EATWHETHER BUYING, BUILDING OR RENTING, HERE ARE SOMESURE-FIRE WAYS TO KEEP YOUR HOME SNUG THIS WINTER.

words SUE WHFTE photography PHOTOUBRARY, BIG STOCK, GETTY IMAGES & iSTOCK

Winter may be setting in but thedoesn't mean your home hasto turn into an icebox. Whetheryou're building a new home,renovating an existing propertyor renting, there are plenty ofsteps you can take to make surethat this winter doesn't leaveyou out in the cold.

THE BUILDERIf yoy're a weYou*!! be in as a as totackle in your"rt to (and, for cooling),no do as asdesign, You'll do far if you aor to

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TO BE ACTIVE, GET PASSIVE"ou don't have to be a building buff to know that when itcomes to heating a home there's no better tool than goodorientation — the first step to passive desig n. Passive-resigned houses keep the summer sun out but let the,'. 'nter sun in, and all for nix.

In Australia, "good" in terms of orientation means north--"acing windows. Heat passes through the glass, getss.eked up by furniture or flooring and is trapped in thehouse where you can use it. Make sure the living areasand outdoor spaces used in the daytime face north. If/our site runs north-south, you've struck gold; it'll be easy:o tap into the northern sun in winter while using yourneighbour's house to provide shade in summer.

If you have a choice, buy on the north side of your street.According to yourhome.gov.au a north-south house onthis side of the street allows you to position the north-facing living areas (and gardens) nearthe back of yournouse for enhanced privacy. Life across the road (a north-south site on the south side of a street) is slightly trickier:.our living areas will need to be at the front, so you'll wantto add an entry way to keep things private.

Stuck on a slope? Fingers crossed it's north facing —you'll have far better potential to catch that valuablenorthern sun, especially if you're in a high-density area.Houses on a south-facing slope are far more likely to havetheir sun overshadowed by surrounding buildings.

ZONE UPZoning may be an architectural buzzword but it's one witha purpose, as it makes you focus on the areas you will use

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Above: if your site runsnorth-south, you'vestruck gold; it'll be easyto tap into the northernsun in winter while usingyour neighbour's house toprovide shade in summer,Below left: Zoning maybe an architecturalbuzzword but it's onewith a purpose, as itmakes you focus on theareas you will use mostin your new home.

most in your new home and prioritise your heating needsaccordingly. Zoning a floor plan involves a good dose ofreality. If you'll only use the dining room once a month forguests but will probably spend a numberof hours everynight in your lounge or kitchen, heating the latter shouldtake priority.

Remember, although you'll spend significanttimeasleep, your bedroom is easierto heat by simply getting

DOR A

warm and staying warm in bed, so don't worry too muchabout these areas. Kids' rooms may be the exception.If you think children will be spending a lot of their timeplaying in their room/s, classify them as living space inyourzoning/floorplan and prioritise heating accordingly.

AVOID SUPERSIZINCDon't be tempted to plan oversized rooms for the sakeof it. Sure, a gigantic study may lookappealing on paperbut it'll soon consume more than its share of energy (bothfinancial and emotional) as you realise how much harderit is to heat a large space than a small one.

If your design does include large spaces, you couldconsideradding some retractable walls. Not only willthey allow you to close off the area not currently in usebut you'll create a multipurpose property that is able tochange with yourfamily's needs.

Once you've tackled the floorplan and orientation,you'll be ready to join your renovating neighbours inconsidering other heating essentials such as insulatingand heating systems.

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In a is asas the run, it'sto cars renovate forform. Retrofitting to itsperformance can be an satisfying

Sf not the owner of theor it in the old

a in an architect'syou'll be than those who arefrom scratch. But the good Is, yourrenting neighbours (see opposite),

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FILLING THE VOIDBefore you consider installing newheating, look at what's leaving yourhome without you realising.

"It is particularly important tocheck all the gaps," says Jason Bondfrom Enviroshop. "On a windy day,walk around your house with a litstick of incense. Wave it near thegaps between the walls and floors(even the ceiling, if possible); you'llsee if there are breezes coming in by

the way the incense is disturbed."You may be surprised at what

you discover. EnvironmentVictoriaestimates that if you added up allthe cracks and gaps in an averageVictorian home, you'd be left with theequivalent of a im-by-i.sm windowopen day and night.

This being the case, you'll want toget moving on sealing thegaps—acheap-as-chips exercise solved bya trip to your local hardware store.Don't forget to also block off unusedfireplaces; if left open, they createa vacuum thatwill suck yourhard-earned hot air outside in a flash.

"There's no point putting in asuper-efficient heating system ifyou're attempting to heat the wholeworld," Bond says.

DON'T WAIT, INSULATEOnce you've sealed the gaps,invest in insulation. It may havebeen given a bad rap by the speedyrollout of the Federal Government's

(now discontinued) HomeInsulation Program, but insulationis one of the most efficient ways toheat your home.

Ceilings are usually the best placeto start, as insulating yourceilingwill save up to 35 per cent of heatloss and they're easy for a qualifiedinstallerto access.The ceiling firesthat made news over the past18 months or so showed just howimportant it is that your installerknows what they're doing. Butyou can do your part too: avoiddownlights. Not only are downlightsinefficient because it's virtuallyimpossible to install them withoutleaving some sort of a gap (bye byeheat); they're also a fire risk if theycome into contactwith insulation.

You can also add insulation tomost walls (preventing a further^ to25 percent heat loss, with a furtherboost if you do the floors, too).This isa particularly good idea if you're in atimber building with lowinsulating

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qualities or one with easy-to-accesssuspended floors.

HEATING OPTIONSOnce you've worked through theoptions above you may still findyou're in the market for a newheating device. According to Bond,the best place to start is with gas.

"You can often change to anewer, more efficient version of gasheating," he says. "If you've recentlyboughta house, looking atthe

Above: insulation is oneof the most efficientways to heat your home.

various gas options on the marketcan be a good idea."

A downside of ducted gas andmost central heating systems (asidefrom the waste involved if you haveducts in rooms that don't really needheating) isthatthey turn on forashortamountoftime, turning offquickly as the house gets up to thedesignated temperature.

As to the efficiency of this practice,says Bond, "It's like driving yourcarto

THE RENTERRenters' chilblains are finally getting some attentionfrom councils and lawmakers who are now moreactive in their support of those living in a cold housethey don't own. Many councils offer free "greenrenter" courses and the Victorian Green RentersGuide from Environment Victoria is filled with usefultips for renters, including this nugget: don't attemptto heat above an optimum 19 degrees — every timeyou go two degrees higher you increase your energybill by as much as $151 per year.

Next, seal all gaps (see Renovators, above), including anyskylights you are lucky enough to have. If the landlord isn'tconvinced by your request to double-glaze them, simplystick bubble wrap on the inner side and remove it whenyou move out.

Ratherthan encouraging renters to do their owninsulation, the Renters Guide suggests a gentle poke toyour landlord's hip pocket. Energy and water efficiencieswill soon need to be declared when properties are leasedor sold, Research shows that after theACT introduced azero- to lo-star rating, houses with higher energy ratingsincreased by around three percentoftheirvalue.

)bbying the landlord is not your style, buy thick[h pelmets (both good, portable investments);

the milk barto geta carton of milk."We often go wrong by supersizing

our heating systems, but biggerisn't always better, he adds: "Oftensalespeople will sell people quite alarge central heating unit [like ductedgas] so they don't come back andcomplain it's not heating the houseadequately. You need to be aware ofwhat areas you'll be using as livingspaces and whetherturning on anelectric blanket fons minutes tocreate a nice toasty bed is enough."

Most heaters will suggest a floorspace (in square metres) that theunit will heat effectively. Accordingto Bond, buying at the lowend ofany suggested range usually providesadequate heat.

Whileslab heating isanotheroption, it's probably best if you'rebuilding a new homeas it works farmore efficiently when designed intothe house. If it runs on electricity,you'll chew up a significant amounton yourslab heating. Additionally,unless you live in a really cold area,you may find the timelag frustrating.

"You can have an issue where youturn the [slab] heating on and by thetime it's warmed up the weather's

changed, so it's wasted," says Bond."It's even more of an issue during theshoulderseasons."

If budget is no object, Bond's idea!heating method is hydronic: "It heatswaterand circulates itaround thehouse. It's similarto a central gasheater but it heats the water andemits it through hydronic heatingpanels in the room.

"It's a lovely form of heat. It's notdrying, it's very safe and there's nothermal lag. You get the best of bothworlds: heat wherever you want itbut it's easy to shut off."

Hydronic heating has other lesscommonly considered benefits,he adds: "You can use itfor dryingclothes. I've seen it in a house witha drying cupboard, which ended upbeing the kids'favourite hide-and-seek spot in winter!"

If you've got good gas access inyourarea, a hydronic system willusually be gas-fired.Technicallyspeaking, it can also be solar-boosted, but either way the exercisewon't be cheap. You're looking ataround $10,000 fora typical systemwith another $10,000 on top ifyou're aiming to solar-boost it.

Above: Seal all gaps(see Renovators, above),including any skylightsif you are iucky enoughto have them installed.

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up the smallest area possible so close doors when you can."Think about heating yourself up, notthe room,"says

Bond from Enviroshop, reminding renters that body heatand a good doona can work wonders if combined with ahot water bottle ora quick boostfrom an electric blanket.

If you're working in a cold house, Bond suggestsinvestigating some of the panel-style heaters that sitcomfortably on or near a desk.

"Last winter we were selling isow high-efficiency heatersthat were designed like a computer speaker," he says. "Theysit on the desk pointed at your hands. It will never heat upyour whole bedroom but if you're sitting down studyingthat can be perfect." EI