00:00I'm here in Ballarat with Laney, who's just bought a new house, and Dale, an energy assessor.
00:06He's going to take us through and show us where the house is cold and how to heat it
00:10up.
00:11It's like a traditional sort of front-minus cottage.
00:15So what are you expecting from the energy assessment?
00:18Lots of good tips.
00:20The first thing Dale does is analyse the house's thermal envelope, looking for places where
00:25heat is escaping.
00:27I can see that there is no wall insulation, there's no underfloor insulation, there's
00:33limited insulation in the ceiling, there are lots of draughts throughout the house, and
00:38the glazing and the window coverings are really quite poor.
00:43This is actually quite normal for Australia.
00:46In Victoria, the average star rating through the Scorecard program is only three stars
00:52out of ten.
00:53But there's plenty Laney can do to improve that rating.
00:56Insulation is one of the most important ways to keep houses warm in winter.
01:01They've put a good cover of polyester batts over the top.
01:05They do need a little bit of rearranging.
01:07If we can get them arranged, there's no need to do any further upgrades.
01:13Another huge pain point for Australian houses in winter, windows.
01:17So you can see with these windows in the kitchen, there is no window covering whatsoever.
01:23So the heat loss coming out of these windows is going to be really high.
01:28Double glazing can be an expensive solution for homeowners, and out of reach for renters.
01:33Bubble wrap can be a cheap and temporary option, and Laney can always invest in some blinds.
01:40The best type of window covering today is a blind called the honeycomb blind.
01:45They're double layered and they trap a layer of air inside the blind.
01:49Draft Hunter Dale says sealing up gaps around windows and doors
01:53is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to keep the heat in.
01:57Other places to find and fix gaps include old fireplaces, floorboards
02:02and crevices between window frames and the plasterboard.
02:06And the verdict on the best way for Laney to heat her home?
02:09Reverse cycle air conditioning is actually one third of the cost of heating a home compared to gas.
02:15With one caveat.
02:17Sometimes they get really, really clogged and then it dramatically reduces the heat output of the air conditioner.
02:25Whether you're renting or buying, there are some quick and relatively cheap steps you can take
02:29to stop your house from leaking so much heat.
02:32And investing in some of the more expensive retrofits could save you money long term,
02:36especially with the price of electricity right now.
02:39It'll make your home more comfortable and cheaper to run.
02:42And with households making up a quarter of Australia's energy consumption,
02:45it could also help to reduce emissions.
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