Australian homes have a bad reputation for being cold in winter. But it's not all gloom and doom. The ABC'S climate reporter Jess Davis has been out and about in one of Australia's frostiest cities to learn about the simple fixes you can make around the home to keep the heat in.
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00:00I'm here in Ballarat with Laney, who's just bought a new house, and Dale, an energy assessor.
00:06He's going to take us through and show us where the house is cold and how to heat it
00:10up.
00:11It's like a traditional sort of front-minus cottage.
00:15So what are you expecting from the energy assessment?
00:18Lots of good tips.
00:20The first thing Dale does is analyse the house's thermal envelope, looking for places where
00:25heat is escaping.
00:27I can see that there is no wall insulation, there's no underfloor insulation, there's
00:33limited insulation in the ceiling, there are lots of draughts throughout the house, and
00:38the glazing and the window coverings are really quite poor.
00:43This is actually quite normal for Australia.
00:46In Victoria, the average star rating through the Scorecard program is only three stars
00:52out of ten.
00:53But there's plenty Laney can do to improve that rating.
00:56Insulation is one of the most important ways to keep houses warm in winter.
01:01They've put a good cover of polyester batts over the top.
01:05They do need a little bit of rearranging.
01:07If we can get them arranged, there's no need to do any further upgrades.
01:13Another huge pain point for Australian houses in winter, windows.
01:17So you can see with these windows in the kitchen, there is no window covering whatsoever.
01:23So the heat loss coming out of these windows is going to be really high.
01:28Double glazing can be an expensive solution for homeowners, and out of reach for renters.
01:33Bubble wrap can be a cheap and temporary option, and Laney can always invest in some blinds.
01:40The best type of window covering today is a blind called the honeycomb blind.
01:45They're double layered and they trap a layer of air inside the blind.
01:49Draft Hunter Dale says sealing up gaps around windows and doors
01:53is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to keep the heat in.
01:57Other places to find and fix gaps include old fireplaces, floorboards
02:02and crevices between window frames and the plasterboard.
02:06And the verdict on the best way for Laney to heat her home?
02:09Reverse cycle air conditioning is actually one third of the cost of heating a home compared to gas.
02:15With one caveat.
02:17Sometimes they get really, really clogged and then it dramatically reduces the heat output of the air conditioner.
02:25Whether you're renting or buying, there are some quick and relatively cheap steps you can take
02:29to stop your house from leaking so much heat.
02:32And investing in some of the more expensive retrofits could save you money long term,
02:36especially with the price of electricity right now.
02:39It'll make your home more comfortable and cheaper to run.
02:42And with households making up a quarter of Australia's energy consumption,
02:45it could also help to reduce emissions.