Simple House Hacks To Reduce Your Energy Use

Heating and cooling your home can quietly drive up your energy use. These practical changes and DIY solutions can make a big difference to your home’s energy efficiency year-round.

Improving your insulation and sealing gaps are simple ways to make your home more energy efficient. Whether you are expecting hotter or colder than usual seasons, it makes sense to prepare early.

Areas that can be overlooked are small gaps in walls and throughout the home, which cause conditioned air to escape, forcing your heating or cooling systems to work harder.

And with each degree of extra heating in winter or cooling in summer, your energy consumption increases by about 5 to 10%; so, you can imagine how quickly it can add up. 

Check these areas around your home that can affect temperature retention and airflow the most.

The challenge: Drafts from gaps around perimeter joints, such as single-pane and poorly sealed windows, can let outdoor air in while also allowing conditioned air to escape. This can also be the case for door frames, and where work or cracked weather-stripping limits proper insulation.

Solutions: 

• Use a draught stopper to reduce air leaks from doors.
• Use an excellent weathering and water-resistant sealant for window panes or frame gaps, like the long-lasting Sikaflex® 11 FC Purform®, which can quickly create an air-tight barrier.
• Use thermal curtains or blinds to block out the heat.
• Upgrade to glazed windows to help with insulation. 

The challenge: Direct sunlight and UV exposure on exterior walls can raise indoor temperatures. Over time, your home will naturally shift with weather, vibration and movement which causes cracks to form and allow outside air to sneak in.

Solutions:

• Seal cracks in brickwork, cladding, or rendering with a flexible sealant that can handle movement, like Sikaflex® PRO+, for areas such as connection joints in concrete and masonry facades.
• Add plants to your outdoor living space or courtyard to shade walls and reduce heat absorption.
   

Did you know? Heating and cooling together can account for around 40% of
energy use in the average Australian home.  

The challenge: An increase in humidity and the build-up of moisture in areas such as the bathroom and kitchen can weaken seals around fixtures, vents or extraction fans, which can lead to unintended drafts. Also, if you are noticing the grout from your tiles is cracking or pulling away, the subfloor can also cause outdoor air to seep in.

Solutions:

• Reseal around sinks, baths, and splash zones by using moisture-resistant sealants, such as SikaSeal® Kitchen and Bathroom for a durable waterproof seal.
• Regrout floor tiles with a long-lasting grout formula made to repel water, stains and discolouration. This helps maintain tight seals and supports better energy efficiency.

The challenge: Poor insulation and gaps around vents, eaves and roof penetrations can allow unwanted cold and heat transfer and air leakage. The roofline is especially vulnerable, as heat can rapidly build up and affect the overall efficiency of your home.

Solutions:

• Add a layer of reflective roof paint or coatings to reduce heat absorption.
• Create an added layer of insulation using SikaBoom® expanding foam to maintain more stable indoor temperatures.
• Seal gaps around skylights, vents, and roof joints with the SikaSeal® Roof & Gutter 

The challenge: There are often multiple hidden draught points that can fall under your radar. This is especially true of older dwellings. Small openings can be found around skirting boards, cracks where walls meet floors or ceilings, or even in spaces behind built-in cupboards or cabinetry.

Solutions:

• Keep handy a tube of a multipurpose elastic adhesive and joint sealant like Sikaflex® 11 FC Purform®

If your home isn’t properly sealed, insulated, or well-maintained, energy can easily be lost through gaps and cracks. Regularly inspecting and sealing joints, doors, windows and service penetrations can help maintain a more energy-efficient home.