Better Home · Home energy
Australia's new Home Energy Rating explained in plain English
An existing home can now receive two related energy ratings. One covers whole-home energy use, while the other measures how well the building stays comfortable.
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Better Home · DIY checks
Check these cheap draught fixes before buying a bigger heater
Cold air may be entering around doors, windows, floors or exhaust openings. A careful room-by-room check can identify the useful fixes without blocking safety ventilation.
Better Home · Laundry
Does drying clothes indoors make winter condensation worse?
The water leaving wet fabric has to go somewhere. In an unventilated room, much of it enters the air and can later collect on cold glass and walls.
Better Home · Winter home
Can windows really lose 40 per cent of a home's heating energy?
The widely repeated figure says up to 40 per cent, not every home. Glass, frames, gaps and uncovered surfaces explain why the result varies so much.
Better Home · Renovating
Is a home energy assessment worth doing before a renovation?
An assessment will not renovate the house for you, but it can stop attractive upgrades from jumping ahead of the work that would fix the largest comfort problems.
Better Home · DIY checks
A practical weekend home energy audit before you spend money
You cannot reproduce an accredited rating with a clipboard, but you can map the rooms, gaps, settings and moisture clues that deserve attention first.
Better Home · Winter home
Why Australian winter advice keeps saying 18 to 20 degrees
The familiar thermostat range is an energy-saving starting point, not a rule for every body or every house. The important detail is what happens with each extra degree.
Better Home · Healthy home
Why condensation suddenly appears on windows in winter
The window did not create the water. Indoor moisture became liquid when humid air met glass cold enough to take it below its dew point.
Better Home · Heating
Why a reverse cycle air conditioner can be an efficient winter heater
It does not create every unit of warmth directly. A reverse cycle system uses a heat pump to move heat from outdoor air into the home.
Better Home · Cleaning routine
The 15-minute reset that protects your whole weekend
A realistic cleaner's sequence restores the function of a busy room in 15 minutes without pretending that a reset is a deep clean.
Better Home · Safety
Why bleach and ammonia must never be mixed
What happens if bleach and ammonia mix? The reaction can release dangerous chloramine vapours. Learn the warning signs, safest first steps and one rule that prevents it.
Better Home · Healthy home
Why mould keeps returning after you wipe it away
Recurring mould is usually a moisture problem before it is a wiping problem. Cleaning the mark without controlling water leaves the cause in place.
Better Home · Method
The order professional cleaners use to avoid doing work twice
Professional cleaners save time by controlling where dust, soil, tools and clean water travel. The sequence matters more than rushing.
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