Warm yourselves -
not the planet!

Trap the sun and keep out the wind.

  • Let as much sunshine in your windows as possible, and shut the curtains in the late afternoon to trap that heat in.
  • Check out all your vents. If you have evaporative cooling vents close them for the winter season or place a pillowslip filled with polystyrene balls or similar over the vents.
  • Walk around the house with an incense stick to detect drafts.
  • If you find little gaps, Environment House has draft-stopping products for doors and windows.

Before you turn on heaters, make sure that:

  • everyone's dressed warmly,
  • rooms are draft-proofed and zoned off as much as possible
  • there are warm 'knee rugs' always handy
  • drinks are warm, not cold

Then if you feel you still need some artificial heat, you might only need to turn the heater on for 10 or 20 minutes to warm up the room.

Kids and heat

Unless your children are ill, they don't need heaters in bedrooms overnight in our Perth winters.

If normal winter rugs are not enough try putting the kids to bed in sleeping bags so you're not worried about them losing their blankets.

In the early morning dress children in beanies, extra jumpers, ugg boots, and encourage them to be active to generate their own heat. Much healthier than over-coddling them with artificial heat!

Remember

  • One Unit of energy will run an electric heater (2000W) for half an hour
  • One Unit of energy will run a small single room reverse cycle airconditioner for at least 2 hours(maybe 3.5 hours)
  • One Unit of energy will cook a pot of home made fresh soup (enough for 5 people for 2 days!)

Adapted from a blog post written by Brenda Conochie & Rob Gulley for Environment House  06/12/2013