How to heat your rental this winter

With winter fast approaching, now is about the time rental occupiers begin to consider heating their homes over the chilly period ahead.

But how do you effectively heat a rental without blowing your power bill, and without making significant alterations?

Well, there are a couple of tips and tricks to help keep your property warm and cozy this winter, and they can also assist with minimising your electricity bills.

The cold, hard truth

Regardless of the age of the property you rent, keeping your home warm over winter is all about minimising heat loss.

In other words, if you’re looking to maximise the ambient warmth in a property or are considering spending money on heating it, it’s critical to ensure that heat isn’t escaping through uncovered windows or via unsealed cracks.

Keep those windows covered

Up to 40 per cent of a home’s heating energy can be lost through uncovered windows, which makes blinds or curtains a must.

Window coverings should be closed in winter come sunset in order to keep the ambient warmth in but opened during daylight hours to allow any available sunlight to heat the home.

If your property does not have window coverings, you can contact your property manager about having them fitted or apply to self-install more temporary options.

Seal those draughts

Draughts account for 25 per cent of heat loss in Australian homes, and they can occur in all manner of places.

Draught proofing is a process that involves identifying where there is unwanted airflow in a property and then eliminating it.

And you’d be surprised where this might occur, and also how easy it is to fix.

Draughts can be minimised using simple tools such as door snakes, temporary weather stripping, or even rolled up towels which seal the cracks beneath doors or around windows.

For example, temporary weather stripping can be used around window frames, door seals can be used on the bottom of doors, and door snakes can be utilised to stop breezes beneath or exterior doors or between rooms.

Just remember, it’s particularly important to halt any draughts that may come in via doors to the outside, but if you are heating a specific are (such a loungeroom or living area) you can also maximise heating efficiency by eliminating draughts from outside that specific area.

Heat after covering and sealing

Once you have draught proofed your rental and covered any windows, the heating method you deploy is likely to be much more efficient, which is not only likely to prove a lot more comfortable but will also save valuable dollars on your electricity bill.

How we can help

Our experienced property managers pride themselves on establishing great relationships with both rental occupiers and rental providers.

We manage every property as if it were our own and you can learn more about our property management services here.

Alternatively, if you looking to buy a property for investment purposes, you can view our properties available for sale here.