Staying Cool in a (Mini) Heatwave

Well today it is finally hot. Real Aussie summer hot. Here in Melbourne the forecast is to reach 42C (according to the nearest weather station we'll reach 41C. This is going to be the hottest day in two years, and of course it's being called a heatwave. I'm not sure a single day really is a heatwave, but either way, it's hot.

I was up before the sun, shutting windows and blinds, making sure the doors were shut tight and putting the sausages along them and turning on all the fans. As this is a one-day heatwave, we're going to try and ride it out without turning on the air conditioning. If it becomes unbearable, then of course they'll go on, no point in being miserable and hot to save a couple of dollars.

We only have two north facing windows, and two west facing, so it's a little easier to keep cool. Unfortunately the ceiling in the loungeroom means that room heats up very quickly. While the rest of the house is well insulated, the loungeroom ceiling isn't as thick.

The back of the house stays nice and cool; the thermometer on the kitchen window sill is reading 26, while outside is 36,and this is where we'll spend most of the day.

We made lots of ice blocks last night, ready to add to water or just crunch.

And I made lots of salads yesterday too - potato, pasta, coleslaw - and cooked meat, ready to just serve and eat. No point in cooking and heating the kitchen and frankly its even too hot to stand under the verandah and barbecue. Cold food wins hands down.

This may sound odd (and possibly mean - the third test is on after all) but I've also banned the TVs today. The televisions give off an amazing amount of heat, something you don't really think about, and that heat can warm a room up very quickly. So everyone is allowed to read or snooze or play games, but no TV until it cools down later tonight.

How do you stay cool during a heatwave?

Cut Heating Costs by up to 25% by Blocking Drafts

We have enjoyed a long summer, but the nights are getting cool and it won't belong before winter is here complete with cold winds. Did you know that heating your home accounts for around 40% of your heating bills? And that drafts are responsible for more than half that cost - up to 25% of your total heating bill? You could be throwing your money to the wind.

Before winter arrives, take some time to walk around your home to find any drafts.
First, walk through your home evaluating obvious places where drafts can let in cold and let out energy. When your home is draft-free, you can rest easy knowing you are doing your best to keep your family warm while saving money at the same time.

Check for drafty areas by looking at the space between the skirting board and the edge of the floor. Take a look at your fireplace  if you have one to see how much energy is escaping through improperly sealed spaces. Look at ducted heating and cooling vents - are they leaking air? Some of the more common areas to check are:

• window frames
• weather stripping around doors and windows
• attic hatches
• patio doors
• air conditioners that have been installed in windows or walls. 

Pipes, tubing, electrical outlets, seals around your foundation and even a doggy door can allow unwanted cold air in while letting heat escape. Caulking and weather stripping need to be replaced in order to be effective in saving energy.

Since windows and doors are the biggest culprits for air leaks, you may want to install low-cost foam tape found at your local hardware store over the windows. You can also buy draft blocks for the bottom of your external doors or use a door sausage just like Grandma did.

Keep the cold air out and the warm air in and watch your power bill shrink.

Helping Kids Understand Electricity Isn't Free

Thanks to the summer heat wave we've just experienced and the increased use of air conditioners, coolers and fans, many households are facing a shock when they get their next electricity bill. But they'll be expecting it, they know they've used more power.

So what about the bill every month (or quarter)? How do you get the kids to understand that flicking a switch might be easy but it's also expensive? Power prices in Australia are constantly on the rise, hitting household budgets hard.

Nagging doesn't help. Having a regular conversation with the whole family about the cost of electricity and what you can all do together and individually to lower the cost is a start. Call a family meeting and show everyone the current electricity bill. Then show them the bill from the same period last year. If your children are very young showing them the cost in money (or something else they understand, perhaps lollies) might help them to better understand the cost.

Make a game of reducing costs. Have the whole family pull together as a team to lower the cost of power by 10% or 20% on the next bill. If the family meets that goal, give them a reward, perhaps a pizza party or some other one time fun event, with part of the savings. To keep them motivated put 20% of the current bill in a jar where they can see it often, on top of the fridge or even in the middle of the dining table, to act as a constant reminder of the need to save and the potential for a treat.

Then talk about ways to save electricity. Draw up a list and stick it on the fridge. It could be a list of things such as turning lights off, not using the air conditioner unless it's over 33 degrees, switching appliances off at the wall (just make sure they don't turn off the fridge or freezer), running appliances during off-peak hours, using non-powered appliances instead of powered (an egg beater instead of the mixer etc.), boiling the kettle once and filling the thermos for tea, making no bake treats instead of using the oven and so on.

Nagging doesn't work, but incentives and rewards combined with education and information probably will.

How do you get your kids to save on electricity? Post your comments below so we all can learn.

Coping with a Heatwave

It is hot in Australia at the moment. Now that's not unusual bearing in mind that we are in the middle of our summer. But it is not just normal summer hot, it is higher than usual temperatures for longer than usual hot.

Some areas have seen temperatures above 50 degrees, and that's Celsius for my overseas readers. Fifty degrees Celsius is around 122 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot.

We are in the middle of a heatwave. According to the Bureau of Meteorology a heatwave is a weather system of continual above average daytime temperatures with overnight temperatures that remain in the mid to high twenties. Yuk!

I can almost manage hot days but hot, steamy nights are just miserable.

So how do you keep cool during a heat wave?

We don't have air-conditioning in our house. We do have ceiling fans in the living areas and fans in all the other rooms. They go on early, before the sun comes up.

We have outside awnings on the north and west facing windows and they come down early, again before the sun comes up.

While I'm up doing the fans and awnings I make sure all the windows get closed tight, pull the blinds and draw the drapes. I even pull the blinds down in the laundry. The house is almost pitch black, but it certainly helps to keep the heat out.

Another thing I do is freeze bottles that are half filled with water. Then one comes out of the freezer and gets topped up with cold water from the fridge and it sits on a dish on the sink - ready for anyone who needs a cold drink. Depending on the day it stays frozen for anything up to 2 hours and cold for at least an hour after that. It just stops the continual opening of the fridge for cold water.

I've also made up panels of bubble wrap that fit across the windows. It may seem extreme but extreme heat calls for extreme measures. These panels tape to the sides of the window frames, forming a mock double glazed window.  The gap between the glass and the bubble wrap traps the hot air and the bubble wrap stops it getting into the house. It looks a little weird from the outside but it really does help to keep the interior temperature down. My calculations show it makes about a 5 degree Celsius difference between the room before bubble wrap and after bubble wrapping the windows. That's a significant difference. My neighbours already think I'm a little odd so it doesn't really surprise them. And it comes off once the heat ends.

I had to buy the bubble wrap. It came from our local Officeworks in a 50 metre roll and cost $24. It's carefully rolled and re-used over and over - I am a firm believer in buy once and re-use.

We also have an ice box we usually use when we go camping. I've made up ice packs that fit it perfectly and vac packed them so they can be re-used. On days of extreme heat we use the ice box to keep drinks cool too.

On that note I freeze chunks of fruit. Orange, mandarin and mango segments, small clusters of grapes, whole bananas (just like banana ice cream) and strawberries all freeze into delicious ice blocks. They're far more nutritious than frozen cordial and do a better of job of cooling too. To do this I cut the fruit up, stick in a toothpick and flash freeze it. Once it's frozen it gets put into an air tight container. I put the toothpicks into the fruit to use as little handles - stops fingers from getting sticky - but of course you don't have to.

During summer we always cook outside. I very rarely use the oven or the stove, our barbecue has a side burner and a rotisserie and it gets used just about all year round. I also use the slowcooker, but sit it out on the verandah. They don't generate a lot of heat but any heat is too much when the temperature is in the forties. That means I can cook a roast or a piece of corned beef without heating up the kitchen.

I also use the side burner on the barbecue to steam veggie or to stir fry. And if I'm making a pasta or potato salad then I have the pot on the barbecue early in the morning so the food has time to chill before dinner.

When it's so hot getting up is an effort, but staying in bed is worse. You'll often find me up, coffee in one hand, hose in the other, watering the vegetable garden before daylight. It's actually a beautiful time of day; usually still, quiet and peaceful just before the sun comes up.

Keeping personally cool on very hot days is tricky. You can try wearing a damp sarong or nightie (and pray you don't get visitors). Wet face washers on the back of your neck are an excellent way to cool your body. As is a tub of cool water you can sit your feet in. We have neckties that are filled with water saving crystals. I just soak them for a few minutes and then tie or drape one across the back of my neck. It's not exactly a fashionable look but it really does help to keep me cool and the crystals stop it from drying out so quickly. I made some a few years ago and then last summer I found them in a $2 shop for $1 each! I also take them camping with us.

When the kids were little I'd fill the bath and let them play to their hearts content. I'd sit on the floor and read while they splashed and cooled down, then out they'd hop. The water stayed, ready for their next cool down session. It didn't cost a lot, we didn't have to leave the house and it kept everyone cool and happy - hot kidlets usually mean frazzled kidlets and of course frazzled kidlets cause miserable mummys. Keeping cool just worked.


However you manage it, I hope that you can be comfortable. And I'm so looking forward to that predicted change on Friday night!

Can You Keep the Cost of Winter Utilities Down?

The convenience of central heating, instant gas heaters, reverse cycle air conditioning have conditioned us to rely on those appliances to keep warm. Dressing for the season and weather is a thing of the past.

In the olden days when I was a child, you know back in the 70s, we had an old briquette heater in the lounge room. That was it.  The doors were kept closed to keep the warmth in the lounge and kitchen, our living areas.

In winter we wore the appropriate clothing. Spencers or singlets, long sleeved shirts, jumpers, tights under our skirts or trousers, socks and slippers.

Our beds were warmed with hot water bottles, we slept in flannelette pajamas on flannelette sheets covered by nice, cosy, woollen blankets.

If we went outside to play we put on beanies, gloves, parkas and gum boots.

Yes, the bedrooms were cold. But we were plenty warm enough because Mum dressed us for the season.

Fast forward a few years to the 21st century. 

Today we turn the central heating on at 7am and off at 9am. It goes on again at 5pm and off about 9pm.

Everyone has slippers to wear in the house.

Everyone dresses for the season. If they are cold they put on another layer.

We open the north facing drapes and let the sunshine heat the house, as soon as the sun is off those windows I close the drapes to keep the warmth in. 

Doors to rooms we aren't using are kept closed.

There are door snakes on the front and back doors to stop draughts.

There are knee rugs on all the chairs and lounges to snuggle in if it is a little chilly.

There are clotheshorses over the heating vents in each bedroom and the washing is hung over them to dry rather than running the clothes dryer.

We have micro fleece sheets on our beds. They mean we don't need hot water bottles or electric blankets. I made them, much cheaper than trying to buy them.

Our beds have woollen blankets on them as well as feather and down doonas. Our beds are cosy and warm on even the coldest of nights (we had a couple of -5s last week, brrrr….).

Everyone knows to wash in cold water. But do you do just the one load of washing a day? I use lingerie bags so that I can wash colours, whites and darks together in the one load. It lets me get the washing done without having to do separate loads every day or stockpiling dirty laundry until there is enough to run a full load.

Keeping the cost of electricity and gas down is always a work in progress but there are always little things you can do that will trim a few cents off the cost of your utilities each day without being just plain stingy and miserable. Add them up over the billing period and the difference can be substantial, and there's nothing miserable about that.

So what do you do to keep your utility bills down during winter? Please share your ideas in the comments so we can all really trim those utility bills this winter.

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Turn off the Lights

Since the first of July we’ve heard nothing but “the cost of electricity is going up”. Well yes, we who pay the bills know that!  We can ask and beg and plead and even nag, and often have to all of them, to get family members to turn off the lights and still that bill just gets higher and higher.

Turn off the lights! How many times have you found yourself saying (or yelling) just that to your kids (or your husband)?  You're trying to save money, and the environment, but you often feel like you're in this all alone because everyone is forgetful. Except you!

While we are all probably already in the habit of turning everything off at the wall and keeping the thermostat low, the lights tend to be forgotten by everyone else.

So how can you get everyone to turn lights off? Try one or all of these ideas to get the other members of  your household into the habit of turning lights off and keep your lighting bill down.  

• Set up a utility fee jar - Find an old large coffee jar and put a sign on it such as "Utility Fees". Explain to everyone in the house that any time you have to say "Turn off the lights!" to them, they will be required to put a designated amount of money in the jar.

• Put lights on timers - If you can't get the above to work make rules about what times lights can be on and what time they should be off and put them on a timer to make it stick. Timers won't teach anyone the value of electricity though, but it will save aggravation and money.

• Put up notices - Place notices with post it notes beside all lights that say “Please Turn Me Off” when leaving the room. The notes will be a reminder to do the action that you desire.

• Make it a habit - Make it a rule that when leaving any room the light is switched off, even if you plan to go back in the room later. This creates a habit. Once a habit is created it's hard to break!

Whatever you can do to cut down on your carbon footprint is an important action. It doesn't matter if it's just a small amount. Each thing, when combined with the others, counts. Turning off the lights matters. Just like not using bottled water bottles matters. Even if other people don't see the importance of it, everything you do to live more naturally counts. Conserving energy is one of the most important lessons we can pass on to our children.

Electricity Free Night Lights

My kids, 2 and 3, like to have a night light. Unfortunately, we have had many unsuccessful experiences of purchasing a special 'night light' and it not lasting for too long for what ever the reason. They've also required electricity to run. I was recently shopping in Target and looking at a clearance section which included 10 small solar power garden lights at a considerably low cost. Walking away my lights suddenly went on: they'll provide just the right amount of light, will not get hot, would be child safe and most importantly, they don't have to be outside at night. So with that, we now use garden solar power lights as night lights, it's saving electricity, is better on the environment and a great toddler task to make sure they're put out side and brought in each morning and night to get the best possible light!
Contributed by Catherine, Box Hill South

Utility Review

A Spending Freeze is the perfect time to review how much you are paying for utilities. Spend some time over the next few days to review your utility expenses. Gather electricity, water, gas and phone bills and then shop around for better deals. Loyalty should work both ways: if you are a loyal customer, paying accounts on time, then your service provider should in turn be loyal to you, giving you great service and a fantastic price.  These days it is common for a service provider to lock you into a contract with a penalty for leaving early. Unfortunately there is no benefit to you, the customer, in taking up this contract. It doesn't protect you from price increases or guarantee you any better service. It just traps you into doing business with the company for the duration of the contract (usually two years). That's no way to repay loyalty. If you find a better deal, consider the penalty for breaking the contract and if you are going to be better off either go ahead and switch companies or let your current provider know you have a better deal and give them the opportunity to beat it.

There's no such thing as stand-by in our house....

As soon as those words were out of my mouth I just knew they'd come back to bit me!  I said them in an interview for ACA yesterday (it aired last night http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=7928282) and as soon as the kids heard those words they started. Apparently I am always telling them to stand by for their washing to put away, or dinner, or for a chore that needs to be done or to take the rubbish out or the compost to the bucket or something.

So I apologise, there is such a thing as stand-by in our house.

It's just not connected to the electricity. The stand-by I was talking about was the one on our electric appliances. Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience of being able to sit in my chair and change channels and turn the TV on and off. And I love that all I have to do is push start on the microwave, and that my computer wakes up when I move the mouse. But those little conveniences come at a rather hefty cost.

Apart from the fact that remote controls and stand-by mode have made me a tad lazy, the "off" position  isn't really off. It's just an alias -  a pretend "off" so we think it's really off and not using any power! I wonder if someone from Zenith Radio Corporation (credited with inventing the TV remote control back in the 1950's) colluded with someone from the power company to come up with the alias off on appliances. Funnily enough, the first TV remote control was called the Lazy Bones and sold like hotcakes.

Nowadays there is a whole generation that doesn't know that televisions can be turned off simply by pushing a button on the set.  Unfortunately they do understand that many of the appliances they use on a daily basis can only be fully functional by remote control.

The debate over how much power and money (if any) is saved by turning appliances off at the wall rages continually. From my own personal experience it makes a big difference. The trick in our house was getting everyone to join in.

Every morning along with "have you packed your lunch" I would say (actually I still say it) "have you turned the power point off" as the kids were ready to walk out the door.

Now they do it out of habit. And it has worked. The price of electricity has risen in the past twelve months, considerably, but the bill has dropped and our daily usage has dropped too.  And I don't need any other convincing. The proof is in our bank account.

Prevent Hot Air From Rising

Now the cooler weather is upon is, stop  the heat (and your money) going into the ceiling by covering exhaust fans you don't use.  For in-ceiling exhaust fans in spare bathrooms, the laundry etc, make a cover to stop hot air escaping.   The disc can be made from something as cheap and simple as newspaper or cardboard and easily placed inside the fan by removing the plastic cover, inserting newspaper disc and clicking the cover back into place.  This stops hot air escaping, keeping your home warmer and your heating bills down. Remember to remove it when the weather warms up and before you use the fan.

Contributed by Melina, Upper Ferntree Gully

The Turn it Off Game

Tip of the Day 26 February 2010

When you have children saving money on electricity can seem like a never ending battle. Getting kids to automatically turn lights off when they leave the room or switch the TV and Playstation off at the wall when they have finished playing can be frustrating.

Try this game and see how fast they "remember" to switch things off.

At the beginning of every month put an equal number of twenty cent coins in a different cup for each person in the house. If someone leaves a room without turning off the light, TV, etc. the person who discovers it gets to take a coin from the offender's cup and put it in their own. At the end of the month, each person gets to keep what money is left in his or her cup.

The first month, a lot of money will move between the cups. Later, as everyone becomes more aware of the consequences if they forget to turn appliances off, it will slow down. You'll be teaching your kids to save electricity in a fun way and the bonus will be a significant drop on the electricity bill.

Tip of the Day February 20, 2009

Tracking Water Use

Has the water bill got you stumped? Does your bill seem too high, your water usage over the suggested 155 litres per person per day no matter what you do to cut back? Maybe the meter is not tracking your usage correctly. Here's how to check. Turn off all water sources inside the house and take a metre reading. Now fill a 10 litre container three times and take a second reading. The meter should show a 30 litre increase. If you see a discrepancy you need to track down the leaky culprit if you possibly can. Before you call your water company's repair number and arrange for a service call (which could end up costing you) take a good look around for leaks - the toilets, slowly dripping taps (indoors and outside), look around the yard for signs of leaking water pipes. You can usually fix leaking taps and toilets yourself with simple supplies from any hardware shop. Underground leaks are more difficult and usuall require expert advice. If you suspect an underground leak then contact your water company or the plumber of your choice.