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Want an easy $400 a year? Ditch the gas heater in your home for an electric split system

Earlier this month, regulators <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-electricity-prices-going-up-again-and-will-it-ever-end-201869">flagged</a> power price rises in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Like many people, you’re probably wondering how you can minimise the financial pain. Getting rid of gas and electrifying everything in your home can save you money. <a href="https://renew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Report-Limiting-energy-bills-by-getting-off-gas.pdf">Modelling</a> by not-for-profit organisation Renew showed annual bills last year for a <a href="https://www.nathers.gov.au/owners-and-builders/home-energy-star-ratings">seven-star</a> all-electric home with solar power were between 69% (Western Sydney) and 83% (Hobart) cheaper than bills for a three-star home with gas appliances and no solar. There are other reasons to kick the gas habit, too. As renewables form an ever-growing part of Australia’s energy mix, electrifying the home increasingly helps tackle climate change. What’s more, there are sound <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2023/02/a-heated-debate--how-safe-are-gas-stoves--">health</a> reasons to get rid of gas appliances. But where do you start? And how do you get the best bang for your buck? Here, I offer a few tips. <h2>A quick guide to home energy use</h2> Australian home energy use can be separated into a few categories: <ul> <li>space heating and cooling</li> <li>water heating</li> <li>cooking</li> <li>vehicles </li> <li>other appliances (many of which are largely already electric). </li> </ul> Of the appliances that typically depend on gas, the <a href="https://www.rewiringaustralia.org/report/castles-and-cars-discussion-paper">largest component</a> (37%) is space heating, followed by hot water (24%) and cooking (6%). This varies between states. Victoria, for example, is particularly dependent on gas. But the breakdown above gives some insight into the largest contributors to energy costs in the average Australian home – particularly in the cooler southern regions. While both gas and electricity costs are rising, as they are now in most states, all-electric homes can expect lower overall increases. <a href="https://renew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Report-Limiting-energy-bills-by-getting-off-gas.pdf">Analysis</a> by Renew has shown ditching the old gas heater in favour of a split system/reverse cycle air-conditioner (without solar panels) can lead to average savings of A$546 each year in Canberra, $440 in Adelaide, $409 in Melbourne and $256 in Perth. Heating a space with a reverse-cycle air conditioner is about four times more efficient than using natural gas. And when the electricity is generated by renewables, it can be done with zero greenhouse gas emissions. And what about heating water? Using the existing electricity grid, the cost of using an electric heat pump is around half that of using a natural gas water heater. The costs fall even lower if a household shifts to solar panels subsidised or financed by government, backed by a home battery providing the energy. In this case, heating costs are around a third of using gas. <h2>So what’s the payback?</h2> Buying new appliances costs money. So it’s important to examine the “payback” period - in other words, the length of time it takes for energy bill savings to equal the cost of the initial investment in a new appliance. The payback period can vary depending on: <ul> <li>cost and quality of the appliance</li> <li>an appliance’s energy rating</li> <li>size of the system</li> <li>for space heating, whether a split system is replacing an existing ducted system or being added on externally.</li> </ul> A <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CC_MVSA0323-CC-Report-Gas-vs-Electricity_V4-Single.pdf">report</a> last year by the Climate Council calculated the approximate cost differences between higher and lower-end electric appliances. Lower-end hot water heat pumps, reverse-cycle air conditioner and induction stoves were priced around $7,818 all together, while higher-end appliances cost around $14,936 together. Both scenarios included installation costs and $3,000 for electrical upgrades and other costs. The payback period for low-priced appliances ranged from five years in Hobart and Canberra to 15 years in Perth and Sydney. Higher-priced appliances were in the order of eight to ten years for most cities and 12, 16 and 19 years for Melbourne, Perth and Sydney respectively. Rolled out at scale, household electrification is also a feasible way to reduce gas demand. It may be the only practical option available to decarbonise residential energy. As research <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196890422013802#b0130">recently suggested</a>, so-called “green” hydrogen – made by using low-carbon electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – is unlikely to emerge as a cheap replacement for gas boilers. And why look for a technological solution to a problem we already know how to solve? Modelling by <a href="https://environmentvictoria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Vic-Gas-Market-Demand-Side-Study-Final-Report-1.pdf">Environment Victoria</a> has shown installing heat pumps for heating and cooling would reduce statewide gas use by 48 petajoules a year, compared to the relatively minimal 0.5 petajoules saved by installing induction cooktops. At the same scale – and using a similar technology – replacing gas hot water with heat pump hot water reduces household gas use by 10 petajoules each year. That’s an enormous saving of gas. <h2>The bigger picture for all-electric homes</h2> Existing homes can benefit from a combination of electrification, rooftop solar and batteries. They can also benefit from energy efficiency measures such as installing insulation, stopping draughts, closing off rooms and wearing the right clothing for the season. We can work together to speed up the transition to renewable energy and reduce the demand for gas. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-an-easy-400-a-year-ditch-the-gas-heater-in-your-home-for-an-electric-split-system-201941" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home Hints & Tips

If you’re renting, chances are your home is cold. With power prices soaring, here’s what you can do to keep warm

If you’re feeling the cold this winter, you’re not alone. About a quarter of all Australians have trouble keeping their homes warm enough in winter. That figure is likely to soar this year, due to poor quality housing and the rapidly escalating energy crisis. Renters are particularly at risk, but our research has shown many home owners are in the same boat as well. We’ve collected data over the last few years on how many Australians have cold homes, find it <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-heatwaves-our-cold-houses-are-much-more-likely-to-kill-us-83030">difficult to stay warm</a>, and can’t afford their heating bills. What counts as cold? The World Health Organization recommends a <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-CED-PHE-18.10">minimum home temperature</a> of 18℃ for health and wellbeing. About a fifth of Australian renters, for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01136-5">have cold homes</a>. Our <a href="https://able.adelaide.edu.au/housing-research/research/healthy-housing-cre/cold-in-australian-homes#0">current research</a> has shown this applies to home owners as well, with 26% of people across all housing types unable to stay warm at least half of the time during winter. Australia’s energy crisis is likely to see soaring rates of energy poverty, meaning being unable to keep your home warm or cool enough. Here’s why this is such a problem – and what you can do about it. <h2>Cold homes affect our health</h2> If you’re cold at home, you have a higher risk of developing <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00484-017-1379-0">respiratory problems</a>and <a href="https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/fulltext/2014/08000/Stronger_association_of_indoor_temperature_than.8.aspx?casa_token=TFv1eApy3hQAAAAA:9tc6eHiZCAk72mWgrmcgSxQT7kLczUDd7XNpXvNvoIFcMF6pJPSGpORK3SI-Veu4oc994saGXCWuJFBCs3pYN4g">high blood pressure</a>. People in the coldest homes face a higher risk of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935114003661?casa_token=vWpvR-oc8iMAAAAA:q72pW312N2oWIm1Gf9jpTTGUr3sH8uM_DankOAVzziVRT8_OPPnPjxJzDIC_x5j4Pr7O_Uuq">dying in winter</a>. Cold can have a flow-on impact on our health system, which is already struggling. Australia’s south-east has had the coldest start to winter <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2022/06/09/cold-winter-weather-australia/">in decades</a>. Melbourne hasn’t been this cold this early since 1949, while Sydney hasn’t seen these temperatures in early June since 1989. <h2>Double trouble: cold weather and the energy crisis</h2> If you’ve been hit by the recent cold snap, chances are you’ll have been reminded how cold your home can get. This is not a surprise given how badly <a href="https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/research-data-and-insights/research/energy-efficiency-and-reducing-emissions/household-retrofit-trials">existing homes</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-still-building-4-in-every-5-new-houses-to-no-more-than-the-minimum-energy-standard-118820">new housing</a> perform in keeping an even temperature. The cold has made many people doubly worried, because the energy required to heat our leaky, poorly insulated homes is about to get <a href="https://theconversation.com/expect-more-power-price-hikes-a-1970s-style-energy-shock-is-on-the-cards-183911">very expensive</a>. Early results from <a href="https://able.adelaide.edu.au/housing-research/research/healthy-housing-cre/cold-in-australian-homes#0">our survey</a> of over 350 Australians found 25% of people were experiencing shortages of money to the point they will be unable to adequately heat their homes. One third of our respondents said energy was unaffordable. Some reported making trade-offs, such as skimping on food or healthcare to pay energy bills. These people are experiencing energy poverty, where a household is unable to properly heat or cool their home or face significant financial difficulty doing so. While data about energy poverty in Australia is patchy, we know around 180,000 households <a href="https://vcoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Persistent-Energy-Hardship-FINAL-Web-Single-Page.pdf">in Victoria</a> had persistent bill payment issues as of 2018, and 45,000 households were consistently unable to heat their homes. <h2>Energy price increases hit lower income households hardest</h2> Lower income households are more at risk from the cold. That’s because they’re more likely to live in homes that are in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10852352.2016.1197714?casa_token=D_2YbBQ9wRkAAAAA%3A5Z_XqM42cmGunbSwhVJ-EaaHrtV4w3nORhDq9ZoaqAMBx700PldV7_9VVPdAWy7mm2hi3KYLOij3">poor condition</a> and hard to heat. One quarter of low income households told us they struggle to stay warm. Insulation may be a key factor, with 25% of our respondents reporting their rental properties did not have insulation. Insulation matters, because heat escapes homes through <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/glazing">single-pane windows</a>, or poorly insulated walls and ceilings. As a result, poorly insulated homes <a href="https://environmentvictoria.org.au/resource/10-tips-warm-house/">cost more to heat</a>. This makes life harder for low income renters, given they have little control over insulation or other home modifications. Worse still, heaters that are cheap to buy are often the most <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/top-tips-improve-home-energy-efficiency/#:%7E:text=Shoot%20for%20the%20stars%3A%20Top%20tips%20to%20improve%20your%20home's%20energy%20efficiency,-26.11.21%20By&text=Compared%20to%20a%206%2Dstar,amount%20of%20electricity%20we%20use.">expensive to run</a>. While an efficient reverse cycle air conditioner would save money and heat the space better over the longer term, it is often difficult for renters to negotiate installation with property managers or landlords – especially given the intense competition for rentals at present in many cities. That can mean renters will suffer in silence, unwilling to ask for something that will make their lives better. <h2>What can renters do?</h2> Low income renters face real threats from energy poverty this year. While we need systemic change to improve the outlook for Australia’s renters, there are low-cost DIY ways to improve how <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/">your house retains heat</a> this winter. The first step: check your current heating appliances are working efficiently. Many people don’t clean the filters on their reverse cycle air conditioners. This makes them less efficient, and can drive up energy bills. Poorly sealed windows and doors make it hard to stay warm. Using <a href="https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/insulated-curtains.htm">thermal curtains</a>, and keeping them closed makes a big difference. Putting a piece of plywood or even a scarf between the curtain rail and the wall to make a <a href="https://environmentvictoria.org.au/2011/07/05/take-the-chill-out-of-winter-with-diy-pelmets/">DIY pelmet</a> also helps keep the heat in. If you have single glazed windows, consider <a href="https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buyers-guides/window-buyers-guide/">window films</a> as a way to improve performance for a fraction of the cost of double glazed windows. <a href="https://blog.csiro.au/draught-proof-house/">Sealing the cracks</a> around windows, under doors and around the wider home is also important. Silicon or expanding foam can be used for gaps and cracks. Draughts under doors can be stopped with door seals or door snakes. Close the doors to your bathroom, laundry and other rooms not in use to keep the heat where you need it most. Hanging a blanket over a doorway can also be a cheap way to seal off a room and concentrate heat. It’s also worth checking what rebates and concessions your state government or council is offering. These might include energy efficiency improvements or extra help with heating costs. If you’re renting, your home must meet <a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/energy-efficiency/minimum-rental-standards">minimum standards</a>, so make sure you check what you are entitled to as these vary by state. Everyone deserves a warm home. Our health and well-being depend on it. Building new, energy efficient homes is only part of the answer. We also have to make our 10.8 million <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/total-value-dwellings/latest-release#:%7E:text=Total%20value%20of%20dwelling%20stock,-Download&text=Range%3A%206400000%20to%2010400000.&text=End%20of%20interactive%20chart.&text=The%20preliminary%20estimate%20of%20the,in%20the%20December%20quarter%202021.">existing dwellings</a> warmer. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-youre-renting-chances-are-your-home-is-cold-with-power-prices-soaring-heres-what-you-can-do-to-keep-warm-184472" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

“Split second” moment leaves little boy severely burned

Looking away for a “split second” was all it took for a little boy to suffer horrific injuries from a common household item. In July last year, aged care nurse Georgette Lysaght went to work and left her husband to look after their two children, six-month-old Ben and older sister Brooklyn, in the family room of their Moree home in northwest NSW. Mr Lysaght was sitting on the floor while the children played, with Ben using a walker to make his way around the room, when Mr Lysaght turned to reach behind him for his ringing phone. The room had a gas heater built into a faux fireplace that served as the home’s only heat source. “He had turned to pick up the phone and answer it because it had rung and in that split second Ben had pushed himself to the gas heater and grabbed hold of the bars,” Ms Lysaght said. “Initially his hands got stuck to them and he didn’t make a sound … [Ben was] red in the face from that pain where you can’t even talk.” What Mr Lysaght did next saved his son from having to receive a skin graft, doctors would later say. The quick-thinking dad picked up Ben and ran his burned hand under a tap. When Mr Lysaght then called his wife, she could hear Ben now screaming in the background. “All [my husband] said was ‘burn’ … my husband couldn’t even talk, he was just in so much shock,” she said. When Ms Lysaght got home the parents rushed Ben to Moree Hospital, after wrapping his hand in a damp cloth and using ice to keep cool water running over the burn. “Ben actually wasn’t crying when [hospital staff] were touching it. I didn’t know at the time and I was like ‘that’s good right? It doesn’t hurt as much’,” Ms Lysaght said. “They said no, it’s bad because it means it’s gone down so deep he can’t feel it on the top layers ... he had basically fried all his nerves.” As a result of his third degree burns, the tips of two of Ben’s fingers were removed as that part of the hand had ‘died’. After the surgery, Mr and Ms Lysaght had to take Ben to The Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Sydney, for fortnightly and monthly physio and fitting of new casts to protect the burn. <img style="width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841549/80aa7e1439b7f4b51eb4e56e44d4b953.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a4dad41b3d3147558e2be39d86207622" /> Nearly a year later, Ben’s hand has now mostly healed, but he is yet to regain feeling in his hand. Doctors have said the sensation will eventually come back. “If he picks things up with that hand and he puts it in his mouth, he gets a shock, he’s not expecting it to be cold or hot,” Ms Lysaght said. While too young to fully remember the incident, Ben does get upset whenever he sees a gas heater and the Lysaghts have since moved to a new home with split-cycle air conditioning and heating instead. By sharing their story, Ms Lysaght hopes to help other families become more aware of the dangers heaters pose and how knowing first aid is so vital. What to do after a burn After a burn, run the affected area under cool running water for 20 minutes - and avoid using butter, gel, cream, iced water or ice. “When a burn occurs, the first step in treatment should always be cool running water. This can reduce the thickness of the burn, as well as the time a burn will take to heal,” said Dr Torey Lawrence, head of the burns unit at The Children’s Hospital in Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick. He said using cold water was the “only effective first aid for burns”.

Family & Pets

The “silent killer” household appliance that ended a grandmother’s life

A Melbourne woman who passed away in June 2017 due to being exposed to carbon monoxide from her open-flue heater has sparked debate about whether gas heaters should be phased out. Sonia Sofianopoulos died in her Greensborough apartment due to a Vulcan Heritage heater leaking gas. Ms Sofianopoulos passed out on the floor of her bathroom and was discovered by her daughter and son-in-law the next day. The gas is considered to be a silent killer as it has no odour, taste or colour and those who are exposed to the poison can experience symptoms such as a headache, weakness, nausea and dizziness. Jacqui Hawkins who is the Victorian coroner believes that open-flue heaters should be phased out, after the investigation into Ms Sofianopoulos’s death proved just how dangerous this household item can be. Coroner Hawkins discovered that Ms Sofianopoulos’s heater was leaking carbon monoxide and the exhaust fan was turned on. The situation was worsened when it was revealed that the dwelling was sealed, and the poison was unable to evaporate, as open-flue heaters should always be used in places with proper ventilation. The apartment did undergo carbon monoxide testing two years prior from plumbing contractors that are hired by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It was discovered that DHHS was servicing heaters every five years instead of the recommended two by Energy Safe Victoria. Ms Sofianopoulos's daughters – Eleni and Stella had to wait three months before finding out the cause of their mother’s death. Emergency services had originally told them that she had died from a heart attack. While the tragic passing of their mother has taken a toll on the two women, Eleni says she is happy with the coroner’s investigation. “I think that certain things could have been done but that’s all now in hindsight so hopefully looking forward things will change and obviously we’ll never anything like this again,” she told the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-22/open-flue-gas-heaters-should-be-phased-out-coroner-finds/10151006">ABC</a>. “Overall we were happy with the recommendations the coroner made today. “We’re just hoping that these changes become mandatory and part of legislation.”

Home & Garden

4 ways to warm up your home without a heater

As the temperature drops, our gas and electricity bills seem to climb, and with winter just over a week away (we can’t believe it, either), what better time to learn how you can keep your home warm and cosy without turning the heater on? 1. In the bathroom There’s nothing worse than coming out of a warm shower and onto cold tiles. <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/bathroom?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-towels&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank">Bath mats and luxurious towels</a> are just two great, inexpensive ways to retain heat. Plus, you can maintain body warmth a lot more effectively with a <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/bathroom/products/deco-by-linen-house-adult-bath-robe-super-soft?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-bathroom-linen-house-deco-robe&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=linen-house-deco-robe" target="_blank">cosy robe</a>. 2. In the bedroom No one likes getting into a cold bed, but you can warm up much faster simply by swapping cotton sheets for <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/bedroom/product-type_flannelette-sheet-sets?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-bedroom-flannelette-sheet-sets&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=flannelette-sheet-sets" target="_blank">flannelettes</a> – you can even get <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/bedroom/product-type_flannelette-quilt-cover-sets?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-bedroom-flannelette-quilt-cover-sets&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=flannelette-quilt-cover-sets" target="_blank">flannelette quilt covers</a>. Complete the perfect cosy sleep space with <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/bedroom/products/linen-house-waffle-blanket?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-bedroom-linen-house-waffle-blanket&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=linen-house-waffle-blanket" target="_blank">a soft blanket</a>, and you’ll be warm in no time at all. 3. In the living room Lounge rooms are often the biggest spaces in the house, meaning it can be difficult to effectively heat the whole area. Instead, warm up with <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/home/product-type_cushions?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-living-cushions&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=cushions" target="_blank">cushions</a>, thick, knitted <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/home/product-type_throws?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-living-throws&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=throws" target="_blank">throws</a> and plush rugs – especially if you have tiled or hardwood floors. 4. Outdoors We can’t all have those wonderful outdoor heaters you see so often at cafes and restaurants, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy al fresco dining in winter. Simply rug up, <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/outdoor/product-type_furniture?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-outdoor-furniture&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=furniture" target="_blank">cover those outdoor chairs</a> to keep in the warmth, add some <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/outdoor/product-type_cushions?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-outdoor-cushions&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=cushions" target="_blank">cushions</a> and <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/decor/product-type_votive-holders?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-living-decor-votive-holders&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=votive-holders" target="_blank">candles</a> and you’ll want to eat outside every night. For all your winter home essentials, including the products mentioned above, <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/?utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_medium=in-article-link-o60shop&utm_content=over60-shop">head to the Over60 Shop</a> for high-quality offerings.

Home & Garden

How to warm up your house without a heater

There’s nothing worse than being cold, especially when you’re trying to relax inside on a winter’s day! While the usual tricks of switching on the heater and closing up the windows work a treat, there are bunches of other ways to stay warm without an astronomical heating bill. Try one of these on for size this month. <ol> <li>Close things up – Unused rooms in your house? Shut them off. Keeping doors closed won’t just prevent cold air from moving into the rest of the house it’ll actually help contain the heat you’ve already generated.</li> <li>Change your sheets – There’s nothing better than a snugly warm bed in winter. Switching your standard cotton sheets for the flannelette variety and adding a couple of heavy blankets are a simple way to stay warm without the need for a heater.</li> <li>Consider a rug – An eye-catching rug may add to your interior styling but it can also be a valuable asset against the cold. Your floor accounts for up to 10 per cent of heat loss if not properly insulated making a rug an easy and affordable barrier against the cold.</li> <li>Turn off your bathroom fan – Got an exhaust fan running in the bathroom or kitchen? Turn it off! Exhaust fans are designed to pull hot air out of your home, the opposite of what you want to achieve. If you do need to run them, do so sparingly.</li> <li>Go back to basics – When was the last time you popped a hot water bottle on your tootsies or used a heat pack to stay snug? These “old fashion” ways to stay warm may seem quaint but they work fantastically well (and cheaply!).</li> <li>Rug yourself up – All the home warming in the world won’t do any good if you’re wandering around under dressed. Jackets, long sleeve tops, hats and dressing gowns are all perfect insulation against the cold. Focusing on heating up yourself can give you that warm feeling while also helping slash your heating bills.</li> </ol> How do you stay warm in winter? Any tips and tricks to share? Tell us in the comments below. Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/06/can-your-house-be-too-clean/">Is it possible for your house to be too clean?</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/05/toxic-items-in-your-home/">10 toxic items in your home that might surprise you</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/05/tips-for-maintaining-wooden-floors/">4 commandments of looking after wooden floors</a>

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Want an easy $400 a year? Ditch the gas heater in your home for an electric split system

If you’re renting, chances are your home is cold. With power prices soaring, here’s what you can do to keep warm

“Split second” moment leaves little boy severely burned

The “silent killer” household appliance that ended a grandmother’s life

4 ways to warm up your home without a heater

How to warm up your house without a heater

Our Partners

News

Shop

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Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

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Finance

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

Want an easy $400 a year? Ditch the gas heater in your home for an electric split system

If you’re renting, chances are your home is cold. With power prices soaring, here’s what you can do to keep warm

“Split second” moment leaves little boy severely burned

The “silent killer” household appliance that ended a grandmother’s life

4 ways to warm up your home without a heater

How to warm up your house without a heater

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