Page 34 - TNE WORKBOOK

Draught-proof your house by
sealing around doors, windows
and other gaps

• This needs to be comprehensive and should include: open fireplaces, wall vents, vented skylights, louvred
windows and fixed vents in laundry/bathroom, cracks along skirting boards and between floor boards in
houses with timber floors, doors and windows with no weather stripping.

• Go around your house on a windy night and check for draughts. Seal them up with silicone and adhesive
door strips. You can access some wonderful videos on draughtproofing at Canberra local radio host, Lish
Fejer’s great blog, http://www.greenityourself.com.au/

• For a great summary of what to do to draught-proof your house, check out this resource from Sustainability
Victoria.

Tier 3: Ain’t no mountain high enough (Challenge level)

If you wanna go the whole shebang and retro-fit your house so it’s super energy efficient, then energy advi-
sory bodies advise taking these actions in the following order: 25

1 Change lights to LED.

2 Draught-proof the house (should cost less than $50)

3 Buy energy efficient appliances.

4 Insulate the house: ceiling first, then walls and underfloor, depending on the specific situation.

5 Install window coverings: internal (such as block-out curtains), and/or external (for example, blinds/
awnings).

6 Improve the energy-efficiency of windows (only AFTER Steps 2 and 4 have been taken to gain most
benefit). (between $500 and $5000, depending on how hi-tech you want your windows to be)

7 Install solar panels and batteries to generate and store your own energy;

8 Get a solar system or heat pump system for heating your water; and
9 Install a smart meter or energy monitoring software to control and profit from your home energy
system (for example, check out Reposit Power here).

The environmental organisation Beyond Zero Emissions has set up a site to help Australians
retro-fit their homes so that they consume way less energy. You can get recommendations and
deals on the best products and installations to get to cut your energy usage on their site here.

SEE-Change runs sustainable house tours, where you can go and visit houses in the ACT that
are built to use the natural heat and light of the sun so that they consume way less energy and
are super comfortable to live in, in both the winter and the summer. If you’re interested, check
out when the next sustainable house tour is on here.

YourHome.gov.au provides a wealth of information to make your home sustainable and energy
efficient, including insulation.

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