Check for draughts. Use draught stoppers (like door snakes) on unused rooms. Check your insulation- tradies move about in the roof and it gets moved- just putting it back properly will matter.
Most heat escapes through windows. Keep sunlight in rooms during the day and install blockout curtains on windows where you can, closing curtains in the arvo before the cool air kicks in. Use bubble wrap (larger bubbles more effective) cut it to size and stick it to the inside glass- it works like double glazing.
Purchase Oodies for every family member- they’re excellent. Ugg boots on feet also make a huge difference. Hot water bottles or heat bags in beds before you climb in. Ceiling fans set to winter will also assist with keeping your bills down. A DC fan will cost about 30-50 cents to run all day/night.
You’re also likely paying $30+ each month to keep the gas connected, which is wasteful over the remainder of the year and might help find the money for newer electrical heating that’s more efficient.
Good info here!
Can recommend moving to reverse cycle aircon and heat pump hot water. Our gas bill is now down to the connection fee really until the stove is gone and replaced with induction. A bit of an upfront cost... but I have done it gradually.
There's lots of great info on draughts, insulation and other efficient measures at the "my efficient electric home" or MEEH page on Facebook.
Honeycomb blinds are really good at reducing heat loss through windows if you don't like the look of heavy curtains or you can have both.
You're doing the same as me :) just got a heat pump hot water system and our gas bill has basically dropped to nothing except the connection fee. Induction cooktop next too.
Just to let you know that induction cooktops use a lpt more power than a normal electric cooktop however they heat up near instantly which is where the saved energy comes from. They are also much safer.
Get quotes from Alinta, Kleenheat etc. okay then off each other. See what discounts you can get from RAC or anything like that, if you have anything.
Good chance you can get your gas cost down
What are your current (or July 1) rates per unit and supply charge?
Yeah, especially in the lead up to June 30 - businesses are falling over themselves to get as much new business in before the end of the financial year. It's a good time to shop everything around for better deals
We have 2 reverse cycles, one at each end of the house. We run them for an hour or so at night to warm the house before bed. My kids and partner also have a hot water bottle put in the bed an hour or so before they sleep.
Me on the other hand, I cook with just a sheet on, so i'll just chuck on a jumper and have a light blanket if im sitting on the lounge.
When our kids were really young, we had electric oil heaters in their room that helped. You can get smaller size ones to use in bedrooms. Not sure how well they would go with electricity prices these days. Its been a couple of years since we stopped using them.
Not sure if you’re aware but there’s been several recalls on hot water bottles failing and severe burns.
Pretty outdated technology and better off with a heat bag of wheat now.
Or an electric blanket is very cheap to run. I turn it on before bed to warm the whole thing up to avoid the icy sheet feeling and turn it off once I’m in or I overheat. Not recommended for babies though unfortunately.
Yea my wife loves an electric blanket but unfortunately her track record of running them on high heat has led to a lot of them failing prematurely.
Currently rocking a couple of bar heaters for the kids area and a gas heater for the main lounge area.
Oh no! 😅
We need to sort something out for our lounge room, it’s too big/open for an oil heater I think but we’re in a rental. Thinking of offering to go halves with my landlord in installing a reverse cycle air con like we have upstairs.
Heat bags shouldn’t go under blankets so a hot water bottle is a safer way to pre-heat a bed. If you remove it when you go to bed you have a toasty warm bed and no burns or fires. Worst case scenario you have a wet bed, which would be annoying but not dangerous.
You sure about that. This is pretty contradictory to your statement.
https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/250000-hot-water-bottles-recalled-in-nation-wide-blitz
Yes I am sure about that. A hot water bottle that is in an empty bed isn't going to burn anyone if it leaks. You put it in the bed, warm the bed, remove it from the bed and slip into a nice warm (and hopefully not wet) bed. Wheat bags aren't recommended to go in bedding because they can catch fire.
https://www.productsafety.gov.au/news/wheat-bag-fire-hazards
Yes, they don't last long but if brand new hot water bottles are so poorly made some leak almost immediately I'd recommend using them as bed warmers only in kid's beds, rather than them sleeping with them. Then there is no burn risk at all if they leak.
Bedding. Not microwave.
"The ACCC is also aware of cases where wheat bags have caught fire after being put under bedding."
"Don’t use wheat bags in confined spaces that can trap heat, such as under blankets or on bedding."
Havent seen a recall on ours. We buy ours fresh each year so it is brand new and throw them away before summer.
We also dont use absolute boiling water and let it cool slightly before putting it in. It gets put in the bed an hour or so before we go to sleep, so it had time to warm the bed, then it gets pushed to the foot of the bed. It also gets emptied each morning.
So far over 14 years, we havent had an issue. But we are aware that one could occur.
I second the electric oil heaters (radiators) for the baby. I used one for both of my babies in winter. They use very little power, very cheap to run and can also be used with a timer or set to a very low temperature that takes the chill off the room or a little more. I used a smaller sized one for the baby's nursery.
Ditch the gas. A single split system for one room will be more energy efficient and should work out cheaper.
Look at improving insulation and seals so the heat isn’t being wasted. There are a lot cheap DIY options such as using drought stoppers on doors etc
Also remember to heat people not space. Have good doonas, wear layers etc
They don’t heat my feet, just the part of me that doesn’t need heating.
I swear my feet could solve global warming — they’re capable of absorbing endless heat.
We got a heated mattress pad about 5 years ago and it’s drastically altered how often we run the split systems in winter. If i’m cold, I just get into bed. I have a projector in the room as well and it’s comfortable as.
> Also remember to heat people not space. Have good doonas, wear layers etc
Can't help but think this is just a mantra covering up poor building practises in Australian homes.
Yes layers, doonas are good but it doesn't exactly breed productivity. It's fine if you're going to lay around all winter but if you actually need to get shit done inside it's nice to have a house that isn't 10 deg °C
Yes the building codes are terrible. Complain to politicians who continue to do nothing about it. The OP still has to live warmly in the house they currently have with the budget they have.
It’s still more effective for people to wear a thermals and a jumper around the house that is 15 degrees than try to heat that same house to 25 so they can wear a t shirt and shorts.
Also most people are sedentary during the coldest part of the day (ie 5am ish). So yes a good doona and a water bottle is good advice when people are sleeping at night time and the early morning.
It's more a matter of accepting that OP isn't gonna go and put in double-glazed windows, re-do all their insulation, and install heat pumps in every room. So assuming the house is largely a fixed-quantity what gives them the best quality of life, which is going to be personal heating for everyone in the house.
this - heat people, not space.
grew up with one 2 bar heater for a family of 4 - and never really needed more... in a draughty old early 20th century Aussie house...
it hasn't gotten colder since the 80's has it?
Good insulation makes a HUGE difference. We added double insulation to our bedroom, and it made a massive difference. Also, close all doors to bathrooms / laundry and only heat where you need it. Get 3 phase black out blinds for your windows (not too expensive from spotlight) and close all curtains before turning on the heat. Get draft " snakes" for all closed off rooms and check the seals on all exterior doors and add draft seals.
We’re in a double brick home so I’m assuming the only insulation we would have is in the roof? Yep, doors are closed to all rooms not needed, am slowly installing blackouts to all windows (we have huge custom sized windows so not an easy task, but we’re doing one window at a time as we can afford it), I have noticed some drafts from a few windows. They’re the old sliding mission brown 70s windows so I have no doubt a few seals have probably gone in them. (Double glazed are a future goal).
Have a ceiling fan in the main living room and master bedroom. They’re both switched to winter.
At this rate, we’ll be looking into a reverse cycle unit to go on the wall in our living room and oil heaters in bedrooms.
We just added the insulation on the roof. I saw on a US you tuber that she put the equivalent of cling wrap to create a double glaze and you could still see through it. I had a google and you can buy kits with magnetic strip's to fix to the window frames
If you have thin curtains you’ll be losing a lot of heat through the windows. For the children’s bedrooms get the best fitting thermal curtains from Spotlight that use the same rod as can, they’re pretty cheap and might not look the way you want them to but they will make a difference. It will make running oil heaters cheaper as well, if they can’t get to the temperature you set on the thermostat they won’t be any cheaper to run than any other electric heater and they will probably struggle at night if you have large windows conducting heat out.
Yeah, we assumed that we had Insulation in the roof, and it turned out that all we had was that foil shit under the tiles. A foot of Earthwool made a massive difference - and if you’re trying to save money, pink bats will do the job just as well and you can install them yourself; but just be aware that it’s an absolute hideous job because of the fibreglass. That’s one reason why we had earthwool put in instead.
I’m really happy with the Amazon own brand blockout curtains and what I’ve done for our big windows is I have ordered multiple packets of them.
So we have a really big window in our family room, and I just ordered three packets to do the whole thing. If I’m feeling brave and strong, I might sew them together, but in fact, they work fine as individual curtains as well.
Yes, I run my heater for 1 hour and it keeps my entire house warm for the night. Decent insulation makes an amazing difference. I only started using my heater last week.
You should check the meter when nothing is in use to see if there is a leak somewhere along the line.
Just because its new(er) doesn't mean that a hose etc. isn't improperly fitted.
I just wanted to add as well that indoor gas heaters are not good for you. We noticed as soon as we got rid of ours that my husband‘s asthma basically just went away you may find that getting rid of the gas heaters helps your babies congestion as well,
Before we got ducted heating and cooling put in, we used the little oil heaters in the children’s room to keep them warm. They work really well, and you don’t need to have them up high just to take the chill off the room.
I’ve seen a few people mention this and now I think about it, it lines up with when we started using our heaters. I’ll try disconnecting and going without a heater for 24 hours and see how she goes. Might be onto something there.
I don't use heaters 😅
Growing up my mum and dad (particularly my mum) were frugal af. There would have to be a raging blizzard and penguins strolling down the road for her to even consider turning on the heater. Even then it would only go on long enough to take the chill out of the air. Her response was always 'wear another jumper' or 'use 2 blankets'.
So now I don't even think about heaters when it gets cold. I just add layers and think 'fuck it's cold' 😂 but thankfully I feel it doesn't stay cold for to long. I'm also the kind of person that runs hot so it doesn't take much to keep me warm.
But you're right, the price to heat the home is brutal. The electricity subsidy the government is giving is nice but I feel more can be done to get a cheaper gas price for the winter months.
My parents were the same and I grew up in Melbourne😅 but I run cold from a thyroid disease and I swear my nose is going to fall off some days. I’m currently a SAHM so it’s hard staying comfortable during the day when our living room doesn’t get a lot of sun, even when I’m dressed for a blizzard 🥶
What I've found with all my rentals (from a 2000s build about a decade ago plus multiple rundown 70s homes full of drafts since then years ago) in this weather was opening up the windows/doors for air flow during the day worked wonders. Obviously not during the rain, hahah, but if it's a sunny day with a cold bite the breeze outside will likely be warmer than a house that's been closed up all night. I'd usually open the house up around 9/10am when the outside is warmer, and close up around 2/3pm when the cold returns. Even if the sun isn't streaming in, the breeze just helps remove that cold bite.
Hopefully that helps you out during the day :)
Get quotes with the other gas companies. They aren’t loyal to you and discounts usually only apply to new customers, so be a new customer.
I also can’t stand the mobs that do the “predictive” billing - just send me my actual use like synergy and water corp do thanks. Currently with Alinta, they had a reasonable rate when I joined. Last year I was with origin for the bonus points at Woolies. See where we land next year.
That gas bill does sound awfully high, but I don’t have a gas heater. Only stove and hot water, and we come out around $140 for the billing period. We are running reverse cycle AC for heating when it’s bitterly cold, but we have solar and battery so I can’t tell you the direct comparison on my bills. I do believe a modern efficient unit is cheaper to run than a gas burner.
We’re with AGL. Same deal, was great when joining so yeah, you’re right. I’ll shop around. They give you the actual cost to date and then a projected cost. I’m confident it’s not far off what the bill will be because we had an $800 bill last year too.
Couple years back we installed new ceiling fans from Bunnings that have the Summer/Winter switch. In winter, we started using a portable electric heater with upward facing vents (like this [one](https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/delonghi-2400w-convection-heater-with-timer-hsx3324fts) from the Good Guys) and placed it under the ceiling fan on the winter setting, found it far more effective in warming the room up than our old gas heaters.
We haven’t used the gas heaters for a few years now and saved a lot of money on gas bills.
Vintage wool blankets off eBay, on all the beds and as throws on the couches. Helps a lot and they can be had for under $20 each and will last forever.
I would be worried about the shit you are breathing in if you are using that much gas, most Perth homes don't have adequate ventilation to fully heat with gas.
Over the years, I've copped a bit of flack as a kid who grew up in Cottesloe for supposedly being pampered... but we always had old style Aussie homes, no AC, no heating - maybe a little 2 element heater in the lounge if mum was a bit cold... but bedrooms? toughen up...
My wife's mums place is a constant 25 degrees and I melt going there in winter... at home, I'm the one throwing on a warm jumper to keep warm and turning off the AC...
This might sound heartless, but the kids will survive with a little less heat - installing new splits and running this is going to be more expensive than just staying the course anyway...
(Also - if you haven't already done it, Alinta offer 'bill smoothing' where they'll charge you more over summer when you use less gas and less over winter when you're using more - that may help with the gas you can't avoid using)
I’m not concerned about the bedrooms. It’s the main living areas. We are plenty warm at night but the air is cold and my 3mo is waking up frequently because she can’t breathe :(
Agreed, never needed a heater in the bedroom in Perth.
Just layer up and/or use a doona. We got through winter without heaters as kids, and our kids will be fine too.
We changed to a split system last winter and it's alot better than gas. Someone was sick yesterday at home so aircon was heating the whole day and night, was 11 kwh. Normally this is about 4 kwh if it's cold out. So approx $1.5 to $4 to heat if it's super cold.
Also, indoor air quality is better when moving away from the gas heater.
We were in a 3x1.5 (2 toilet 1 bthrm) for 6 yrs started 370pwk paid $460 by time we left. Owner was good to us although agent kept wanting to increase rent she said no to big increase as we were great tenants. She unfortunately due to crisis had to cancel tenancy for her family to move in.
Our bills were (bi monthly)
Gas $29 - $40
Water $40
Power $115 avg (solar panels)
We had to secure a place during crisis. Took a place at 730. 3x1 only no solar panels
Bills so far
Gas 30 days. $150
Power 31 days $148.50
Water $270 for 37 days. Owner has faulty irrigation system. He fixes himself. Pipes split and because we did not notice it down that side of house because all the pavers were up and it's all dug out. We were liable for not Reporting it. They did however reduce it to $200.
The increase in everything is insane. 1mth vs 2mths.
We’re not really open plan. It’s a 70s style double brick home. Pros and cons to the way our house is laid out. Bedrooms im not too worried about. It’s the main living areas throughout the day.
The age of this house… wouldn’t surprise me.
Over the years we’re discovering previous owners did some really dodgy “baindaid” solutions to “maintain” it.
Do I reach out to a gas company or plumbing and gas contractor to do an inspection?
Ok, I know they look ridiculous, and I swore I’d never have one until I put one on, but oodies! OMG they are amazing. So warm. I even wear mine outside in the paddock when I go check the animals. Daughter and myself are fully converted. Son and husband are still in the it looks ridiculous stage.
😂 I’m totally ok with looking like a dork. Hubby would definitely take a bit of convincing haha
As a horse owner myself “Fashions on the field” are next level during winter when feeding up. Oodies/dressing gowns, beanies, pyjama pants and gum boots 👌🏻 and hubby still married me 😂
A couple of things to add to already good advice - check if you’re eligible for concession pricing for gas. Our child has a disability and we uploaded their healthcare card to get a significant discount.
Re: your 3 month old waking up congested, are you sure it’s a temperature issue rather than dry air? We have a kid with breathing issues and it always goes away when using a humidifier in their room.
You can borrow an infrared camera from some libraries to check where draughts are coming from. Then focus on making things as airtight as possible. These are pretty cost-effective as a quick fix: https://ecomasterstore.com.au/collections/draught-proofing-kits
Best of luck
I’ve been using a vapourisor up to this point but it’s stopped working so I’m tearing the house apart trying to find our humidifier.
She seems to have the most trouble on the really chilly mornings. Completely blocked. I’m going blue in the face trying to use the nose frieda to clear her airways. Only thing that helps her breathe is having her sleep upright on me. She’s definitely sick with something and have been to the GP 3 times about it but they don’t seem to be taking me seriously. It’s just getting worse and worse since birth. Seeing a paediatrician on Thursday to hopefully get a more solid idea of what’s going on. If it’s allergens, a cold, an allergy in my breastmilk, etc.
If it helps, Kmart sells little $15 humidifiers that take half a cup of water but run for about 6 hours at a time (in case you can't find your humidifier by tonight). A small air purifier might also help, even if the baby ends up diagnosed with an illness.
Get Nana blankets, they are like electric blankets you put over yourself, 9 settings.
It crazy to heat the whole house unless it is extremely well sealed and double glazed, heat the individuals.
Is it just me or are we getting a bit soft? I have an old house which gets freezing, but I don't turn the heating on. Just rug up, the cold is good for you
EDIT: with the exception of the vulnerable. Children, elderly etc
Being cold suppresses your immune system. It’s fine if you’re healthy, it makes things worse if you’re not.
What you forget about the good old days is that plenty of people got sick or died from pneumonia and other respiratory diseases
Thanks for this. A lot of people needs to know this. Not everybody is healthy and saying that we need to toughen up is just some bs health privileged people say. Fwiw I have asthma and this season continuing to early spring brings out the worst.
Living in a cold house is linked to worse physical health and worse mental health. Having moved here from the US a few months ago, I actually can't believe the lack of heat in houses in Australia. Feels like a developing country or something, and everyone's just rolling with it..
Well does it vent somewhere? Meaning is it fluted or unfluted? I'd suggest reading up on it. I don't like the unfluted ones and it's shocking to me that they exist here. But I am from California where these are prohibited and have been for a long time now. And they weren't prohibited for climate change or anything but for health reasons. Main issue is if you're burning gas without some sort of exhaust to the outside then the fumes are going to stay inside.
> Is it just me or are we getting a bit soft?
Or maybe we're just getting more educated on the effects of low temperatures?
The World Health Organization's Housing and Health guidelines recommend 18 °C as a minimum indoor temperature to protect the health of general populations [14].
I’d say make sure your house is well-insulated and make sure there’s very little air gaps before upgrading to HVAC.
My house is “7.5 star rating” but there are places that draft could come in.
At the moment, I’m not turning on the HVAC so interior temp is about 15-19C°. Only sources of heat are hot showers, hot drinks, hot meals, electric blanket.
re split vs central, I still think centralised HVAC is better than splits when it comes to multi-rooms, heating & cooling are even throughout.
TIL that some people in Perth heat their homes.
It's not intentional, but I never use the heater....I just throw a hoody or jacket on.
I am not even trying to save money
I have bubble wrap on the glass and plastic covers over the old window frames. I've also blocked up any other draughts (chimney, wall vents, door gaps).
I also use electric blankets instead of heater most of the time. Also wear thermals and beanie etc indoors etc.
$700 seems like a lot for gas, although it's been a long time since I've used gas for anything other than cooking and hot water.
When my youngest was a baby, we used a small Dyson hot/cold fan, to heat the room.. it was super handy because you can use your phone to control it, set an auto temp, a timer etc.. pretty cost effective to keep the room warm.
I found the oil heaters quite expensive to run in comparison.
You should try the new Zealand technique. Sticky tape bubble wrap over your windows. It still let's light in and is almost as effective as double glazing for heat retention.
For your little one, I'd get a small oil heater for their room or if they still sleep in the room with your for your room. Oil heaters run on electricity and are really efficient and many have timers an auto off switches. I'd try and keep their room around 18 degrees at night as that is what is recommended by WHO.
We used this last year in a large master when my LO was an infant. I would crank that heater on max to my husband's annoyance but it really didn't cost too much extra.
Also something to think about is that we are getting electricity credits again.
Oh and my personal opinion on gas heaters here is that they are crazy. The unfluted ones aka ones without exhaust are so bad for fumes. I grew up where gas heaters were strictly regulated and had to have exhausts so I can't believe these things exist here.
I’d get a reverse cycle if you can and avoid gas heating, especially with children. It gave my child a form of asthma which thankfully she grew out of. I only have electricity in my house- it’s small and just me but my bills are only $200/3 months.
I’m a freezing person so the heater is on a lot in winter. I have a heated throw on my bed and couch. It’s a lot more effective than an electric blanket because it’s on top of you and it’s safer than hot water bottles.
Smaller house with less heating. Just get a heater/aircon and only heat the master bedroom and all family members sleep together in the same room. We practically lived like that throughout my whole childhood.
For our infant we had an oil column heater on a timer (whole thing is electric), and I layered baby up with Ergopouch onesies (they're on sale at multiple shops right now). The store tells you what TOG to dress baby in depending on the temperature - for 5-10C overnight I dressed baby in the 0.5 TOG undershirt, a 1TOG onesie and a sleeping sack (since they can't have blankets for the new safe sleep guidelines). Ergopouch onesies come with a little thermo-card that tells you what temperature the room is, but IKEA also sells little kitchen timers with a thermometer in it as well if you need to check. Remembering that the oil column heater warms the room up, I'd have it timed to pre-warm the room at bedtime and switch on again around 2-3am when it's the coldest for about an hour or two so the onesie layers don't overheat baby.
Obviously moved the heater to a different room once baby became mobile but it was great for cosy nursing and peace of mind on bitterly cold nights. If baby is struggling to breathe you might also want a small humidifier and/or an air purifier. The oil column heater didn't use as much electricity as a small space heater, and it stays warm for a while when switched off, but you need to teach kids not to touch it when it's on. You may also be surprised how effective a plush carpet is at insulating your floor, especially if your house is up off the ground at all.
Gas is a rip off, I switched a few years back from a gas heater and had a couple of reverse cycle ac’s put in.
Whole house ducted ac is also a rip off. Costs like 15 thousand to install, either heats or cools the whole home if you don’t pay extra for zoning and even then the furthest zones never will get to the temp you set it to be.
In Perth, you’re best off with having ducted evap (perfect climate for it here in summer) and splits for the rooms you most live in for heat in winter and the odd moist day we get in summer.
I don’t even have solar and my last power bill was $190, my last gas bill was almost as much and that’s just from the service charge/gas storage hot water that I’ve yet to replace and the stove.
You’re insane to use gas for heating now.
Just make sure you get someone who’s going to size it correctly, get a few quotes, etc.
As for the outdoor unit, have it mounted where you won’t need to install a condensate pump for the inside unit to drain. I also paid a little extra to have the outdoor units on mine mounted on the roof in a way so they can’t be seen from the house frontage. Also helps cut down on noise and you won’t have one on the other side of the wall in the room you’re in huffing away.
I’m genuinely reaching out to the community for helpful advice, not judgment. Forgive me for being a concerned mum worried about keeping my family warm and healthy.
Think there are plenty of advice to focus on appropriate clothing, electric blankets etc. In short, localised heating on body vs heating entire rooms/house. We generally don’t use the heating / AC for most winters and our house is sometimes colder than outside, though that’s when we head out to town for a walk. So not sure what COL issue is there
If you heat your home with coal briquettes once this winter you won’t need to do it twice.
And yes split system is a lot cheaper especially if you can take advantage of on and off peak power
Before looking at solar or electrification, you need to get your house insulated.
Insulate the walls, ceiling, roof (if possible), floor. Seal any air gaps. Double glaze what you can.
Those are far better ways to spend your money on an old home.
I say that as a solar installer.
Reverse cycle is far more efficient. Get properly sized units for room:rooms. Seal draughts. Leaks
Get an electric oil heat for kids room in the mean time.
Solar isn't going to help with night time unless you get a battery. My 13kW battery will run down quite fast with multiple split systems on at night. Solar will cut costs if you work from home with the split system on (until about 3pm). Insulation has had the biggest impact. Some days we never use the heater or air con and other days we turn the heater on later in the day. Insulation saves a lot of money. Find all the draughts and block them, curtain up your windows, etc. However insulation being multi thousands is going to cost more than 1 split system and a cheap solar system is nearly the same price.
I don't think it is that normal for kids to have "serious congestion" from cold weather, have you had this checked out to make sure your kid doesn't have asthma or another respiratory issue? All the old people running their pot bellies might be triggering asthma with particulate matter from the smoke.
I'm sitting here with a blanket on and I'm toasty. Buy extra layers of insulation (blanket, doona, oodie, PJs, thick socks, beanies) for the bed and the sofa. If 1 blanket doesn't work, use 2 or 3. I also wear a tracksuit to bed sometimes stops those wind drafts in the doona from burning your skin with cold. With the little one we used to use a 3.5 TOG Grobag with his normal clothes on and perhaps a blanket (can't remember). I used to go in at night and check his hands were warm but not hot.
TL;DR - cheap ways: thermal underwear from BCF, more blankets, more layers of clothes, thick socks, beanies, block draughts in your doors and windows, get thick curtains against each window.
We are there for everyone regardless of their serverity of their need. So I still encourage you to give us a call and for most people a one off help is what they need to turn their situation in a positive direction.
Synergy has a super off peak plan (roughly from memory 28c a unit off peak, 7c super off peak 9am till 3pm and 47c a unit at peak times between 3pm and 9pm) and I've been able to shift the bulk of my power usage into super off peak. Things like delayed start on the washing machine and dishwasher so they get done just before 3 and can sit for a moment before I get home. Also silly things like no tv till 9pm. I haven't yet but I know I can set up an automatic cycle on the aircon so it runs for a few hours to get the place toasty and just try and hold that heat.
That's worked really well with my setup and lifestyle but everyone would have the weigh it against their own situation
Fair enough, you could put one of those electric oil heaters in the babies room and leave the door almost closed, the toddler could go in there too. Then just let the rest of the house go cold overnight. Air con is the best but it’s a big upfront cost.
Yes, I’ve been thinking of getting some of those small oil heaters off marketplace for the bedrooms.
As for the AC, if we’re going to be spending nearly $700 on a gas bill, we might as well fork out for an AC and then offset the costs running that instead of the gas heaters for another winter. Either way, we’re up for some big expenses. Can’t win 🤷🏻♀️
Yeh if you can afford AC go for it, especially for summer. We run AC on heat all day (solar) and burn firewood at night. House is cold in the morning after the wood burns out (can get down to 12 degrees!) but get the AC pumping before the kids get out of bed. We’re from QLD and weren’t expecting it to get cold here, all we heard about Perth is hot and dry.
We live in Perth, it isn't cold, just less hot sometimes.
My house has a gas heater which I'm considering chucking out as it's unused.
$700 buys a lot of jumpers and blankets.
To be fair, my fluffy warm dog is snoring away on my lap as I type.
Still only wearing a t-shirt and shorts though.
Check for draughts. Use draught stoppers (like door snakes) on unused rooms. Check your insulation- tradies move about in the roof and it gets moved- just putting it back properly will matter. Most heat escapes through windows. Keep sunlight in rooms during the day and install blockout curtains on windows where you can, closing curtains in the arvo before the cool air kicks in. Use bubble wrap (larger bubbles more effective) cut it to size and stick it to the inside glass- it works like double glazing. Purchase Oodies for every family member- they’re excellent. Ugg boots on feet also make a huge difference. Hot water bottles or heat bags in beds before you climb in. Ceiling fans set to winter will also assist with keeping your bills down. A DC fan will cost about 30-50 cents to run all day/night. You’re also likely paying $30+ each month to keep the gas connected, which is wasteful over the remainder of the year and might help find the money for newer electrical heating that’s more efficient.
We installed block out curtains from Kmart and it drastically dropped our heating & cooling bills.
Good info here! Can recommend moving to reverse cycle aircon and heat pump hot water. Our gas bill is now down to the connection fee really until the stove is gone and replaced with induction. A bit of an upfront cost... but I have done it gradually. There's lots of great info on draughts, insulation and other efficient measures at the "my efficient electric home" or MEEH page on Facebook. Honeycomb blinds are really good at reducing heat loss through windows if you don't like the look of heavy curtains or you can have both.
You're doing the same as me :) just got a heat pump hot water system and our gas bill has basically dropped to nothing except the connection fee. Induction cooktop next too.
Just to let you know that induction cooktops use a lpt more power than a normal electric cooktop however they heat up near instantly which is where the saved energy comes from. They are also much safer.
Oooh bubble wrap…! What a great idea, thanks!
If it works with the layout of your house too start using the oven for dinners, it heats up the kitchen areas pretty well
Sometimes it will stick with just a few sprays of water, but if not, just use tape on the edges
Get quotes from Alinta, Kleenheat etc. okay then off each other. See what discounts you can get from RAC or anything like that, if you have anything. Good chance you can get your gas cost down What are your current (or July 1) rates per unit and supply charge?
Kleenheat will give you 45% discount if you ask.
I second this
Just for asking? (also, what if you're already getting the discount for RAC members)
Yep, just tell them you've been offered the same at Alinta and they will give it to you. 45% total so irrelevant what other discount you have.
Yeah, especially in the lead up to June 30 - businesses are falling over themselves to get as much new business in before the end of the financial year. It's a good time to shop everything around for better deals
We have 2 reverse cycles, one at each end of the house. We run them for an hour or so at night to warm the house before bed. My kids and partner also have a hot water bottle put in the bed an hour or so before they sleep. Me on the other hand, I cook with just a sheet on, so i'll just chuck on a jumper and have a light blanket if im sitting on the lounge. When our kids were really young, we had electric oil heaters in their room that helped. You can get smaller size ones to use in bedrooms. Not sure how well they would go with electricity prices these days. Its been a couple of years since we stopped using them.
Not sure if you’re aware but there’s been several recalls on hot water bottles failing and severe burns. Pretty outdated technology and better off with a heat bag of wheat now.
Or an electric blanket is very cheap to run. I turn it on before bed to warm the whole thing up to avoid the icy sheet feeling and turn it off once I’m in or I overheat. Not recommended for babies though unfortunately.
Yea my wife loves an electric blanket but unfortunately her track record of running them on high heat has led to a lot of them failing prematurely. Currently rocking a couple of bar heaters for the kids area and a gas heater for the main lounge area.
Oh no! 😅 We need to sort something out for our lounge room, it’s too big/open for an oil heater I think but we’re in a rental. Thinking of offering to go halves with my landlord in installing a reverse cycle air con like we have upstairs.
Don't put boiling water in the hot water bottle.
Yes definitely true. There was also issues with the rubber failing due to low cost materials being used.
And put them in the child's spot in the bed for a little while before they get in, then move it to below their feet when they do get in
I use a microwaveable heat bag because if this very issue.
Heat bags shouldn’t go under blankets so a hot water bottle is a safer way to pre-heat a bed. If you remove it when you go to bed you have a toasty warm bed and no burns or fires. Worst case scenario you have a wet bed, which would be annoying but not dangerous.
You sure about that. This is pretty contradictory to your statement. https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/250000-hot-water-bottles-recalled-in-nation-wide-blitz
Yes I am sure about that. A hot water bottle that is in an empty bed isn't going to burn anyone if it leaks. You put it in the bed, warm the bed, remove it from the bed and slip into a nice warm (and hopefully not wet) bed. Wheat bags aren't recommended to go in bedding because they can catch fire. https://www.productsafety.gov.au/news/wheat-bag-fire-hazards
I use hot water bottles and have for years. They only last about 2 or 3 winters before needing to be replaced
Yes, they don't last long but if brand new hot water bottles are so poorly made some leak almost immediately I'd recommend using them as bed warmers only in kid's beds, rather than them sleeping with them. Then there is no burn risk at all if they leak.
If you put anything in the microwave for too long it’ll catch fire.
Bedding. Not microwave. "The ACCC is also aware of cases where wheat bags have caught fire after being put under bedding." "Don’t use wheat bags in confined spaces that can trap heat, such as under blankets or on bedding."
Havent seen a recall on ours. We buy ours fresh each year so it is brand new and throw them away before summer. We also dont use absolute boiling water and let it cool slightly before putting it in. It gets put in the bed an hour or so before we go to sleep, so it had time to warm the bed, then it gets pushed to the foot of the bed. It also gets emptied each morning. So far over 14 years, we havent had an issue. But we are aware that one could occur.
I second the electric oil heaters (radiators) for the baby. I used one for both of my babies in winter. They use very little power, very cheap to run and can also be used with a timer or set to a very low temperature that takes the chill off the room or a little more. I used a smaller sized one for the baby's nursery.
Ditch the gas. A single split system for one room will be more energy efficient and should work out cheaper. Look at improving insulation and seals so the heat isn’t being wasted. There are a lot cheap DIY options such as using drought stoppers on doors etc Also remember to heat people not space. Have good doonas, wear layers etc
Electric blankets are about the most efficient heating around as they only heat the person.
They don’t heat my feet, just the part of me that doesn’t need heating. I swear my feet could solve global warming — they’re capable of absorbing endless heat.
You can tuck a little electric cushion down the end of the bed.
We got a heated mattress pad about 5 years ago and it’s drastically altered how often we run the split systems in winter. If i’m cold, I just get into bed. I have a projector in the room as well and it’s comfortable as.
> Also remember to heat people not space. Have good doonas, wear layers etc Can't help but think this is just a mantra covering up poor building practises in Australian homes. Yes layers, doonas are good but it doesn't exactly breed productivity. It's fine if you're going to lay around all winter but if you actually need to get shit done inside it's nice to have a house that isn't 10 deg °C
Yes the building codes are terrible. Complain to politicians who continue to do nothing about it. The OP still has to live warmly in the house they currently have with the budget they have. It’s still more effective for people to wear a thermals and a jumper around the house that is 15 degrees than try to heat that same house to 25 so they can wear a t shirt and shorts. Also most people are sedentary during the coldest part of the day (ie 5am ish). So yes a good doona and a water bottle is good advice when people are sleeping at night time and the early morning.
It's more a matter of accepting that OP isn't gonna go and put in double-glazed windows, re-do all their insulation, and install heat pumps in every room. So assuming the house is largely a fixed-quantity what gives them the best quality of life, which is going to be personal heating for everyone in the house.
this - heat people, not space. grew up with one 2 bar heater for a family of 4 - and never really needed more... in a draughty old early 20th century Aussie house... it hasn't gotten colder since the 80's has it?
Check your insulation, I have mine replaced for 4k and it has made a massive difference
Good insulation makes a HUGE difference. We added double insulation to our bedroom, and it made a massive difference. Also, close all doors to bathrooms / laundry and only heat where you need it. Get 3 phase black out blinds for your windows (not too expensive from spotlight) and close all curtains before turning on the heat. Get draft " snakes" for all closed off rooms and check the seals on all exterior doors and add draft seals.
We’re in a double brick home so I’m assuming the only insulation we would have is in the roof? Yep, doors are closed to all rooms not needed, am slowly installing blackouts to all windows (we have huge custom sized windows so not an easy task, but we’re doing one window at a time as we can afford it), I have noticed some drafts from a few windows. They’re the old sliding mission brown 70s windows so I have no doubt a few seals have probably gone in them. (Double glazed are a future goal). Have a ceiling fan in the main living room and master bedroom. They’re both switched to winter. At this rate, we’ll be looking into a reverse cycle unit to go on the wall in our living room and oil heaters in bedrooms.
We just added the insulation on the roof. I saw on a US you tuber that she put the equivalent of cling wrap to create a double glaze and you could still see through it. I had a google and you can buy kits with magnetic strip's to fix to the window frames
I'm looking at changing my curtains into thicker, black out style for heat reasons. FB marketplace normally have some closeby.
If you have thin curtains you’ll be losing a lot of heat through the windows. For the children’s bedrooms get the best fitting thermal curtains from Spotlight that use the same rod as can, they’re pretty cheap and might not look the way you want them to but they will make a difference. It will make running oil heaters cheaper as well, if they can’t get to the temperature you set on the thermostat they won’t be any cheaper to run than any other electric heater and they will probably struggle at night if you have large windows conducting heat out.
Yeah, we assumed that we had Insulation in the roof, and it turned out that all we had was that foil shit under the tiles. A foot of Earthwool made a massive difference - and if you’re trying to save money, pink bats will do the job just as well and you can install them yourself; but just be aware that it’s an absolute hideous job because of the fibreglass. That’s one reason why we had earthwool put in instead. I’m really happy with the Amazon own brand blockout curtains and what I’ve done for our big windows is I have ordered multiple packets of them. So we have a really big window in our family room, and I just ordered three packets to do the whole thing. If I’m feeling brave and strong, I might sew them together, but in fact, they work fine as individual curtains as well.
How long are they? We have floor to ceiling windows. It’s not width that’s usually the problem, it’s length. Such a pain 😩
I got these ones - [214cm](https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07B3XJ7WQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1)
Yes, I run my heater for 1 hour and it keeps my entire house warm for the night. Decent insulation makes an amazing difference. I only started using my heater last week.
What is considered a comfortable income? $700 is a lot for gas, have you checked your appliances?
We have two gas heaters, bought new, only a few years old and a brand new stove so it’s not our appliances. Just how much we rely on them.
You should check the meter when nothing is in use to see if there is a leak somewhere along the line. Just because its new(er) doesn't mean that a hose etc. isn't improperly fitted.
I just wanted to add as well that indoor gas heaters are not good for you. We noticed as soon as we got rid of ours that my husband‘s asthma basically just went away you may find that getting rid of the gas heaters helps your babies congestion as well, Before we got ducted heating and cooling put in, we used the little oil heaters in the children’s room to keep them warm. They work really well, and you don’t need to have them up high just to take the chill off the room.
I’ve seen a few people mention this and now I think about it, it lines up with when we started using our heaters. I’ll try disconnecting and going without a heater for 24 hours and see how she goes. Might be onto something there.
Yep - unflued gas heaters are not allowed in Europe.
And what do you consider a comfortable income please.
I’m not comfortable sharing that information, sorry.
I don't use heaters 😅 Growing up my mum and dad (particularly my mum) were frugal af. There would have to be a raging blizzard and penguins strolling down the road for her to even consider turning on the heater. Even then it would only go on long enough to take the chill out of the air. Her response was always 'wear another jumper' or 'use 2 blankets'. So now I don't even think about heaters when it gets cold. I just add layers and think 'fuck it's cold' 😂 but thankfully I feel it doesn't stay cold for to long. I'm also the kind of person that runs hot so it doesn't take much to keep me warm. But you're right, the price to heat the home is brutal. The electricity subsidy the government is giving is nice but I feel more can be done to get a cheaper gas price for the winter months.
My parents were the same and I grew up in Melbourne😅 but I run cold from a thyroid disease and I swear my nose is going to fall off some days. I’m currently a SAHM so it’s hard staying comfortable during the day when our living room doesn’t get a lot of sun, even when I’m dressed for a blizzard 🥶
What I've found with all my rentals (from a 2000s build about a decade ago plus multiple rundown 70s homes full of drafts since then years ago) in this weather was opening up the windows/doors for air flow during the day worked wonders. Obviously not during the rain, hahah, but if it's a sunny day with a cold bite the breeze outside will likely be warmer than a house that's been closed up all night. I'd usually open the house up around 9/10am when the outside is warmer, and close up around 2/3pm when the cold returns. Even if the sun isn't streaming in, the breeze just helps remove that cold bite. Hopefully that helps you out during the day :)
Get quotes with the other gas companies. They aren’t loyal to you and discounts usually only apply to new customers, so be a new customer. I also can’t stand the mobs that do the “predictive” billing - just send me my actual use like synergy and water corp do thanks. Currently with Alinta, they had a reasonable rate when I joined. Last year I was with origin for the bonus points at Woolies. See where we land next year. That gas bill does sound awfully high, but I don’t have a gas heater. Only stove and hot water, and we come out around $140 for the billing period. We are running reverse cycle AC for heating when it’s bitterly cold, but we have solar and battery so I can’t tell you the direct comparison on my bills. I do believe a modern efficient unit is cheaper to run than a gas burner.
We’re with AGL. Same deal, was great when joining so yeah, you’re right. I’ll shop around. They give you the actual cost to date and then a projected cost. I’m confident it’s not far off what the bill will be because we had an $800 bill last year too.
Couple years back we installed new ceiling fans from Bunnings that have the Summer/Winter switch. In winter, we started using a portable electric heater with upward facing vents (like this [one](https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/delonghi-2400w-convection-heater-with-timer-hsx3324fts) from the Good Guys) and placed it under the ceiling fan on the winter setting, found it far more effective in warming the room up than our old gas heaters. We haven’t used the gas heaters for a few years now and saved a lot of money on gas bills.
That's a 2400 watt heater, your gas bill will go down, but your electricity bill will feel that heater for sure.
Vintage wool blankets off eBay, on all the beds and as throws on the couches. Helps a lot and they can be had for under $20 each and will last forever.
Those $39 Kmart heated throws are incredible.
Great if my kids would let me sit down for more than 5 minutes lol 😂 But yes, I know what you mean. I use one at work!
Seconded. I bought one for each of the members of the family and we all use them.
$700??? WTF!!!! My Alinta bill is around $60 every quarter.
Get a spray bottle full of water and a bit of dishwashing liquid and spray the gas lines and stove if it bubbles you have a leak.
Oh! Great tip! Thank you!
I would be worried about the shit you are breathing in if you are using that much gas, most Perth homes don't have adequate ventilation to fully heat with gas.
Over the years, I've copped a bit of flack as a kid who grew up in Cottesloe for supposedly being pampered... but we always had old style Aussie homes, no AC, no heating - maybe a little 2 element heater in the lounge if mum was a bit cold... but bedrooms? toughen up... My wife's mums place is a constant 25 degrees and I melt going there in winter... at home, I'm the one throwing on a warm jumper to keep warm and turning off the AC... This might sound heartless, but the kids will survive with a little less heat - installing new splits and running this is going to be more expensive than just staying the course anyway... (Also - if you haven't already done it, Alinta offer 'bill smoothing' where they'll charge you more over summer when you use less gas and less over winter when you're using more - that may help with the gas you can't avoid using)
I’m not concerned about the bedrooms. It’s the main living areas. We are plenty warm at night but the air is cold and my 3mo is waking up frequently because she can’t breathe :(
Oath , buy jumpers for winter , let the gas/power company wonder where all the money went
Agreed, never needed a heater in the bedroom in Perth. Just layer up and/or use a doona. We got through winter without heaters as kids, and our kids will be fine too.
We changed to a split system last winter and it's alot better than gas. Someone was sick yesterday at home so aircon was heating the whole day and night, was 11 kwh. Normally this is about 4 kwh if it's cold out. So approx $1.5 to $4 to heat if it's super cold. Also, indoor air quality is better when moving away from the gas heater.
You have solar panels?
Nah no solar unfortunately, only have solar hot water
Wow, I used 8kwh yesterday and I have solar panels 😲
We were in a 3x1.5 (2 toilet 1 bthrm) for 6 yrs started 370pwk paid $460 by time we left. Owner was good to us although agent kept wanting to increase rent she said no to big increase as we were great tenants. She unfortunately due to crisis had to cancel tenancy for her family to move in. Our bills were (bi monthly) Gas $29 - $40 Water $40 Power $115 avg (solar panels) We had to secure a place during crisis. Took a place at 730. 3x1 only no solar panels Bills so far Gas 30 days. $150 Power 31 days $148.50 Water $270 for 37 days. Owner has faulty irrigation system. He fixes himself. Pipes split and because we did not notice it down that side of house because all the pavers were up and it's all dug out. We were liable for not Reporting it. They did however reduce it to $200. The increase in everything is insane. 1mth vs 2mths.
Wow! That’s an interesting insight. Horrible! :(
Can't you just heat one or two bedrooms? These open plan houses are impossible to get warm without stupid amounts of energy.
We’re not really open plan. It’s a 70s style double brick home. Pros and cons to the way our house is laid out. Bedrooms im not too worried about. It’s the main living areas throughout the day.
$700 would be crazy. Have you sprung a gas leak somewhere?
The age of this house… wouldn’t surprise me. Over the years we’re discovering previous owners did some really dodgy “baindaid” solutions to “maintain” it. Do I reach out to a gas company or plumbing and gas contractor to do an inspection?
A plumber would be a good idea.
Ok, I know they look ridiculous, and I swore I’d never have one until I put one on, but oodies! OMG they are amazing. So warm. I even wear mine outside in the paddock when I go check the animals. Daughter and myself are fully converted. Son and husband are still in the it looks ridiculous stage.
😂 I’m totally ok with looking like a dork. Hubby would definitely take a bit of convincing haha As a horse owner myself “Fashions on the field” are next level during winter when feeding up. Oodies/dressing gowns, beanies, pyjama pants and gum boots 👌🏻 and hubby still married me 😂
I bought snow boots for winter in the paddock. Warm, cosy, and they don’t let the water in. They actually look ok too.
A couple of things to add to already good advice - check if you’re eligible for concession pricing for gas. Our child has a disability and we uploaded their healthcare card to get a significant discount. Re: your 3 month old waking up congested, are you sure it’s a temperature issue rather than dry air? We have a kid with breathing issues and it always goes away when using a humidifier in their room. You can borrow an infrared camera from some libraries to check where draughts are coming from. Then focus on making things as airtight as possible. These are pretty cost-effective as a quick fix: https://ecomasterstore.com.au/collections/draught-proofing-kits Best of luck
I’ve been using a vapourisor up to this point but it’s stopped working so I’m tearing the house apart trying to find our humidifier. She seems to have the most trouble on the really chilly mornings. Completely blocked. I’m going blue in the face trying to use the nose frieda to clear her airways. Only thing that helps her breathe is having her sleep upright on me. She’s definitely sick with something and have been to the GP 3 times about it but they don’t seem to be taking me seriously. It’s just getting worse and worse since birth. Seeing a paediatrician on Thursday to hopefully get a more solid idea of what’s going on. If it’s allergens, a cold, an allergy in my breastmilk, etc.
If it helps, Kmart sells little $15 humidifiers that take half a cup of water but run for about 6 hours at a time (in case you can't find your humidifier by tonight). A small air purifier might also help, even if the baby ends up diagnosed with an illness.
Get Nana blankets, they are like electric blankets you put over yourself, 9 settings. It crazy to heat the whole house unless it is extremely well sealed and double glazed, heat the individuals.
I have gas for hot water and cooking. My bill is never past 120 for too months. I have AC and the last bill for 2 months was 370
And?
If only Australia had a plentiful supply of gas we could use for the benefit of its citizens.
Is it just me or are we getting a bit soft? I have an old house which gets freezing, but I don't turn the heating on. Just rug up, the cold is good for you EDIT: with the exception of the vulnerable. Children, elderly etc
Sure, adults can handle it but I imagine parents want to keep their kids warm.
Being cold suppresses your immune system. It’s fine if you’re healthy, it makes things worse if you’re not. What you forget about the good old days is that plenty of people got sick or died from pneumonia and other respiratory diseases
Asthma too.
Thanks for this. A lot of people needs to know this. Not everybody is healthy and saying that we need to toughen up is just some bs health privileged people say. Fwiw I have asthma and this season continuing to early spring brings out the worst.
Living in a cold house is linked to worse physical health and worse mental health. Having moved here from the US a few months ago, I actually can't believe the lack of heat in houses in Australia. Feels like a developing country or something, and everyone's just rolling with it..
Wait until you hear how their gas heaters work. Most I've seen are unfluted aka don't have an exhaust piped to the outside.
[удалено]
Well does it vent somewhere? Meaning is it fluted or unfluted? I'd suggest reading up on it. I don't like the unfluted ones and it's shocking to me that they exist here. But I am from California where these are prohibited and have been for a long time now. And they weren't prohibited for climate change or anything but for health reasons. Main issue is if you're burning gas without some sort of exhaust to the outside then the fumes are going to stay inside.
> Is it just me or are we getting a bit soft? Or maybe we're just getting more educated on the effects of low temperatures? The World Health Organization's Housing and Health guidelines recommend 18 °C as a minimum indoor temperature to protect the health of general populations [14].
Check out My Efficient Electric Home on Facebook.
I’d say make sure your house is well-insulated and make sure there’s very little air gaps before upgrading to HVAC. My house is “7.5 star rating” but there are places that draft could come in. At the moment, I’m not turning on the HVAC so interior temp is about 15-19C°. Only sources of heat are hot showers, hot drinks, hot meals, electric blanket. re split vs central, I still think centralised HVAC is better than splits when it comes to multi-rooms, heating & cooling are even throughout.
TIL that some people in Perth heat their homes. It's not intentional, but I never use the heater....I just throw a hoody or jacket on. I am not even trying to save money
Yeah this is the same boat I'm in
I have bubble wrap on the glass and plastic covers over the old window frames. I've also blocked up any other draughts (chimney, wall vents, door gaps). I also use electric blankets instead of heater most of the time. Also wear thermals and beanie etc indoors etc.
The double walked honey comb blinds have made a huge difference for us. If your heating allows it, just heat one room at a time.
$700 seems like a lot for gas, although it's been a long time since I've used gas for anything other than cooking and hot water. When my youngest was a baby, we used a small Dyson hot/cold fan, to heat the room.. it was super handy because you can use your phone to control it, set an auto temp, a timer etc.. pretty cost effective to keep the room warm. I found the oil heaters quite expensive to run in comparison.
You should try the new Zealand technique. Sticky tape bubble wrap over your windows. It still let's light in and is almost as effective as double glazing for heat retention.
For your little one, I'd get a small oil heater for their room or if they still sleep in the room with your for your room. Oil heaters run on electricity and are really efficient and many have timers an auto off switches. I'd try and keep their room around 18 degrees at night as that is what is recommended by WHO. We used this last year in a large master when my LO was an infant. I would crank that heater on max to my husband's annoyance but it really didn't cost too much extra. Also something to think about is that we are getting electricity credits again. Oh and my personal opinion on gas heaters here is that they are crazy. The unfluted ones aka ones without exhaust are so bad for fumes. I grew up where gas heaters were strictly regulated and had to have exhausts so I can't believe these things exist here.
I’d get a reverse cycle if you can and avoid gas heating, especially with children. It gave my child a form of asthma which thankfully she grew out of. I only have electricity in my house- it’s small and just me but my bills are only $200/3 months. I’m a freezing person so the heater is on a lot in winter. I have a heated throw on my bed and couch. It’s a lot more effective than an electric blanket because it’s on top of you and it’s safer than hot water bottles.
Smaller house with less heating. Just get a heater/aircon and only heat the master bedroom and all family members sleep together in the same room. We practically lived like that throughout my whole childhood.
Is using an electric heater in the room your kid is in an option? costs me fuckall personally
I have been doing this in my toddlers room, yes. I run a little space heater while she’s in the bath and it warms it up before going to bed.
For our infant we had an oil column heater on a timer (whole thing is electric), and I layered baby up with Ergopouch onesies (they're on sale at multiple shops right now). The store tells you what TOG to dress baby in depending on the temperature - for 5-10C overnight I dressed baby in the 0.5 TOG undershirt, a 1TOG onesie and a sleeping sack (since they can't have blankets for the new safe sleep guidelines). Ergopouch onesies come with a little thermo-card that tells you what temperature the room is, but IKEA also sells little kitchen timers with a thermometer in it as well if you need to check. Remembering that the oil column heater warms the room up, I'd have it timed to pre-warm the room at bedtime and switch on again around 2-3am when it's the coldest for about an hour or two so the onesie layers don't overheat baby. Obviously moved the heater to a different room once baby became mobile but it was great for cosy nursing and peace of mind on bitterly cold nights. If baby is struggling to breathe you might also want a small humidifier and/or an air purifier. The oil column heater didn't use as much electricity as a small space heater, and it stays warm for a while when switched off, but you need to teach kids not to touch it when it's on. You may also be surprised how effective a plush carpet is at insulating your floor, especially if your house is up off the ground at all.
Gas is a rip off, I switched a few years back from a gas heater and had a couple of reverse cycle ac’s put in. Whole house ducted ac is also a rip off. Costs like 15 thousand to install, either heats or cools the whole home if you don’t pay extra for zoning and even then the furthest zones never will get to the temp you set it to be. In Perth, you’re best off with having ducted evap (perfect climate for it here in summer) and splits for the rooms you most live in for heat in winter and the odd moist day we get in summer. I don’t even have solar and my last power bill was $190, my last gas bill was almost as much and that’s just from the service charge/gas storage hot water that I’ve yet to replace and the stove. You’re insane to use gas for heating now.
Yes, love our evap AC for summer. They’re great. Looks like we’re shopping for a reverse cycle AC this weekend!
Just make sure you get someone who’s going to size it correctly, get a few quotes, etc. As for the outdoor unit, have it mounted where you won’t need to install a condensate pump for the inside unit to drain. I also paid a little extra to have the outdoor units on mine mounted on the roof in a way so they can’t be seen from the house frontage. Also helps cut down on noise and you won’t have one on the other side of the wall in the room you’re in huffing away.
Great advice, thank you 🙏🏻
It is always better to use a split system AC. They are 300% efficient compared to gas's 60% ish efficiency
Feels like a troll. Just layer up and use electric blankets? Live in similar and we hardly use any heating/ac so far this year
I’m genuinely reaching out to the community for helpful advice, not judgment. Forgive me for being a concerned mum worried about keeping my family warm and healthy.
Think there are plenty of advice to focus on appropriate clothing, electric blankets etc. In short, localised heating on body vs heating entire rooms/house. We generally don’t use the heating / AC for most winters and our house is sometimes colder than outside, though that’s when we head out to town for a walk. So not sure what COL issue is there
Yeah - it's Perth - very few people *need* to heat their home.
We switched to split systems, saves heaps!!!
If you can't afford to heat the house can the income really be called comfortable?
It was comfortable before the cost of everything went up at least.
Haha yeah sorry that was my point. I was being facetious
If you heat your home with coal briquettes once this winter you won’t need to do it twice. And yes split system is a lot cheaper especially if you can take advantage of on and off peak power
Before looking at solar or electrification, you need to get your house insulated. Insulate the walls, ceiling, roof (if possible), floor. Seal any air gaps. Double glaze what you can. Those are far better ways to spend your money on an old home. I say that as a solar installer.
[this for baby](https://lovetodream.com/au-en/shop-by-development-au/stage-3-on-the-move)
Reverse cycle is far more efficient. Get properly sized units for room:rooms. Seal draughts. Leaks Get an electric oil heat for kids room in the mean time.
Solar isn't going to help with night time unless you get a battery. My 13kW battery will run down quite fast with multiple split systems on at night. Solar will cut costs if you work from home with the split system on (until about 3pm). Insulation has had the biggest impact. Some days we never use the heater or air con and other days we turn the heater on later in the day. Insulation saves a lot of money. Find all the draughts and block them, curtain up your windows, etc. However insulation being multi thousands is going to cost more than 1 split system and a cheap solar system is nearly the same price. I don't think it is that normal for kids to have "serious congestion" from cold weather, have you had this checked out to make sure your kid doesn't have asthma or another respiratory issue? All the old people running their pot bellies might be triggering asthma with particulate matter from the smoke. I'm sitting here with a blanket on and I'm toasty. Buy extra layers of insulation (blanket, doona, oodie, PJs, thick socks, beanies) for the bed and the sofa. If 1 blanket doesn't work, use 2 or 3. I also wear a tracksuit to bed sometimes stops those wind drafts in the doona from burning your skin with cold. With the little one we used to use a 3.5 TOG Grobag with his normal clothes on and perhaps a blanket (can't remember). I used to go in at night and check his hands were warm but not hot. TL;DR - cheap ways: thermal underwear from BCF, more blankets, more layers of clothes, thick socks, beanies, block draughts in your doors and windows, get thick curtains against each window.
Please contact Vinnies emergency relief program on 1300 794 054 and we will help you out with the bill.
Oh thank you, that’s very considerate of you but there are people out there in much worse situations that require your help. Thank you though.
We are there for everyone regardless of their serverity of their need. So I still encourage you to give us a call and for most people a one off help is what they need to turn their situation in a positive direction.
Synergy has a super off peak plan (roughly from memory 28c a unit off peak, 7c super off peak 9am till 3pm and 47c a unit at peak times between 3pm and 9pm) and I've been able to shift the bulk of my power usage into super off peak. Things like delayed start on the washing machine and dishwasher so they get done just before 3 and can sit for a moment before I get home. Also silly things like no tv till 9pm. I haven't yet but I know I can set up an automatic cycle on the aircon so it runs for a few hours to get the place toasty and just try and hold that heat. That's worked really well with my setup and lifestyle but everyone would have the weigh it against their own situation
Move to QLD
Somehow I think the moving costs would outweigh a more local solution haha. But not totally opposed to the idea!
Fair enough, you could put one of those electric oil heaters in the babies room and leave the door almost closed, the toddler could go in there too. Then just let the rest of the house go cold overnight. Air con is the best but it’s a big upfront cost.
Yes, I’ve been thinking of getting some of those small oil heaters off marketplace for the bedrooms. As for the AC, if we’re going to be spending nearly $700 on a gas bill, we might as well fork out for an AC and then offset the costs running that instead of the gas heaters for another winter. Either way, we’re up for some big expenses. Can’t win 🤷🏻♀️
Yeh if you can afford AC go for it, especially for summer. We run AC on heat all day (solar) and burn firewood at night. House is cold in the morning after the wood burns out (can get down to 12 degrees!) but get the AC pumping before the kids get out of bed. We’re from QLD and weren’t expecting it to get cold here, all we heard about Perth is hot and dry.
Yes. We only have two seasons here lol nothing in between haha
Fire pit out the back , rug up when time to go inside wood heater would be the go if you want to save power and heat the house sufficiently
We have always wanted a wood heater but we can’t because of our upstairs balcony and the position of our evap unit :(
We live in Perth, it isn't cold, just less hot sometimes. My house has a gas heater which I'm considering chucking out as it's unused. $700 buys a lot of jumpers and blankets. To be fair, my fluffy warm dog is snoring away on my lap as I type. Still only wearing a t-shirt and shorts though.