Running your Heat Pump

 This Stuff article caught my eye this month and is well worth a read.

Some people recommend that you leave your heat pump running all the time while others swear by switching it on only when there is someone home.   It seems that the answer is that if your home is well insulated and double glazed, it is probably no more expensive to keep your heat pump running all the time. It may be worth turning the temperature down when you are not there or overnight.

However, if you live in an older home that is not so well insulated and has single glazing. It will cost you a lot more in electricity to leave your heat pump running.  The advice is to turn it off when you are not there.

If you are in doubt, then perhaps try both options for a week and see if there is a difference in your electricity usage.

 

Back to School Savings

By Adele Geradts

This article offers some ideas for cutting down the costs associated with getting everyone back to school.  It also offers some options fir finding assistance with those costs if you are looking for ways to meet those costs.

Buy uniforms second hand
There are so many ways to get your hands on second-hand uniforms, and it can save you a small fortune. Posting on Facebook and other social media sites such as Neighbourly will often turn up some cheap or even free uniform. Trade Me is also a good option for sourcing second-hand uniform. Some schools offer second-hand uniform sales. Shoe stores often have back to school deals as soon as the children have gone back to school
 
Cut your stationery costs
The chances are that you have pens, pencils, books and more leftover from previous years. Get the kids to go on a stationary hunt and then mark off what you already have. Even if you don't want to shop around, flick through the fliers and get your stationery shop of choice to match its competitors' prices. Finally, if the school won't give you a list and asks for a fixed sum of money, wait until your friends have their boxes, look at what you need and buy just that. If you really can't afford items for class sets such as colour pencils, don't buy them until you can pay for them.
 
Delay that BYOD purchase
BYOD children need to bring their own devices to school. There are some excellent arguments in favour of the educational value of a tablet. Last year's model will do, or a cheaper brand might be ok. If you delay buying until February, you'll find some good sales. Do carefully check the technical requirements with the school though – you don't want to risk purchasing a device that's incompatible with the software the kids will need to use.
 
Spread the cost
Ask your school if you can buy as you go. Often schools keep a stock of stationery at the same cheap prices that retailers sell the stuff for in January. Or only buy the absolute minimum number of uniform items at the beginning of the year and stock up as the seasons change. Retailers need to clear their stock because they know they won't sell much until next January.
Some schools will quietly cover the cost for you if you go to them and ask.

If you're struggling, go to Work and Income for a school assistance payment early. WINZ may be able to help with school uniforms and stationery if you're on a low income or a benefit. They may be able to help with the costs of some school fees and activities if there is an immediate and essential need for them. For example, 

• school camps
• trip costs
• school fees.

Some schools may ask that students have computing equipment, e.g., iPad, laptop or tablet. If you can't afford to buy these, WINZ may be able to help, but you need to talk to the school first to see what options are available to purchase via the school first.
If you're not on a benefit, you may be able to get a Recoverable Assistance Payment.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/recoverable-assistance-payment-grant.html
If you're on a benefit, you may be able to get an Advance Payment of Benefit.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/advance-payment-of-benefit.html

These loans are recoverable and do need to be paid back, but at least they're interest-free.
You can find more information here https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/children/school-costs.html

More Power Savers

In my last post, I provided some power saving tips – things that you can do for free to cut your power bills.  

In this postI’m going to look at things that have a cost but which generally pay back that cost by the power that you save.
 
Low energy lighting.
The no-extra-cost ideas from last month will save you more than enough to buy your first low-energy light bulbs.  LEDs are dropping quickly in price, they last a long time and a bulb of around 8 watts gives good light equivalent to a traditional 100 watt filament bulb, or a 25 watt fluorescent bulb.  Where possible avoid using the fluorescent light bulbs (the ones composed of small curly tubes).  They are quite fragile and contain mercury which makes them more hazardous to dispose of if you break them.  

LEDs can be bought pretty much wherever you buy lightbulbs.


Efficient Fridge Doors
Fridges and freezers can use a lot of power because they’re working 24hrs a day.  If choosing a new fridge, look for at least 3.5 stars on the energy efficiency label. Each extra star is an efficiency gain of about 10%.

Check the seals on upright fridge and freezer doors. They need to be tight enough to hold a piece of paper trapped in place when the door is closed.  If not put new seal on the doors.  Look for parts sources in Yellow Pages or ask at a retailer.

If you have an older fridge that runs  for long periods each day it may have a faulty thermostat –A recent survey found that about one in 5 older fridges did!  Unnecessary running could frost-damage food and run up excess bills. 
 

Stop whistling draughts.
Draughts can steal away up to 20% of the warm air from your home. Block up any open fireplaces with a chimney balloon or permanently with board or bricks and seal gaps in and around windows and  exterior doors. Hardware stores stock draught-stop strips, brushes and sealing caulks. You can make draught-stopper ‘sausages’ or ‘snakes’ to place at internal doors, from old scraps of fabric, stuffed with tights or cushion filling.
 

Cheap  DIY double-glazing  for windows.
Some of your windows might be suitable for using a plastic window insulation kit.  These are a clear plastic film, which you attach to the inside of the window frame using double-sided adhesive tape, and shrink the plastic to fit with a hair-dryer or fan heater.  You can find out more about the pros and cons of this at www.energywise.govt.nz

Free Power Savers

People have managed to save quite a lot on their power bills simply by learning about their own power use and thinking about how to use less.  Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. How hot is your hot water?

A survey of NZ homes found that about 1/3 of them had had dangerously hot water at the tap.  If it is, it can be a danger to children may risk being scalded and you will be using a lot of power to keep it that hot.

Hot water at the tap should not exceed 50°centigrade when running at its hottest.  Don’t make it too much lower than this – it also needs to be hot enough to control bacteria in the water.  Most electric or gas water heaters have a thermostat fitted to control how hot the tank gets.  The thermostat at the tank should not exceed 60°C, so that water from the hot taps flows at no more than 50°C.

    

     2. Only turn stuff on when you are using it

Turn off the TV, or lights when there is no-one in the room. Put the computer to sleep if you are going to be away from it for a few minutes.  Turn it off if you are going to leave it for more than an hour.  Turn these things off at the wall overnight or during the day if you are not home.

      3. Wash clothes in cold water

You know this!   Use cold water detergent and just do it. 

Running the machine only when you have a full load also saves power.

4. Dry clothes outside in the Sun

As much as possible hang your clothes outside in the sunshine.   An added benefit even in the winter is that UV light in sunshine helps to kill bacteria on your clothes.  Better still, put a clothesline under a carport, pergola or other covered area for when it rains.

It IS better to use a well vented dryer for a few minutes than to dry clothing on racks indoors when it’s raining.  Drying clothing indoors releases heaps of moisture into your house making it damp and cold.

5.  Once dusk falls, close the curtains.

Keep room heat in. Glass still loses heat, but more slowly when insulated from the room’s warm air by lined curtains under a pelmet or by close-fitting fabric blinds. Venetian blinds are not effective insulation as they allow too much air movement.

If your curtains are thin or non-existent, check out the curtain bank at Community Energy Action

Phone 374 7222 or visit www.cea.co.nz

Keeping your Home Dry without Breaking the Bank

A dry home is a warm and healthy home.  Keep your home dry in the winter months by:
 

1. Drying your laundry outside as much as possible.  If you have a dryer, use it only when you have to and make sure it is ventilated to the outside of your house.  Make sure you clean out the lint filters after each use so your dryer stays as efficient as possible. 
2. When using the bathroom, turn on the fan (if you have one). Open the windows a little while you are using the bathroom and open them wide once you have finished.  Keep the bathroom door closed as soon as you turn the water on.  This ensures that the steam does not get into the rest of the house and that it is directed outside.  Keep your showers short to minimise steam and save on hot water.   
3. In the kitchen, keep the lids on saucepans and the kettle and turn down the heat when cooking.
4.  Wipe any condensation that you have on your windows off each morning.
5.  Ventilate your house on fine, winter days by opening up all the doors and windows at the warmest time of day for about 20 minutes.  If you are not home in the middle of the day then try to do it for a few minutes before you leave in the morning.
6.  If you have mold anywhere, use white vinegar and apply it generously to the area that has the mold with a spray bottle or a cloth.  Leave it for one hour to do its work, then gently scrub the mold off with warm water and wipe off excess water
7. Avoid unflued gas heaters - which release toxic fumes and make your house damp. Cheap portable electric heaters are safer and cost less to run.

If you can spend some money and or time and you live in an older home, here are some other things that you can do to improve the health of your home:

1. Put down a black plastic sheet under the house as a barrier to water vapour coming out of the soil.
2. Ensure all the vents under you house are clear.
3. Fix any leaky pipes or leaky guttering.
4. If your windows are single glazed then you could consider double glazing them, or if the expense is too great then try this DIY method using window insulation film (see more about doing this here).
5. If your floor or ceiling are not insulated then consider insulating them.

 

10 Reasons Why You Should Consider Buying Second Hand Furniture.

Huge quantities of furniture are being imported into New Zealand and consumers are buying it up, but there are many things that the buyer should be aware of.

1. Imported furniture often breaks quickly.
It has been designed to be light so that shipping costs are low and therefore is usually not strong.

2.  It is often poorly constructed
Take a closer look before you buy furniture from overseas. Do the  cupboards and drawers shut smoothly?  Have they  been squarely cut?  Are the joints tight?

3.  Overseas timbers  live in a different climate.
The timbers are used to more humid environments than the New Zealand one and as such moisture seeks to make its way out. This may cause buckling and loosening of the joints and can be rather difficult and time consuming to rectify.

 4. Second hand furniture stores are not located in expensive areas.  High overheads in any business are passed onto the consumer. 

 5. Quality second hand furniture is strong and has been built with solid construction techniques making it built to last. There may be wear and tear, but with  some tender loving care by yourself or a furniture restorer,  a piece of furniture can be  brought back to its former glory, or creatively upcycled.

6.   Fashion is fickle.
  Today's latest trends   disappear very quickly and your home becomes dated by your purchases.  Some consumers are embarrassed when they don't have the latest styles and feel compelled to update. Updating your furniture several times is much more expensive than keeping  a more unique piece for longer. Furthermore, if you follow fashion,  in the back of your mind, you always know that you have been tricked and seduced by clever marketing.

 7. Second hand furniture was made when things were made slowly. 
The work and craftsmanship and attention to detail can be  remarkable.  It feels good to have something that has been made with pride, and if you restore it, it feels good to have treated it with the respect it deserves.

8. Your creativity can run wild.
Second hand furniture  has more character  and you do not have to be locked in to buying something from one time period.  You can mix it all up, and more importantly, find pieces that you genuinely  love  and will generate  interesting discussion when you have company over.

9.  Buying local furniture,  puts money into the pockets of everyday New Zealanders.
Local buying means investing in your local area.  Healthy local businesses spend locally, whether it is in the form of  sponsorship or personal spending. If local businesses do well, it has a spiralling upward effect, on the community around it.  Everybody wins.

10.  Environmental benefits.
Upcycling, recycling, restoration, zero waste,  whatever you call it, means a better planet and future for the generations to come.  You can sleep better at night, knowing that you are not contributing to the enormous piles of furniture being thrown into the landfills every day.

Deb Harding Browne
No Boundaries Furniture
Halswell