#157: DIY Green your home

The “y” above may be a teensy exaggeration.

Yesterday most of Australia celebrated the Queen’s Birthday (much like New Zealand did one week earlier). Other than a slew of geeky partying options (scroll down for details), this means one thing for couples everywhere: The To-Do List.

Is there anything more wonderful than having a husband home all day with nothing to do but obey your every whim?

*author ducks and covers*

Every Winter and every Summer, I try to do one thing that makes our house cost less in heating or cooling. Probably the most useful thing we did was make wooden frames for all the windows and cover them in clear plastic. It’s a form of double-glazing that can be taken out when you want to open a window, and put back later. Our bills so far have been $250 less than in the first six months of last year!

Yesterday, CJ installed an internal cat door in the laundry. The laundry is one of the coldest places in the house, and is never heated. It’s also where the cats have their food (and litter tray), which means the door needs to stay open all the time. And naturally, the cats push it wide open every time they go in and out, coldifying our whole house. No longer! CJ cracked out the goggles and power tools yesterday with great effect.

Before:

After:

Now we can keep the laundry door closed all Winter, saving on heating bills and environmental destruction – and the cat smells are kept hidden, too. Considering all I did was hold a torch so CJ could see better, the pay-off versus effort is enormous.

Play along at home: Do you have a window with no curtains? A hole under the front door? An office that takes three hours to warm up? Then get curtains, or a door snake, or work on your laptop in a smaller room for a while. Or share your own excellent heat- and environment-saving tips in the comments.

Published by Felicity Banks Books

I write books (mainly adventure fantasy for kids and young adults), real-time twittertales, and a blog of Daily Awesomeness. @Louise_Curtis_ and http://twittertales.wordpress.com. My fantasy ebook is on sale at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/278981.

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