The winter months in New Zealand are the most energy-intensive time of year for Kiwi homes, when keeping warm becomes both more important and more expensive. Our guide covers actions that have little to no upfront cost, can be done in one afternoon, and save you money by reducing the amount of heat escaping your home.
Prepare now for a warmer winter
Improving how your home holds heat during the colder months doesn’t have to involve major upgrades or high upfront costs — it's more about getting on the front foot.
Before the temperature drops, it’s a good time to tackle a few simple, low-cost fixes that can make your home warmer and help keep your energy bills down. Spending just a few hours tacking small jobs now can set households up for a warmer, drier, and more energy-efficient winter.
Small jobs can make a big difference to how warm you feel
One of the easiest places to start with getting ready for winter is your heat pump — something many households rely on every day through winter.
Over time, dust builds up in the filter, which restricts airflow and makes the unit work harder just to deliver the same amount of heat. A simple clean each season can save around $50 a year and help your home heat up faster.
Cleaning only takes a few minutes — just pop the front of the heat pump off, remove the filter, give it a gentle vacuum or rinse, let it dry, and slide it back in.
Choose the right heater and use it well
For rooms without a heat pump, choosing the right electric heater is important. The key is choosing the right size, and making sure it has a built-in thermostat.
A heater with too low a wattage will struggle to warm the room, while an oversized unit can drive up costs. A higher wattage heater with a built-in thermostat can heat a room up quickly, then maintain a steady temperature without using unnecessary energy.
Don’t let your heating go to waste
A damp home is harder to heat, and if warm air is escaping through gaps, you’re spending money on heating your home, but not getting the full benefit from keeping that precious heat in.
A quick once-over of your home to seal up sneaky gaps can reduce the need for extra heating and save around $100 a year. Easy ways to stop draughts are:
- Sealing gaps around doors, windows, and floors.
- Adding draught stoppers or weatherstripping.
- Tightening fittings so doors and windows close properly.
At the same time, tackling moisture can make a big difference to how warm your home feels. Simple things like moving furniture slightly away from walls and managing steam from showers with a shower dome can help create a drier, healthier space.
A few tweaks to daily habits can help keep dampness away more proactively:
- Dry laundry outside.
- Air out your home by opening your windows for 10-15 minutes each morning.
- Use extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, if you have them.
Heading into winter, the focus should be on making the most of the energy you’re already using. Many of the most effective steps can be completed in a single weekend and will continue to deliver benefits throughout winter.
Layer in a few practical upgrades
If you have a bit more time and spare budget, a few straightforward upgrades can deliver even more impact.
For example, older hot water cylinders can lose heat continuously. Adding a cylinder wrap and insulating the first metre of hot water pipe is a relatively easy DIY job that helps keep the heat where it’s needed and can save around $100 a year.
Windows are another key area to stop heat from escaping. Good curtains — especially full-length, thermally lined ones that fit well — can make a noticeable difference. If new curtains aren’t an option, curtain banks can be a great resource for some households.
Window film kits can also help reduce heat loss and condensation. These are an inexpensive purchase from the hardware store, and they create a layer of trapped air, similar to double glazing. You may not get the full benefits of double glazing, but they deliver bang for buck, and they’re a practical option for renters.
Fine tune your heating
Making your home feel warmer isn’t just about generating heat, it’s about using it effectively. Heat naturally rises, which means without good air circulation, you’re often warming the ceiling instead of the room.
Using a fan or simply increasing the fan setting on a heat pump, can help distribute warmth more evenly. It’s a simple change, but it can make a room feel warmer without needing to turn the temperature up.
Check your hot water system
Hot water is one of the biggest energy users in the home, making up about a third of your energy use, and lot of systems are set hotter than they need to be. Getting a plumber in to set your cylinder to 60 degrees gives you everything you need, without wasting energy or increasing the risk of scalding. That small adjustment can save around $70 a year, with no impact on day-to-day comfort.
Ways to keep the heat in at home
Find out more about what you can do to heat your home wisely this winter, and keep the warmth inside where you need it.
-
Use your heat pump wisely
Heat pumps are a low-cost and efficient way to heat your home, and if you know how to make your heat pump work smarter, hot harder, you can save on your energy bills.
-
Reduce draughts
Sealing up sneaky draughts helps to keep your home warm, comfortable, and more energy efficient — without a big spend.
-
Reduce dampness
Good ventilation helps create a dry, healthy home that is more energy efficient, holds in the heat, and keeps your power bills down.
Support
Heating and insulation grants
Warmer Kiwi Homes offers grants of 50-90% of the cost of ceiling and underfloor insulation, and up to 80% of the cost of an energy-efficient heater, to eligible homeowners.
Continue reading
-
Is your power plan keeping up with your home improvements?
To get the most out of your energy efficiency improvements, it pays to check that you’re on the right power plan.
- Electric vehicles
- Solar energy
- Article
- Hot water
-
Heating and cooling
Improve comfort and reduce costs with the right heating and cooling options for your home — from heat pumps to electric heaters — and using them wisely with easy, smart tips.
-
Water heating
Save on your energy costs by using hot water more efficiently, comparing the best system options, and making smart upgrades — from choosing efficient technologies to fine-tuning the way your home uses hot water.