Tag: insulation

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Stylish window furnishings that will warm your home this winter

We all know that beautiful window furnishings can completely change the look and feel of any room, creating atmosphere and adding another textural layer to your interior palette. What many people don’t consider is just how much of a difference blinds and curtains can make to the thermal properties of your home.

“Putting the right blind into your home reduces the cost of having your heater running at full capacity in the winter months and vice versa in the summer,” explains Matthew Walsh, managing director of Tuiss Blinds Online. “This changes the look and feel of your home while still maintaining the energy efficiency, giving you the best of both worlds.” 

It’s definitely worthwhile looking into which types of blinds and curtains will make a difference to your energy bill. Here are some of the best options for keeping warm in winter: 

V&A William Morris Acanthus Celedon Curtain

Blockout curtains 

Did you know that curtains with a blockout lining provide the best thermal insulation out of all window furnishings on the market? They provide a huge benefit all year around, offering complete privacy, total light control and energy savings in both winter and summer. On those cold winter nights, think of them like a big warm blanket on your windows, making sure your entire home stays toasty and warm. With so many different colours and prints to choose from, you can choose to have your curtains be a subtle feature in the space, or be the absolute hero with a fabulous designer fabric to make a statement. 

V&A William Morris Acanthus Velvet Forest roman blind

Blockout blinds 

Opting for blockout lining on your blinds not only keeps the sun from interrupting your sleep-ins on the weekend, but the lining provides a great barrier to keep the chilly winter air out, and the warm interior air in. Again, this works in reverse over summer to keep your home nice and cool.

Honeycomb blinds 

For an innovative solution, you can opt for Tuiss Blinds’ blockout honeycomb collection. The blinds are made of rows of hexagonal, aluminium-lined pockets which trap heat inside. This ensures your heater doesn’t have to work overtime to keep you nice and cosy, saving on energy bills and potentially repair costs. They can also help muffle sound, which is a great bonus if you live on a busy road. 

Shade IT outdoor window blinds in modern grey

Outdoor blinds 

We often think of outdoor blinds in the summer months to keep the heat out of our homes, but they offer an additional layer of thermal protection in the winter. Open weave designs still offer a view to the outdoors while providing privacy and sunlight protection.

Ecanto curtains

Layering 

Think of it this way, just as you layer up your clothing on those cold days to stay nice and cosy, you can layer up your blinds and curtains too! Just because you’ve opted for a blockout roman blind or a honeycomb blind doesn’t mean you need to miss out on the soft dreamy look of curtains. A popular trend we’re seeing is installing a sheer curtain over the top of a blockout blind, giving you the ultimate flexibility when it comes to both thermal insulation and light control. Add an outdoor blind to this combo and you’ve got all bases covered!

For more information.

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Appliances Expert Tips

How to keep your home warm this winter

By Marcus Lim

With the temperatures dropping and the chill settling in, it’s clear that winter is certainly upon us. If you feel like it’s torture to leave the warm sanctuary of your bed, it might be time to look at how you can make your home nice and toasty.

While many homeowners devote a large amount of energy and money into heating their dwelling during winter, it needn’t mean emptying your wallet for extra comfort. Making sure you have a draft-proof structure, smart furniture placement and good insulation will keep your home protected against the cold and save you money in the process. Try these simple home heating tips to escape the freeze this winter.

1. Safeguard your home

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Water-proofing is a simple and preemptive exercise that will allow you to guard your home against erratic weather whilst keeping the cold air out. Beforehand make sure you check all your doors and windows for any spots that may be leaking cold air. Then proceed to seal them.

There are a few different ways you can do this. Caulking works by closing the seams between pipes, wedging material between boards and creating a watertight seal. Weather stripping blocks cold air by filling in empty spaces with expanding foam or felt strips. Before applying any weather stripping, make sure you measure the size of your frame and add in some margin. This is in case of mistakes.

2. Add insulation material

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The prime time to insulate is when you’re building or renovating. That being said, if you’re just plain cold, it will drive up the temperature of your home in the winter months. Insulation works by reducing heat transfer and minimising the energy required to keep the temperature balanced in your home. Good insulation can cut your heating costs almost in half while cutting down CO2 emissions.

The best type of insulation for your house will depend on your home’s design, location and climate. When choosing insulation material, check it’s ‘R-value’ rating, which will be an accurate indication of how the material performs.

3. Make your interior heat friendly

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Furniture placement can play a huge role in the retention of heat. To increase the warmth in your space, rearrange your furniture to avoid and deflect any cold drafts. Make sure your furniture isn’t blocking warm air vents and similarly position heaters away from the main doorway, as it will fend off any drafts.

Consider adding thick curtains to your house, as they are an inexpensive and an energy-efficient way to prevent heat loss during the winter season. Keeping the curtains closed and the blinds lowered during the night will also help to prevent heat loss. Try adding some rugs to the rooms in your house as well, this will add an extra layer of insulation. To complement your home heating makeover, reverse the spin of your ceiling fan so it moves clockwise and pushes rising air back downwards.

4. Go outside

Winter shouldn’t deter you from enjoying your outdoor space, like your patio or backyard. Entertain your friends and keep them warm with the help of patio heaters or table top heaters. For extra luxury, think about investing in an outdoor fireplace to add warmth and decorative style to your outdoor space.

5. Consider size

If you still want to invest in heating, first think about the size of the room. Choosing the right sized heater for your space will save your home energy and money. For example in a small room, a convective heater will be most effective because it disperses warm air across the room with an internal fan. As a contrast, gas heaters would be better suited to large rooms because they increase the air temperature quickly.

— Marcus Lim is the co-founder of Oneflare.com.au, a local services marketplace that connects Australians with more than 60,000 businesses across the country.

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Design Outdoor & Exteriors RENO ADDICT

6 great upgrades to make your home more energy-efficient

Upgrading your home to be more energy-efficient is in your best interest. By adding solutions geared at conserving energy, you’ll not only be protecting the environment, you’ll be saving lots of money in the long run. In contrast to conventional homes, energy-efficient ones limit unnecessary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, conserve energy and reduce the demand for non-renewable resources. All in all, it’s worth making your home energy-efficient! Here are six smart tips to help you do it.

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  1. Replace your windows

If your windows are old, consider replacing them with energy-efficient alternatives or improve their efficiency with weather-stripping and storm windows. In general, replacing windows just to save energy isn’t that cost-effective – one source claims that it saves you 7-to-24% off your heating or air-conditioning bills. That is, unless your windows are large and single-glazed. Otherwise, it’s good to consider energy-efficient options once you’re replacing your windows for other reasons as well – that’s when the change becomes cost-effective.

  1. Insulate your home

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Proper insulation is key to saving energy. Without it, you risk letting out a lot of your heat during the cold winter months – and we all know that heating bills are high. Make sure to have good insulation – blown-in insulation for your walls or weather-stripping. Remember that the expertise of the contractor is more important than the insulating material you use – it’s the installation that matters most here.

  1. Think about solar panels

Solar panels are costly, but they’re a great investment. You can easily have them installed on your rooftop and enjoy reduced electricity bills by producing your own electricity. Even if the initial price seems quite high, solar panels are cost-effective. Still, they’re not such a popular solution in many regions of the world – but it’s very likely that this will change in the near future.

  1. Choose your appliances wisely

If you’re about to get some new appliances for your home, look for those with the HE logo. Certified appliances use less energy, and while they will cost you a bit more, they’re simply a smart investment. You’ll be running them very often, if not all day long, so expect to save on your electricity bills over time. Even when choosing energy-efficient appliances, it’s a good idea to limit their use. Avoid overusing your heater during winter, keep your thermostat at a certain level instead of changing it all the time and turn some appliances off when you’re not using them.

  1. Use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs)

lightbulb

Instead of incandescence light bulbs, go for the energy-efficient alternatives. If you settle for the old style of light bulbs expect to use much more energy than you have to. Sure, the CFLs are more expensive, but in the end they’ll help you save money on your electricity bill. Also, they last 12 times longer than regular light bulbs.

  1. Revamp your garden

Smart landscaping can be of great help in making your home more energy-efficient. By planting trees, you’ll protect your home from intense sun during the summer and during winter, your trees will act as a smart remedy against cold winds, helping you to conserve all the heat generated in your home.

Making your home energy-efficient is simply worth it – you’ll protect the environment, reduce your carbon footprint and enjoy innovative energy solutions that will only add value to your property.

— Lori Gardner is an experienced property advisor at Performance Property where she helps customers find and purchase the home of their dreams. 

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RENO ADDICT

Free help for Victorians to plan energy efficient renovations

With more than half of Australian homeowners planning to renovate in the next four years, it has never been more important to put energy efficient renovating on the map. Yet while installing energy efficiency measures in your home can improve year-round comfort, save you money and add value to your home, there is still very little practical information available to help renovators go beyond minimum building standards. Well, until now!

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Sustainability Victoria’s new Smarter Renovations program is an online planning resource that provides home renovators with interactive tools, information and independent advice on how to improve and maximise the energy efficiency of any home or size of project.

Features include: the Smarter Renovations Planner that calculates accurate cost savings that can be achieved by making energy efficiency improvements; Your Guide to a Smarter Renovation, a consumer guide with practical advice on how to incorporate energy efficiency improvements during a home renovation; a series of Renovation Profiles, detailing the experiences of several individuals during their home renovation projects; and the latest evidence-based energy efficiency solutions, from efficient lighting to dressing the windows, draught-proofing and improving insulation.

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The Smarter Renovations Planner in particular is a tool worth using. Accurately calculating the cost saving that can be achieved by making different energy efficiency improvements such as improving insulation, windows or lighting, draught-proofing and upgrading appliances. It works by assessing the type of house, current energy needs and use, together with the renovation work being planned.

To try these tools for yourself, visit Smarter Renovations here.