Staying Warm for Less
Brace yourself. Severe weather is on its way for parts of the country and experts predict at least two days of icy temperatures, howling gales and torrential rain. Get the temperature up while keeping your power use down.
Our energy-saving tips will help reduce your overall electricity consumption, meaning you won’t feel guilty for having a toasty home.
1. Don’t fear the electric blanket: they cost little to run (just over $10 per winter if used every night), especially compared to electric heaters. But only sleep with it on if it has a delay timer that can switch it off after a few hours. And it’s important not to neglect heating your bedroom – the World Health Organization recommends keeping bedrooms at 16°C.
2. Break out the crock pot: running a slow cooker all day uses a third of the electricity compared with cooking a roast in an electric oven for two hours.
3. Check your heat pump filter: it needs vacuuming every three months. The good news is it’s easy – just slide the cover off the front of your heat pump, lift out the filter and hoover away. If you haven’t cleaned it all year, you’ll immediately notice the difference. You don’t need to pay for a pricey heat pump service to get this sussed.
4. Clean your clothes dryer’s lint filter: don’t put your vacuum cleaner away just yet. Remove your clothes dryer’s lint filter, then give it a lux as well. This can significantly improve your dryer’s energy efficiency, thereby reducing its running costs.
5. Draught-proof your home: are your door hinges loose or your window latches rattly? Grab a screwdriver and tighten them up. This reduces the chance of nasty draughts blowing through your home. If that doesn’t work, buy some vinyl strips that adhere to the insides of the window frames to achieve a better seal between the window and the frame.
6. Cheapo double-glazing: you don’t have to be made of money to improve the heat retention of your windows - DIY window film, which fits across your frame and sits a little off the pane, can cost less than $10 per pane. You simply fit it to the frame to create an insulating layer of air between your room and the cold glass. Alternatively, taping bubble wrap to the window frames will achieve the same effect.
7. Light smarter: switch from your old incandescent, halogen or compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs to LEDs. They use far less energy and last much longer.
8. Check your power deal: visit Powerswitch.org.nz to see if you could be getting a better deal for power elsewhere. If you’re on a spot-based tariff, consider switching for the winter to avoid the high spot prices currently experienced on cold winter evenings.
9. Shower smarter: grab a 10L bucket, chuck it under your shower and start timing. If it fills in less than a minute, your showerhead is a water-waster. You can snag a low-flow, energy-efficient showerhead for less than $100.
10. Revisit your childhood with a wheat bag or hot water bottle: it costs next to nothing to fill a hot water bottle or heat a wheat bag, and they’re a great way to keep the bed warm in a pinch.
Poll: Are quality products on the decline?
Gift-giving looks a lot different these days when you can pick up super-cheap goods made overseas. But do they last?
Do you have any old items like appliances, electronics or clothing that have stood the test of time? Share below!
-
91.9% Yes
-
7.2% No
-
0.9% Other - I'll share below
Kmart duvet recall
Kmart will be recalling a number of their Anko duvet sets.
What you need to know:
- The recall is involving Christmas-themed duvets: Mrs & Mrs Claus Reversible Queen Size Bed Quilt Cover Set and Christmas Elf Reversible Single Bed Quilt Cover Set
- A recall of the products began in Australia following health concerns from several families.
- One woman said she thought she was having a heart attack after using one of the products which smelt of diesel.
- One customer said she’d purchased the quilt covers and said they smelled like gas. Another mum said hers did not have that smell but claimed her son developed a rash that only went away when he stopped using the product.
- The product is no longer available for purchase on the Kmart website.
Regardless of whether you have experienced an issue, customers who have purchased this item may return the product to store for a refund.
Puzzle Pros of the Neighbourhood, Assemble!
What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Loading…
