for you to get back home and relax.
Also, using the thermostat at a lower temperature and wearing warm clothes at home can make a huge difference in the overall electricity bill, even if it’s a single degree change.
2. Check on your appliances
Know how much electricity does a certain appliance require; this would help you understand what to use and when to use it. The more energy consumption equipment has, the lesser you should use it; only use those machines, if necessary. Your water heater, for example, maybe taking too much energy. If you have a tank-based water heater, consider installing an instant water heater.
They eat up lesser power, and that too, only when you’re using them. Moreover, instant water heating systems give you a continuous supply of hot water. You can browse some electrical shops or buy them here.
3. Zone Heating
Zone heating is the method where you heat different rooms of your home individually rather than heating the entire house. Using this method, you only warm up the specific parts of the house that absolutely need it, and the rest of your place would not use up any energy.
Also, since only a small part of the house has to be warmed up, the process is relatively quicker than heating the whole place. Furthermore, since every room receives sunlight differently and has its own unique dimensions, you can adjust the heat accordingly.
4. Seal up the windows
If your house has glass panes for windows, make sure that no cold winds are blowing into your home through leaks. To avoid this passage, you can cover the corners of your windows using a plastic film. These leakages usually happen in the case of old-fashioned windows. The plastic film will insulate the heat in your home and help you ensure that no heat escapes. This will pan out making the house warmer, and in turn leading to lower heating costs.
5. Make the best out of natural sunlight
One of the best hacks is using sunlight to warm up the house during the daytime. You could open those curtains up and let the sunlight come in. However, remember to close the doors and windows before it’s dusk. This would prevent your home from being starkly cold and save up on heating bills. You can also push furniture against your vents to prevent the heat from escaping.
6. Kitchen Tips
The kitchen is a vital part of the house that takes up electricity in several forms, be it for cooking or for refrigeration. Some kitchen hacks that you can try are keeping the kitchen door open to let the heat circulate in the house. You can also use the cold outside, use a cabinet to keep the stuff that needs to be cold, outside your home. For as long as it is cold, you can save up on the refrigerator power bill.
Winters can be an expensive time of the year. However, by using the above hacks and by being a little careful, you can enjoy quite a sustainable winter.