As many of you know, I live in Tasmania which is one of the colder parts of Australia so keeping warm is really a challenge here.
For a start, when I designed my home, I made sure it was oriented to take advantage of the lovely sunny winter days we have in Tasmania. Even though the outside temperatures struggle to make it to double figures, the inside of the house is heated by the sun through northerly easterly and north westerly facing windows.
I have a heat pump (split system air conditioner that I run 24/7 during late Autumn to early Spring and as it has a thermostat and is set at 14 degrees during the day and overnight while we are sleeping, it doesn’t even come on through the day while the sun is shining. I prefer to do this than heat the house from scratch each day as its cheaper to have it running all the time. In the evenings, when we are home from work, I put it up to 23 degrees. It takes a while to heat up but usually I am busy preparing dinner so it doesn’t worry me. It costs about $70 per quarter to run this as it’s charged on the hot water rate. Having solar panels assists in reducing electricity costs.
I also have insulation in the ceiling, under the floor and in the wall cavities. Even though I have vast expanse of glass (got a great view to take advantage of) I use heavy drapes to keep the warmth in during the evening and night.
I have an electric blanket with turns itself off after an hour in bed and if I am still chilly when I am watching TV of a night, I will put a wheat bag into the microwave and put it on my cold bits. We also have been known to put a nanna rug over our knees if it’s chilly enough or put on an extra jumper.
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