It seems that a lot of the big gains to be made in improving warmth, comfort and efficiency, come with a big price tag. But what about some of the small stuff?
There are a whole bunch of really cost effective ways to improve the performance of any home.
The other day, I picked up the following items from my local hardware shop:
The other day, I picked up the following items from my local hardware shop:
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs. These are a no-brainer these days. At $3.58, sure they’re still more than old style incandescent lights, but being about 80% more efficient and lasting a whole lot longer, they’ll pay for themselves very quickly.
Rubber draught strips. I’ve got some pretty wide gaps in some wooden door and window frames. Draught seal is super cheap and a must for any old home that leaks warm air out and lets cold draughts in.- ‘V-Seal’. This is great product for draught proofing and I’ve used it a lot in various homes. It’s long strip of plastic with fold along the centre. It has a strip of adhesive on one side. The main benefit is that if compresses into a very narrow space (about 1 mm), yet still springs out to reduce a draught of up to 5 or 8 mm. This overcomes of the issues with rubber draughts strips which often preven
t a door or window from closing at all once its installed because the material cant squash enough. - A length of clothes line. Most houses have a place somewhere, like under a carport, in a garage or even under a north facing eave, where you could string up a spare washing line. Most importantly, the chosen spot should be outside of the living space. Always avoid drying clothes in the same room that you’re trying to heat.
- Clothes pegs. I grabbed another set because I hate not having enough near to where the line is.
- Curtain hooks. We’ve got some legacy old curtain rails in the house we’ve moved into. We’ve also got a few curtains we brought with us from our previous home. Most hardware stores, or specialist curtain shops have a whole range of hooks, runnings and other fittings that can make mis-matched drapes and rails all work again. Windows (even the good ones) are essentially a big thermal hole in your wall, so having good thermal curtains in place is a must for a well performing home.
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