For our Community
Getting Climate Ready
Communities and households have a key roles to play:
Reduce carbon emissions
Understand local climate risks
Build resilience by connecting with neighbours
Support local businesses and second-hand options
Embrace the circular economy
Switch to renewable energy
Grow a garden for food and biodiversity
This page contains practical information to help households to increase their energy efficiency, reduce energy bills and transition away from fossil fuels.
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The household energy efficiency actions, in the section below ‘Around the Home’ are adapted from the Home Energy Audit Toolkit information sheets. HEAT kits provide practical tools and information to help householders conduct a simple home audit and discover easy ways to reduce their households energy costs. Check with your council to see if they have a HEAT that can be borrowed.
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Here are practical and cost effective suggestions for reducing electricity use in your home. Every household is different but the point is that by making relatively small changes you can maintain your lifestyle but save hundreds of dollars on your electricity bills.
Easy no-cost actions
Switch off! Turn off lights, TVs, heaters, radios and computers when they are not needed. It is easy to reduce electricity use by 1 to 2kWh per day, or more, saving $95 to $190 per year
Turn off at the power point all appliances that have remote controls if you are not using them (TVs, music systems, air conditioners, etc.). A typical house will save $8 to $12 per appliance per year. It all adds up.
Turn off at the power point any appliances with clocks if you do not need the clock. Each unnecessary clock costs you $5 or $8 per year in electricity.
Keep your refrigerator in as cool a spot as possible; make sure it is not in direct sunlight. Better positioning of your fridge or freezer could save $40 to $70 per year.
Make sure air can circulate behind and up the sides of your fridge or freezer. There should be a 3 to 5cm gap at the rear and 2 to 3cm each side. Poor ventilation can add up to $100 to annual electricity bills.
Wash small loads of dishes in the sink instead of the dishwasher. Use of a dishwasher every day costs $130 to $180 per year in electricity.
Keep doors closed leading to unheated parts of your house. Savings will vary from house to house.
Dry your clothes on the line instead of in the clothes dryer whenever possible. It costs roughly $1.20 in electricity to dry a load of clothes in the dryer.
Try taking shorter showers - aim for a 4 minute shower and save on both water and electricity.
Low-cost actions
Add extra insulation to your hot water cylinder. Extra insulation on a typical hot water cylinder can save up to $240 per year in electricity use.
Fit a water-efficient shower head. Reduced hot water use can save up to $130 per year in electricity for a family of 4.
When buying new appliances, buy those with the most stars (i.e. the most efficient models) and the lowest annual energy use. Often these do not cost any more than less efficient models.
Good window treatments such as heavy, lined curtains and pelmets or 'honeycomb' blinds are very effective in keeping heat in your rooms in winter.
Draught-proof your living areas by sealing gaps and draught-taping doors and windows. Block off unused chimneys.
Medium cost actions
If you have a wooden floor, install insulation under the floor. Improved comfort and reduced heating costs can be substantial.
If you have no ceiling insulation, or very little, consider insulating the roof space, or at the very least the space above the rooms in which you spend most time. Big energy savings and improved comfort are possible. If your home has some ceiling insulation, consider adding additional insulation to improve the home's thermal performance.
Consider double glazing for your windows. This can be quite expensive so seek professional advice on costs and potential savings
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Tasmanian households are increasingly embracing clean energy. Today, one in four homes has rooftop solar, and more than 1,500 households have added batteries to store their energy.
Installing solar and batteries can be a significant investment, and not every home is suitable due to factors like location and roof design. A great starting point for reliable information is the Australian Government’s Energy.gov.au website.
Here you’ll find guidance and details on rebates to help households improve energy efficiency, cut bills, and move away from fossil fuels. Key resources include:
Solar Consumer Guide – Step-by-step advice on designing and installing rooftop solar and batteries for homes and small businesses.
Cheaper Home Batteries Program – Offers 30% off the upfront cost of installing small-scale battery systems (5 kWh to 100 kWh) connected to new or existing solar PV systems.
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Australian Government’sHome | energy.gov.au: provides guidance and information on what households and small business can do to reduce their energy efficiency, reduce energy bills and transition away from fossil fuels. This includes information solar and batteries, electric vehicles, energy efficiency and grants and rebates available.
Tasmanian Governments Renewables, Climate and Futures Industries Tasmania: provides information on ways to reduce our carbon footprint, prepare for a changing climate and reduce our energy bills.
City of Launceston has a range of local programs and resources to help communities and households live more sustainably
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The following can help to get good energy efficiency with fridges and freezers which can contribute cost saving on energy bills.
The most energy efficient temperature range for a fridge is between 30C to 50C. If it is warmer than this it is not preserving your food as well as it should. If it is colder than this, it is using more energy for cooling than is necessary. To test place a thermometer in your fridge and leave it for at least 2 hours with the door closed (longer is fine). Remove the thermometer and read the temperature immediately. If it is outside the ideal range, adjust the fridge temperature controller; leave it for an hour and then check with the thermometer again. Repeat if necessary.
Do the same with your freezer, except for a freezer the temperature should be between -15oC to -18oC for optimum food storage and efficiency.
When putting cooked food into a fridge or freezer always let it cool to room temperature first. But do not leave it sitting at room temperature for long periods because bacteria may develop in the food.
Try not to open the door/lid too often. Door opening does not add much to your electricity use, but if done often, or if the door is left open for long periods, it will add to your bill.
Make sure there is some space between the back of the fridge/freezer and the wall (3 to 5cm) and both sides (2 to 3cm). This is important because it allows free movement of air to take away the heat given off by the outside of the fridge. Poor air circulation may double the electricity use of a fridge or freezer.
If you have a fridge that is just used for cooling drinks, turn it off when you are not regularly using it. Most fridges will cool drinks within 3 hours of being turned on again. If you can fit all your food into just one fridge or freezer, do so and turn the other one off until you need it again.
One of the biggest influences on a fridge or freezer electricity use is how warm the room is. Increasing room temperature by 5oC adds 30% to fridge energy use. So try to position fridges and freezers in cooler parts of the house (e.g. keep the freezer in an unheated laundry). Do not keep the kitchen heated overnight. Wherever possible do not have the fridge or freezer next to an oven or cook-top. Try to position the fridge/freezer so that it is out of direct sunlight.
The seal around the door or lid should be in good condition and clean. The seal at the bottom of the door is especially important because the cool air will drain out here. Bits of food or sticky liquids can collect at this bottom seal leaving little gaps for cold air to escape. If the rubber seal is cracked or torn it should be replaced.
If the fridge does not have auto defrost it should be defrosted as soon as ice starts to build up because ice is an insulator and prevents the fridge operating efficiently.
When buying a new fridge/freezer firstly decide how big it needs to be. Large fridges/freezers use more energy than smaller ones. When you decide on the size, check the Star Labels and look for a fridge with the maximum number of stars and the lowest energy use per year. A fridge using 300kWh per year will save you $80 in electricity costs each year compared to one using 600kWh per year (at present electricity prices)The following can help to get good energy efficiency with fridges and freezers which can contribute cost saving on energy bills.
AROUND THE HOME
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Cooking food is a very personal thing. This makes the task of reducing energy use when cooking more difficult. But some savings can be made. For example, if you prefer to fry certain foods rather than cooking them in a microwave, consider a bench-top electric frying pan which is more efficient than a frying pan on a stove
Electric cook-top There are several types of electric cook-tops (or hot plates). Electric hot plates are roughly 50% efficient since only about half the heat is transferred to the cooking pot. It is important to use cooking pots with clean, flat bases so they make good contact with the heating element. Even a tiny air gap 1mm wide will significantly lower the efficiency when using coil heating elements. The old-style solid cooking hot plates and the new halogen glass-top hot plates are slightly less efficient than the other types (metal coil and ceramic). Electric induction hot plates are the most efficient, but you can only use steel pots on them.
Gas cook-top Gas burners are less efficient than electric, but response is quick and reticulated gas is cheaper than electricity. If using gas burners it is very important to have, and use whenever cooking, a good exhaust hood to minimise indoor air pollution.
Electric ovens are rather inefficient cooking appliances because a lot of energy is needed to heat the oven itself and they are usually not very well insulated. So make good use of your oven by planning to cook a number of dishes at the same time.
Electric grills built into ovens or under cook-tops are inefficient. Only a small part of the heat is actually used to cook the food. The rest is wasted.
Bench-top oven/grill and electric frying pans Small bench-top ovens and grills are more efficient than their larger built-in cousins because their small size means less electricity is required to warm up the oven itself. Electric frying pans are one of the more efficient cooking options because the electricity directly heats the cooking surface.
Microwave ovens are popular because they are very quick. The microwave energy directly heats the food itself (i.e. energy is not wasted heating the container). However, the electricity must first be converted to microwave energy and this step is only about 70% efficient. Other electrical losses in the system make a microwave oven about 65% efficient. It is difficult to make direct comparisons with other types of cooking, but most commentators suggest microwave cooking is more efficient than using a conventional oven or cook-top. But small bench top ovens and grillers can have roughly the same efficiency as a microwave oven.
Electric jugs are very efficient appliance; more than 90% of the electricity used goes directly into heating the water in the jug. It is more efficient than using a kettle on a gas or electric cook top and more efficient than heating water in the microwave. But don’t waste electricity by heating more water than you are going to use for your tea, coffee or cooking. Some people have got in the habit of filling the jug every time they want just one cup of tea. This reduces the efficiency from 90% down to as little as 10% because much of the electricity has gone into heating a litre or more of water that will just be left to cool down before the jug is used again. Electric jugs need enough water in them to cover the heating element; otherwise they will quickly burn out. So when buying a new electric jug, always choose one that is designed to heat as little as a single cup of water and that clearly shows the water level.
Toasters are an efficient cooking appliance. It uses less energy than cooking toast under the grill. Toasters do not use any electricity when they are not toasting (i.e. no stand-by power) so they do not need to be switched off at the power point (but check yours with the Power Mate to make sure). They generally use less than 1000W when toasting and take 1 to 2 minutes to toast a slice of bread. A two-slice toaster will provide two slices of toast using less than 0.03 kWh of electricity which costs less than ½ cent.
Food processors, juicers, blenders and other handy kitchen gadgets used for chopping up or mixing food are only used for short periods, so, even though some of them have quite high power use, the total electrical energy (and cost) is very low over a full year.
Pressure cooker, crock pot/slow cooker Slow-cookers, crock pots and pressure cookers can be very efficient cooking appliances. The electricity does not have to heat a large oven, just the food and the food container.
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How to improve the efficiency of your dishwasher Some of the suggestions below will only apply to some households, but the more you can do the more electricity (and money) you will save.
Wait until the dishwasher is full before using it. It is far more efficient to wash one full load than two half loads.
If your dishwasher has an economy cycle, use this whenever it will give you a satisfactory wash (i.e. if you do not have cooked-on food on pots or bowls).
If you skip the drying part of the wash cycle by turning the dishwasher off at that point and allow the dishes to air-dry you will reduce electricity use considerably.
When buying a new dishwasher look for the Star Labels and pick one with the maximum number of stars and lowest kWh per year.
Washing dishes in the sink
Washing dishes by hand can save electricity if the amount of hot water used is not excessive. It is possible to wash and rinse a family’s dishes from a meal using 5 to 10 litres of hot water if washing is done in a small sink or bowl. This uses 0.25 to 0.5 kWh of electricity (for heating the water), far less than the energy used by a dishwasher in the example (c) above. Assuming 10 L per wash, the annual savings will be more than $80, if dishes are washed in the sink instead of the dishwasher most nights (say 6 nights each week). But if you use lots of hot water several times a day (e.g. by leaving the hot tap running to rinses dishes after washing) you might be better off using a dishwasher.
Many dishwashers have built-in heating elements that heat water for washing rather than drawing hot water from the household supply. There are two disadvantages to this design feature. One is that the dishwasher operates on the normal household electricity tariff so heating water is more expensive than using household supply which is heated using the cheaper hot water tariff or HydroHeat tariff. Secondly, if you have a solar hot water system this does not cut the costs of using the dishwasher.
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Not all these tips may apply to your household, but the more you can do the more electricity (and money) you will save.
Drying clothes
Whenever possible, dry your clothes on the clothes line. Each time you use your dryer it costs around $1.20 in electricity (at 2025 prices).
If you need to use the dryer because you want to wear some of the washed clothes straight away, put the clothes that are not so urgent on the clothes line.
If you need to use the dryer, make sure the clothes have been spun dry in the washing machine first. If your washing machine has different spin speeds, use the maximum speed.
Make sure the air filters on your dryer are cleaned regularly.
Switch the dryer off at the power point after use.
Washing clothes
Use a cold wash cycle wherever possible. Heating water uses a lot of energy, so if you are happy with the cold wash, use it all the time. A warm wash uses less energy than a hot wash.
It is more efficient to wash a full-load of clothes than two half-loads (but don’t over-load the washing machine). If you only have a small load, make sure the washing machine is put on the small-load setting (if the machine has one).
Where practical, use the economy wash cycle (if your machine has one).
Switch the machine off at the power point after use
Buying a new washer or dryer
Front-loading washing machines are generally more energy efficient than top loading models. They also use less water.
Always look at the Star Rating label, more stars means less energy and lower running costs and check the Energy Rating as well as the Star Rating, for the energy use per year.
Do not buy a larger washing machines or dryer than you need. Generally, larger appliances use more energy than smaller models
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Hot water tank insulation
All hot water tanks are insulated, but in most cases the insulation could be improved. Measure temperature in the top half of the tank with an infrared radiometer. If the infrared radiometer shows the surface of the tank is 1 to 2 degrees (or more) warmer than the nearest wall or the air temperature measured with the thermometer then the tank is losing heat because of poor insulation. See suggestions 2 and 3 for ways of improving the insulation of your hot water tank
Reducing hot water energy use
Fit a low-flow shower head. Have shorter showers – 4 minutes is a good goal. If your shower has a flow rate of 12 L/min, about two thirds of this will be hot water. The electricity to heat the water will cost around 5 cents per minute. If you use natural gas it will be around 4 cents per minute.
If your electric hot water cylinder is outside, you will save up to one third of your hot water electricity use by making a water-proof enclosure and adding extra insulation. You can save over $300 per year. The pipes from the tank should be insulated with pipe insulation (from your hardware store). If you do add insulation, make sure the pressure relief valve is not covered or obstructed in any way.
If your electric hot water cylinder is inside, you will also make good cost savings by wrapping extra insulation around the cylinder, taking care not to obstruct the pressure relief valve. Hot water cylinder insulation wraps are available.
If you have a gas hot water cylinder outside you will need to contact your gas dealer to see what insulation could be added. The cylinder must have adequate air supply and allow exhaust gases to escape safely. But insulating the hot water pipes is still a good idea.
When you go on holidays, turn the hot water switch off in your meter box (there will be a switch marked hot water). Remember to turn it back on as soon as you get back from holiday, it will take a couple of hours to warm up again.
A typical bath holds about 100L of water, a mix of hot and cold. Heating the hot water with electricity will cost around $1.60 cents (consuming about 5 to 6 kWh of electricity). Some larger baths will use more hot water and cost more. A bath uses more hot water than a short/medium shower.
A spa bath typically holds 350 L, but it also uses electricity to power the water jets. Some spa baths have heating elements to keep the water hot.
Check your hot water pressure relief valve – place a bucket underneath to capture drips – more than a few cups a day is a problem and the valve is faulty. Sometimes just releasing the valve helps stop the problem. If the problem persists, seek plumber advice.
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Computers
Desktop computers and screens use far more electricity than laptop computers. A desktop computer and screen may use between 100 and 200W when on. This is costing 5 to 8 cents per hour. If you have the computer programmed to use your photos as the screen saver, there is no reduction in electricity use while the photos are showing. If you are away from the computer for a long time, it is better to have the computer automatically move into ‘sleep’ mode. Better still, shut the computer down and turn it off at the power point. If a desktop computer is left on all the time and not in sleep mode, it will use around 900 to 1800 kWh per year, costing $235 to $390 per year.
Laptop and notebook computers use considerably less electricity but can still be a significant cost if left on all the time. Typical power use is 20 to 50W, costing around 1 to 5 cents per hour ($90 to $120 per year if on all the time).
To minimise electricity use and costs, always turn off computers and screens if they will not be used for several hours or more. To reduce electricity use when computers are not used for shorter periods activate the sleep mode rather than the screen saver mode.
Printers and scanners consume quite small amounts of electricity when actually printing or scanning (typically only 30 to 50 W) but they continue to use a small stand-by power load even when switched off at the printer or scanner. To save electricity they should be switched off at the power point when not in regular use.
Router and Modem Most households have a modem to link the computer to the internet and many also have a router to allow wireless connection to one or more computers. A modem and router will use 10 to 20W continuously. This uses 0.25 to 0.5 kWh per day costing 5 to 10 cents/day (around $20 to $40 per year). If the computers in the house are not in use the modem and router can be switched off at the power point resulting in modest savings over a full year
Telephones and Mobile Phones Conventional telephones do not use any household electricity. They draw the very small amount of electricity they need to operate from the telephone lines. But many homes have cordless phones, sometimes with multiple phones. The cordless phones sit on recharging units which each draw 2 to 3W. This is low power use, but it must be on all the time. With two cordless phones in a house, the electricity use per year will be around 44 kWh/y and cost around $10 per year. There is not much that can be done to reduce this electricity use other than not having more telephones in the house than you really need. Mobile phones require periodic recharging of the batteries. A typical power use when recharging is around 5W which costs just 0.1 cents per hour. So even if the phone is recharged for 4 hours twice a week for a whole year it costs less than 50 cents. But the phone charger itself draws a very small amount of electricity if left switched on at the power point when not used for charging. It is worth switching it off at the power point when not in use even though it adds less than $1 per year to your electricity bill.
Answering machines are another one of the low energy - but continuous use - type appliances. Some cordless telephone systems have answering machines built in. In other cases the answering machine is a separate piece of office equipment. Standalone answering machines typically use 3 to 5W, or about 25 to 45kWh/y ($5 to $10 per year).
Paper shredder Many homes and offices use paper shredders to improve security these days. When shredding, a small home paper shredder uses 150W to 400W. Use is intermittent, often only a few minutes a day. However, many shredders do use stand-by power so it is sensible to turn off at the power point when not in use. This is also recommended for safety reasons because serious injuries to small children who put their hands into the shredders are not uncommon.
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Stand-by power is the small amount of electricity used by many appliances that can be operated by remote controls. The television or stereo system must keep a small infrared receiver operating all the time so that it picks up the signal from the remote control. Many other electrical appliances have transformers in them to convert the mains voltage (nominally 240 volts) down to the 6 to 12 volts needed to run most electronics. When the appliance is switched off this transformer keeps using a small amount of electricity unless it is switched off at the power point.
Walk around your home and count the number of appliances plugged into power points that are never switched off. It is common to have at least 20, sometimes many more. If each of these uses 5W all the time (in practice some will probably use less than this and some more) the cost each year amounts to almost $300.
If you have several appliances plugged into one power point through a power-board (e.g. a TV, a video, a DVD player, a digital set-top box, etc.) you can use the Power-Mate to measure the combined stand-by power of all at one time. (Make sure the total power is not more than 2400W.) If you have things like a digital set-top box for your TV, a DVD player and a TV plugged in together it would not be unusual to find stand-by power use of 20 to 30W. If your power point is difficult to reach, it is worth buying an extension cord/power-board with switches so you can easily switch things on and off.
TV Large screen televisions can be quite high power users, especially plasma screens. A medium sized plasma flat screen will use 300W when on. This costs about 10 cents an hour to operate. It adds up if the TV is on for 5 hours every day (over $185 per year). Turn televisions off when no one is watching, don’t use them just for background noise.
When buying a new television consider an LCD screen rather than a plasma screen because power use is lower. LCD screens use about half the power of plasma screens of the same size when switched on. TVs now have a star rating label, so compare the Star Rating and the Energy Rating when choosing a new TV.
Larger flat screen TVs use more power than smaller ones
Stereos and portable music systems are small electricity users and are unlikely to contribute much to your electricity bills. However, it is a good idea to turn them (or their chargers) off at the power point when not in use
Rechargers Battery rechargers are everywhere these days. They are used for mobile phones, portable music devices, torches, toys, some workshop equipment, some kitchen appliances and many other every-day gadgets. Most of these appliances are very efficient, using only very small amounts of electricity. This makes them a good choice. But the recharger will use a small amount of electricity even when it is not charging anything unless it is turned off at the power point. Lots of rechargers all using a tiny bit of electricity add up to dollars on your power bill, so get in the habit of always switching them off at the power point when they are not being used to charge a battery
Radios are generally very low power users, but get in the habit of turning them off at the power point when not in use to avoid the stand-by power use.
Clock radios are generally quite low power users (you can easily check with the Power[1]Mate). But if you don’t need them for checking the time (e.g. in a guest room that is only used occasionally) turn them off at the power point
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Turning lights off Whether you have incandescent lights or compact fluorescents, you should always turn lights off when they are not required. Even when leaving a room empty for a few minutes it is worth turning off the lights
Down lights, lights that are set into the ceiling, are often very inefficient. The common halogen 12 volt lights that are fitted in many kitchens and living rooms are serious energy wasters in a cool climate like Tasmania. If you have 10 50W down lights in your living room, that is a total of 500W. Let’s say you have the lights on 5 hours every day. This will cost you $200 a year. The lights themselves are not very efficient (see chart above) and the transformer linked to each light uses 10 to 15 W as well. That’s another $45 a year.
The halogen lights give off a lot of heat so each recessed light must be ventilated into the air space above. This ventilation also draws warm air from the ceiling out of the room, bringing in cool air from outside. Because of the heat given off by each light it is unsafe to put ceiling insulation over the light fitting. So each downlight has a circle of uninsulated ceiling around it adding to heat loss
You can replace the halogen globes in downlights with much more efficient LED globes (check at a specialist lighting retailer store for suitable globes). The LED globes are much cooler and so, with a suitable cover over the light fitting and transformer, you can insulate the ceiling above the down lights (but check with your lighting specialist before covering the down-lights).
Lamp shades and reflectors should be kept clean. You can lose up to 50% of the light when diffusers get covered in dust or insects. Choose lamp shades that do not block much light, that way you can use a lower wattage globe but still have adequate light levels.
Outdoor lighting and security lights Make sure your outdoor security lights do not come on every time the wind blows (this means the motion detector is too sensitive, they can be adjusted). Also, make sure security and other outdoor lights do not stay on during the day. If you require outdoor lights that are on for long periods consider some of the more efficient light globes.
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An average Tasmanian household spends around $300 per quarter on heating. But there is a lot of variation from this average figure. Energy used for cooling homes on hot summer days is also becoming important. Insulation and draughtproofing help keep homes cool and make air conditioners more effective or unnecessary.
Ceiling insulation If you can access your attic space, the first thing to do is inspect the ceiling insulation. Use a strong torch.
If there is no insulation, it is a good long term investment in reduced power bills and increased comfort to install adequate ceiling insulation. You might be able to do this yourself (see below) or you might prefer to have professionals come in and do the job.
If there is insulation but it does not reach the top of the ceiling joists you will probably benefit from adding more insulation.
As a guide, if the insulation is less that 25 cm thick you should consider adding more. If there is insulation but there are gaps in it or it seems unevenly spread across the ceiling it needs to be repaired. Loose-fill insulation can be blown around by strong winds in some roofs so it all ends up at one end, or insulation might be moved during electrical work and not replaced.
If there is no reflective foil under the roofing iron or tiles (or it has deteriorated badly) you are unnecessarily losing heat in winter and gaining heat in summer. You may also have problems of condensation dripping onto ceiling insulation making it less effective and staining ceilings. Seek professional advice on the best way to add new reflective foil.
Do-it-yourself Safety is critical, older electrical wiring can be dangerous if you are crawling around in the attic space. On sunny days, high temperatures in the attic space can cause heat stroke.
If you are confident you can do the work safely yourself you can buy insulation from hardware outlets or specialised insulation retailers. If access to your roof space is good, it is relatively straightforward to install insulation batts over existing insulation.
Wear overalls and gloves. If working with loose-fill insulation wear a good face mask.
Use at least R 3.5 batts or better if there is no insulation already. Add R1.5 or R2 batts over existing insulation.
It is important to get a complete coverage (i.e. do not leave any gaps between batts).
Polyester insulation is the easiest (most pleasant) to handle. Wool blends are also worth considering.
If you choose not to do the whole ceiling, start with the ceiling areas above the rooms you heat.
IMPORTANT Do not cover down-lights (they will overheat and can catch on fire).
IMPORTANT If your electrical wiring is old or if it looks in poor condition, do not attempt the insulation installation yourself, seek professional advice
Low-pitch roofs and cathedral ceilings Some roof designs are difficult to insulate or to add extra insulation. Experienced insulation installers can check your insulation levels and add more if required.
Wall insulation If you are building a new home, make sure you add bulk insulation to walls during construction. Adding wall insulation to existing homes is difficult. It can be done by removing internal plaster sheets on the walls but this is a difficult and dusty task. Weatherboard homes can have wall insulation installed by removing some weatherboards so that insulation can be slotted in above and below the noggins. If adding wall insulation to existing brick-veneer or double brick homes you must be very careful not to create a pathway for moisture through the wall. Bricks are porous (they soak up water) and so the wall cavity is critical in preventing water problems on internal walls.
Window heat loss Windows are very poor insulators. On cold evenings heat loss through windows is substantial. Double glazing will cut window heat loss by at least half, but even with double glazing windows lose a lot of heat. Good curtains with pelmets help reduce window heat loss dramatically. Retrofitting an existing home with double glazing can be a large investment, so it might be worthwhile to seek professional help from an energy auditor before choosing this option
Floor insulation Wooden floors are not good insulators. Carpet and underfelt help insulate floors, but polished floorboards, tiles and vinyl floors can lose a lot of heat and make a house quite uncomfortable if they are not insulated. If you have good access under a house with wooden floors it is not difficult to add insulation. R1.5 or R2 batts can be placed under the floor and held in place with cement sheeting. If the crawl space under the house is low it can be quite unpleasant installing your own floor insulation, so it is worth getting a quote from an experienced installer. Concrete slab floors benefit from edge insulation (polystyrene) extending down below the ground by 50cm or more.
Reducing draughts On a windy day check your home for draughts. Use an incense stick to see where draughts are coming in or just dampen your hand so you can feel the draughts. Check around doors, windows, skirting boards, power-points, and spots where pipes go through the wall. Sometimes wooden floors or wood-panel walls are also sources of draughts. If carpets have been removed there may well be large draughty gaps under doors. You can also lose lots of warm air up an unused fireplace/chimney. There are many draught-proofing products on the market suited to most types of draught. Check at local hardware stores.