I live in an old house, a really old house. There's parts of this house that we think are a 100 years old. We love the character of an older house, though it does come with its issues, and one of them is being energy efficient.
An old house has more ways for air to circulate and therefore means that if you are trying to stay warm in winter it will be a tough task.
We have gaps in our wooden floor, windows and under doors. So, what do you do about it?
Some things you can do to help if you live in an old house
- Add underfloor sarking/foil insulation to remove gaps. This will make sure that you are not losing heat through the floors in winter. No point paying for heating when it goes out the window or the gaps of the house instantly!
- Add insulation to the walls and ceiling (you might have to do this when you do up areas or add to the house)
- If you can replace windows that are not energy efficient with others that are. When we can we will add double glazed windows to make our house even more energy efficient.
- Better doors to allow no breeze to ruin the heat.
- Install draft stoppers on all doors to keep rooms warm - We have twin draught stoppers on our doors and door snakes to make sure we stay warm. You can pick up twin draught stoppers at Big W for $10.
- Install internal heating if that is something you can afford to do - add timers.
- Add solar panels to your house if you can. A worthy investment for your future and a positive impact on the environment.
- When you update your appliances ensure you are purchasing products with a high energy saving rating.
- Switch to more cost effective lights that will help you save on energy usage.
When the weather lets you, hang your clothes on the line to dry instead of the drying machine.
- In summer keeping blinds and windows closed while having fans on to circulate the air.
- Once the heat of the day is over during summer open up blinds and windows and cool off the warmer parts of the house.
- Turn off lights and seal off areas to ensure the living areas stay warm during the times you are there.
- Turn off heaters and other items to save on electricity when you are not home.
Be smart about your energy plan
Getting a good deal on your home energy is essential!
For a hassle-free option where you'll be able to sign-up to a plan that's completely tailored to your household usage needs - choose amaysim.
When applying for a quote, I selected a large household with gas and electricity. There are five people who live in my household and sometimes extra when we have guests staying over.
This is a great way to see the potential price of a future bill and help you make the right decision.
If you're currently looking to make the switch, you can see how much you can save with a free online energy quote.
Here are a few other reasons why I like amaysim:
- No lock-in contracts.
- amaysim's solar feed-in tariffs are some of the best in Australia.
- Pay on time discounts: Receive pay-on-time discounts that apply to both usage and supply charges!
- The discount rate you sign up won't expire - How good is this!
If you're moving to a new house amaysim can organise everything for you. Well not packing and unpacking all the boxes, but they can handle all your energy connection requirements.
Check out the timeline for connecting your utilities when moving homes and simply buzz amaysim to get everything sorted before your move-in date.
I hope you liked my tips to keep an older house warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Have you implemented any strategies that have helped keep your house warm/cool? Let us know what has worked so that we can help others to stay warm/cool and save money too!Sign up for my newsletter
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