The Comfort Series

Room-by Room-Rescue

How to Make the “Big Ticket Items” Affordable

The whole point of The Comfort Series is that you do not have to fix your entire home at once. Start with one room, make it noticeably more comfortable, then move on when time and budget allow.

Many larger improvements are usually planned on a whole-of-home basis, but there is no reason they cannot be completed room by room. This makes the work more manageable, spreads the cost, and lets you see and feel the results as you go.

Secondary glazing

Where large lounge-room windows remain cold in winter or hot in summer, secondary glazing can make a substantial difference to comfort near the glass. It is important to note that where the sun is striking the glass, secondary glazing or even double glazing will not reduce the heat load. You need to address the sun strike by external shading.

It creates an insulating air space and reduces heat transfer through the window. It can also reduce draughts where the existing window is appropriately sealed and may improve outside-noise reduction. The biggest difference is often felt by the person sitting closest to the window.

How to Make it Affordable: Secondary glazing is particularly easy to stage because you can install DIY ecoGlaze one window at a time. A typical window takes around an hour, so you can begin with the window causing the greatest discomfort and add more windows as your budget, and building confidence, allows.

Ceiling insulation

If ceiling insulation is missing, thin, displaced or damaged, improving it should be a high priority. Heating or cooling a lounge beneath a poorly insulated ceiling is like trying to fill a bath while the plug is only half in.

How to Make it Affordable: Ceiling insulation is often planned as a whole-of-home job, but it may be possible to prioritise the lounge room first and then zone out the areas that are not yet insulated.

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Underfloor insulation

For a lounge over an accessible subfloor, correctly fitted underfloor insulation can reduce heat movement through the floor and improve surface comfort. This is particularly valuable in rooms with exposed timber floors and large seating areas.

How to Make it Affordable: Underfloor insulation can also be completed in stages where the subfloor is accessible. Begin beneath the one room you wish to prioritise (maybe lounge room, home office or bedroom) where cold floors are having the greatest effect then zone out the areas that are not yet insulated.

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External summer shading

A hot lounge room is best fixed before the sunlight enters. Awnings, external blinds, verandahs, shutters and carefully designed shading can reduce summer heat gain while preserving useful winter sun. The right solution depends on the direction the window faces and the angle of the sun.

How to Make it Affordable: You do not need to shade every window immediately. Begin with the window receiving the most damaging summer sun, which is often a large west-facing lounge-room window. You can use Renshade as a cheap interim solution to shade summer sun (Note: We have had ours in place for 20 years - not really interim - it just works and we saw no reason to change it).

Heating and Cooling: Make the Room Work First

A larger heater or cooler is rarely the answer. Before replacing or upgrading heating and cooling, reduce the room’s unnecessary heat loss and heat gain. Otherwise, the new system will still be fighting the same windows, draughts, open chimney, uninsulated floor and escape routes.

Once the room holds its temperature more effectively:

heating works faster
cooling lasts longer
temperature differences across the room reduce
people sitting near windows and doors feel more comfortable
the system cycles less aggressively
you are less likely to have one person freezing while another demands that the heater be turned down - both sitting in the same room.

The goal is not to avoid using heating or cooling. It is to make sure the comfort stays in the room long enough for everyone to enjoy it.