Why are Australian houses so cold in winter?

Weekly Topic: What is a current hot topic in your country?

Sophie.

When you think of Australia, many people think about the summer. It is true, that our winters aren't as cold as some other countries but it does feel pretty cold. It is winter in Australia at the moment and temperatures in the south of the country can get really low due to winds coming from Antarctica. 

Houses in Australia are not well insulated as they are built for summer weather. In winter, this means that many houses feel just as cold inside as the temperature is outside! With increasing electricity prices, many people are now trying to find quick and easy solutions to stop cold air coming in and keeping warm air in.

For many houses, this means using door snakes (not real ones of course!) which are fabric sewn together and either beans, rice or stuffing placed inside. The snakes are then put at the bottom of the door to stop air from coming in- a draught. There is also weather strip tape that you can buy to stick along doors or windows which has an added layer of foam to stop any wind from coming in. Curtains are great at adding a protective layer against windows. When I was living in South Korea, I used bubble wrap to stick onto my windows to help with the cold.

Blankets, hot water bottles and microwaveable heat packs are also good a cost effective method to stay warm.

How else do you stay warm in winter without turning on the heater?

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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