How to keep your home warm if you're renting or on a budget

A cheap or second-hand rug can help block gaps in floorboards to keep your home warmer. (Unsplash: Sina Saadatmand) Link copiedShareShare articleShivering through winter and searching for ways to make your space warmer? If you're strapped for cash or renting a home, installing an expensive heater or renovating for improved thermal efficiency may not be an option. But these cheap and innovative tricks can make a big difference. Heating expert Chris Barnes, from consumer group Choice, says air leakage from under doors and around windows is a big problem in many Australian homes. Based on Gadigal land in Sydney, Mr Barnes says a simple way to find the source of draughts is to walk around your home with a lit incense stick. Using a lit incense stick to locate where air is flowing in and out can help you know where to place door snakes. (Unsplash: Daria Rom) "Put it around the doors and the windows and just see where that smoke flutters. Where's the air actually coming in and going out? And then you know where to target with door snakes," he says. Door snakes are long fabric tubes, often filled with sand, that sit along the base of a door to block cold air, and prices range from $4–20. Jenny Edwards is a scientist working to create energy-efficient and cost-effective homes in Canberra/Ngunnawal country. Ms Edwards says door snakes are easy to pick up from the op shop and instantly solve "obvious leaks under your doors". For drafts around windows, Mr Barnes says weather strips, "which are just sort of rubber seals", are extremely effective for window gaps. They can be bought at hardware stores and typically cost $6–20. Thermal cameras can help you find the cold spots in your home. (ABC/Fremantle Media) If you're still feeling chilly after trying the incense trick, it's worth investigating where the cold spots are in your home, as they may be where you're losing heat. "A lot of councils, through their local library networks, offer thermal cameras as a rental, or maybe just as a free service to ratepayers," Mr Barnes says. "A thermal camera can really help you sort out where the issues are in your house … looking for the hot spots or the cold spots." Like gaps in your ceiling insulation, he says, as an example. "But you can use them all over the place, obviously." One place a thermal camera may find cold spots is the floor. "If you've got bare floors, rolling out rugs in winter does make a difference," Mr Barnes says. Rugs can help plug draughts from gaps in floor boards and add an extra layer of insulation to your room. (Unsplash: Good Days Digital) And it's not just about making your floors cosier and comfier on your feet. "There can be gaps between floorboards that are letting in cold air, and just the floor itself will get cold," he says. "So, insulating it a little bit, with some carpet that you can then roll up and put away in summer, will definitely help." Windows, even ones that are well-sealed and have curtains, can also be a major source of heat loss in homes. Jennifer Edwards says a blanket or scarf draped over the top edge of your curtains can do the same job as a pelmet. (ABC News: Lily Nothling) Ms Edwards says most homes have curtains or roller blinds, but many don't have pelmets, which are frameworks placed above a window (often associated with traditional-looking curtains) that can help prevent heat loss. Warm air naturally rises, but when it "cools down, it drops across the face of the window creating a nasty draught", which the pelmet stops, she says. Ms Edwards says you can use a scarf or a piece of fabric to do the same job. "After you close your curtains at night, lay that across the top of the curtain to create your own pelmet," she says. "You can also often create a pelmet out of cardboard, depending on the type of curtain rail." Lining your windows with bubble wrap puts a buffer layer of air between you and the cold outside. (ABC News) Mr Barnes says while it can be unsightly, bubble wrap is another way to prevent heat loss and insulate your home. Heating your whole house — or even a room — can be expensive in the depths of winter. Keeping the humans inside it warm is often cheaper and more efficient. "Anecdotally, people do swear by it. They do say it works," he says. "It's adding a three-dimensional air layer on top of the glass, which will provide some insulation." If you have a little more cash to spend, magnetic window insulation is another option. "You can get custom-made, magnetically held on layers, for example, which will provide summer and winter protection," Mr Barnes says. "I believe there are some DIY ones out there … or you can get a tradie to come in and do it. "There'll be a magnetic strip frame around the window itself, and then there'll be one of these [plastic] sheets that you can … lock into place on a magnetic frame. "It provides a sort of double-glazing effect." It might sound counterintuitive, but some ceiling fans can also he

How to keep your home warm if you're renting or on a budget

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