Sealing draughts

Did you know that around 20 to 30 per cent of an uninsulated home’s heat can be lost through windows? It’s a good idea to go around the house and check for any draughts.

Fitted double-glazing can considerably reduce heat loss, resulting in increased comfort and savings, but it can also be quite expensive. A more cost-effective hack for sealing your windows and cat flaps is DIY double glazing. Home improvements stores sell easy-to-install window insulator kits - a fairly simple way to seal any draughts shut, and keep the heat in.

Also, consider towel rolls: rolling up towels and placing them into curtain rail gaps has been tested to demonstrate having “a measurable effect.”

Timing your heaters

Heat pumps usually come with a timer, and electric heaters can be coupled with a cheap plug-in timer. By timing your heaters to turn on about an hour before you arrive home, and setting them to about 20 degrees, you’ll be walking into a cosy home, and maybe saving money too.

Fan and oil column duet

One of the key hacks we found was the fan-and-column duet: oil columns gradually heat up a room, but they tend to provide uneven heat distribution. According to Consumer NZ, placing a small table fan next to the heater circulates the heat more effectively and evenly around the room. The fan helps the column heater warm a room three times faster.

Reduce humidity

The average Kiwi family home produces up to eight litres of moisture per day from simply cooking and showering. And moisture may contribute to your heating and cooling systems working overtime to be able to make your home comfortable for you.

A few ways to help reduce humidity, and perhaps save on energy costs, are:

• Checking for any leaks or damaged pipes around the house
• Covering your pots and pans while cooking (this can reduce moisture levels by almost three litres a day)
• Opening your windows once a day, to keep the ventilation going frequently and let moisture escape.

Disclaimer: Please note that the content provided in this article is intended as an overview and as general information only. While care is taken to ensure accuracy and reliability, the information provided is subject to continuous change and may not reflect current developments or address your situation. Before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article, please use your discretion and seek independent guidance.

Link Financial Group Ltd trading as Mortgage Link and Insurance Link FSP 696731 holds a licence issued by the Financial Markets Authority to provide financial advice. Insurance Link (NZ) FSP 446867 is authorised by that licence to provide financial advice. Please visit www.insurancelink.co.nz/available-disclosure for more information and Disclosure information.