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Winter brings along many good things like comfort food, brisk walks, rugging up and warmth inside your homes. This cosy warm feeling comes with a cost and that is your increased utility bills which rack up to keep you warm.

Many homeowners tend to spend more time inside their homes during winter and this means electrical appliances will be used most of the time along with floor heaters that consume loads of electricity. On average many households experience a 25 percent increase in their utility bills during winter. With an increase in utility prices, this number could go further up.

However, we have some tips which could help you save some energy and still enjoy the cosiness efficiently.

Cover the Gaps

Reducing draughts are one of the most important things you can look into when it comes to reducing your energy usage during winter. Your heating system constantly works to maintain a certain temperature inside your house but when there are leaks that allow warm air to escape your heater has to work even harder to maintain the temperature that keeps dropping due to these leakages.

Cover these gaps which are commonly found near doors, windows and other possible entry pathways into your home. There are specialized sealing products to cover these gaps you can use fabric snakes to cover the troublesome draughty holes.

Mind the Hot Water

It obviously makes no sense to shower with cold water when the outside temperatures are freezing enough already but there are ways you can limit hot water usage.

Your washing machine doesn’t mind whether it’s hot or cold outside so you can use cold water to wash your clothes rather than hot water. Another common practice during winter is to throw everything into the dryer include heavy things like your towel. The dryer takes up quite a bit of energy. Try to use the sunlight to get the drying process started and if you have no option at all then you can throw them in the dyer.

Even if you rely on solar panels try to save up because sunlight can be quite minimal in some areas during harsh winters. However, when it comes to working with solar Brisbane companies, selling this electricity back to the grid can help you earn some money.

Another way to save hot water usage is to make your shower times shorter or you can opt for low flow shower heads.

Keep an eye out for water leakages from hot taps too.

Layer Up

It is always wise to dress for the season. Just because you have a heater don’t dress like it’s summer outside. When you increase a degree in your heater this could roughly amount to around 10% more energy being used.

So, when you dress appropriately you can set the heater to a minimal level.

These are just a few of the many tips that can be used to save energy. There are loads of other methods if you are serious about saving energy during winters. No matter what you do make sure to cover those draughty gaps first.

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You may have a construction project going on. Although great, you need a range of supplies which is a nuisance. It can be hard to shop for them if you don’t know what to look for. This is especially true for cement, which is why we’ll be going through everything you should consider when shopping.

The Stitching

Before you buy a bag of cement, it’s important that you look at it, especially its stitching. If the bag has open stitches, you have to be suspicious as this means it was tampered with. Obviously, you don’t want this as the thing added to the cement could make it hard or even dangerous to use.

You should tell the retailer immediately about the open stiches as they may have more of these bags in their supply. This would help others avoid trouble.

The Mixing

Some cements are hard to mix. If you’re not new to design and construction projects, you need to get a hold of a bag that says “easy mix”. This lets you add water and get to work.

Otherwise, you’ll be spending hours trying to create cement when you could’ve done it in a matter of minutes.

The Rating

Every bag of cement has a rating. It needs to be ISI marked as this means it’s been tested, thus is safe to use. If you find a bag that isn’t ISI rated, you should look online as there may be a reason for this. If everything checks out and you’re still interested, you could buy it. Otherwise, try and stay away from anything not rated.  

The Price

Cement can be expensive, especially if it has a range of additives. You’ll have to consider this, looking for a bag that’s within your budget. If you want a cement bag that has a certain additive but this additive is expensive, you could still save cash.

All you’d have to do is look online. You’d find sellers providing it for a range of prices. You could dig deep, finding someone that offers the cheapest price.

The Brand

Each brand has their own formula for cement, especially with easy to mix bags. Side note: if you want premix concrete Byron bay is known to have brands with great formulas.

You’ll have to research the different brands on the market, seeing how well their formula is. This will let you know how good of a cement mixture you’re getting.

The Expiry Date

If you weren’t aware, cement has an expiry date. It’s supposed to be used 3 months within its manufacturing date. This is as the longer it’s kept, the more likely the cement will be affected by moisture, getting oxidized.

This is very important as if it’s affected by moisture, the cement won’t work well. Unfortunately, not many people know this, which is why they buy cement without looking at its best before date.

All in all, a range of things have been considered when purchasing a bag of cement. So, make note of everything we mentioned.

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Investing on household items or appliances, whether it is for your home or office, is something that most people quite some time deciding on brand, size, budget etc. however, it is quite common that once the appliance is bought, not a lot of people take the time to give it the necessary attention it needs to be able to perform to its best.

And because of this, most owners of these items face problems with their newly purchased piece of equipment quite soon after the purchase when compared to its overall expected lifetime.

Here are a few ways that you, as an owner, must keep in mind if you want your appliances to be a good investment on your part and last you the expected time.

Be Aware Of Manufacturer Recommendations

Knowing your product is important. Being aware of all that your appliance can offer you is an advantage. However, knowing what is recommended in terms of maintenance can help you to carry out the right kind of services at the right times.

For instance, purchasing a fancy carpet may give your home a classy look overall, but most people do not think of hiring a carpet cleaning service to clean the carpet so that it will last longer.

Although making sure the item is cleaned frequently can be considered a waste of time or money, it will definitely save you a whole lot of money in the long run as you will not need to send it in for repairs or do away with it and get a new product which would cost you much more. Reading through the recommendations will let you take the suggestions seriously as they are very important or regret it later.

Use Your Appliances

Another point that highlights one of the reasons that most owners of appliances have trouble with their pieces of equipment is because the rarity in which they use them. By hardly ever using your piece of equipment, one would think that it would last much longer. This could not be farther from the truth.

When one does not use the appliance, especially something like an air conditioner, you will be less willing to spend on services such as taking on the cost of hiring an air conditioner cleaning company. This will leave you with an appliance that is exposed to the factors of nature which can lead the appliance to rust, fill with dust and gradually depreciate in value.

Get Professional Advice

And finally, when in doubt, always seek professional advice. Although it may seem like the costlier option you will at least be rest assured that you will have an appliance that is not only in working condition but also one that is not tampered with.  You will also be sure that you have received value for money and you will be nothing less than fully satisfied with the product that you have purchased.

Following these simple tips will leave you with longer lasting household items.

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