10 Cheap & Easy Heating Tips
Here are some simple ways to be warmer this winter.
Keeping your home cosy need not break the bank. Here are our top 10 frugal tips for keeping warm this winter:
1. Wonder where all your heat’s going? Light a candle and trace around your window edges, doors and vents – but make sure your curtains are out of the way. When the smoke starts going sideways you’ve found a draught. Window sealant tape is a cheap way to keep in the heat.
2. Don’t neglect the timer on your heat pump. Set it to come on at about 20 degrees an hour before you come home. You’ll make considerable savings compared to blasting it at 23 degrees all evening.
3. If your electric heater lacks a timer, you can buy a plug-in timer from as little as $10 from most hardware stores – they look like power adapters but have a digital interface allowing you to set appliances to come on up to seven days in advance.
4. Ensure your curtains and blinds fit snugly against the window frame. We’ve found this is more important than the material they’re made from. Floor-length curtains are better than sill-length curtains, which aren’t much better than no curtains at all.
5. Our testing found fan-less heaters (like oil-column models) often result in uneven, layered heat distribution. To avoid cold feet and a hot head, place a small desktop fan on the ground beside the heater. We found it helped an oil-column heater warm a room 3 times as fast.
6. Double-glazing doesn’t need to cost the earth. In fact, you can pick up DIY window insulator kits for under $15 per frame. All you need to do is cut the film to size and use a hair dryer to shrink it onto the window.
7. If you’re not worried about aesthetics, there’s an even cheaper way to stop heat escaping through your windows. Bubble wrap is a great temporary option, especially on internal windows in seldom-used areas. Secure it to the pane using Blu-Tack or double-sided tape, and make sure it sits flush against the frame.
8. Cat flaps are a major source of draughts. To improve the seal around the frame, unscrew the whole assembly, clean the area where it’s in contact with the door, then screw it back in tightly. Then add a thin line of silicone sealant around the frame. If draughts persist, stick some light rubber insulation tape on both sides of the flap.
9. A rug is a great way to add another layer of insulation, especially if you’ve got wooden or concrete floors. Putting down a thick rug in living areas will help prevent heat loss through the floor, especially if there’s no underfloor insulation.
10. Use pot lids when cooking. This can reduce the amount of moisture released into the air by three litres per day.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
.
Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
-
85.2% Yes
-
13.5% No
-
1.2% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Newlands Resilience Group
Dear All,
Community Survey 2024
Introduction
Community resilience is having the resources, social capital, communication, and competence so the community can thrive. Disaster resilience is being ready, able to respond to, and able to recover from a disaster. A community is more likely to be disaster-resilient if it is community-resilient. A community can be resilient if a holistic and sustainable approach is taken to the well-being of its people. This survey will help inform community conversations to generate ideas to improve community resilience and wellbeing. The survey includes some basic disaster readiness questions. For more information, please visit the Newlands website newlandsnz.weebly.com...
How, When and Who
This survey can be completed online either in private or in a group and for example at home, a community gathering or a neighbor’s house etc. The survey is anonymous, and confidential and does not record any personal data of the respondents. The Aotearoa Community Resilience Network charitable trust is the caretaker of the survey data. No other public or private organization or persons have ownership or access rights to the data.
Next steps
The data will be added to the responses from previous surveys here and the results will be shared with the community. This includes a series of community conversations from February to April 2025 to discuss the findings and agree on the steps to enhance Newland’s resilience and well-being. Please tick the last box in the survey, and include your email, if you are interested in knowing more about what we are trying to do.
Please click the below link and like us. We are trying to assist people from all walks of life in Paparangi, Bellevue, Woodridge and Newlands. Your response is vital for our project. We greatly appreciate your help.
Here is the link. You can copy and paste the link in your browser to like this.
www.facebook.com...
Loading…
