We learned about so many solutions for climate change at our recent Festival of Solutions in Sydney from our wonderful and entertaining speakers and we want to pass them on to you. Ranging from sustainable fashion tips, food waste to home energy efficiency, some of these tips you might already know but haven't got around to implementing yet. So here's our first one - it's about the important role draught sealing and insulation can play in upgrading the energy efficiency of our homes.
At the festival, @jenlishfixitchicks showed us, in playful skits, how filling gaps and insulating windows with clear contact (or even bubblewrap!) can combine with insulation to improve our homes' energy efficiency and lower our energy bills.
The FixItChicks showed us, as they joked around with caulking guns, that most homes have huge potential for energy retrofit and it doesn't have to all be big changes. You can start with filling bigger cracks in walls with expanding foam or fixing small sneaky gaps around windows and door surrounds with "v" tape - both readily available at your local hardware store.
We know that replacing gas appliances with electric, double-glazing windows and installing or upgrading insulation in walls and ceilings are all game changers as far as home energy consumption goes, but they are expensive exercises that need to be planned for with consideration to one's time and budget. If you aren't ready for these big changes it is good to know that there are effective, inexpensive changes you can make today that will make your home more energy efficient and hence reduce your power bills.
Check out more fun and helpful energy saving tips from the FixItChicks here. I'm still to be convinced about the bubble wrap for windows. I don't doubt that it can work but I like to be able to see out of my windows!
If you are ready to take some bigger steps and you live in Australia - see our list of federal and state government incentives/rebates for home electrification, including installing electric induction cooktops, heat pump hot water systems and solar panels, here.
If you already have rooftop solar panels and are ready to get a storage battery, a reminder that some state governments are now offering rebates for storage batteries too.
Keep up the great work!
Join our Women Power program now to go on a household transformation journey with other women, exploring how you can make small and big changes to your home to get off fossil fuels!
