Kimberly kid confronts Canberra’s cold

Chenae and her husband arrived from Western Australia just in time for the 2019/20 bushfires, COVID and the birth of their daughter.

With a small baby, Chenae was spending more time at home than ever before and quickly became aware of Canberra’s cold winter weather.

The Renters’ Home Energy Program helped her learn about how to keep her home warm without fear of high electricity bills.

Now, Chenae knows what to look for to find an energy efficient home when the time comes to find a new rental.

The challenge

“I grew up in the Kimberley, where it’s either hot or hotter, so I had no idea about how to keep myself and my home warm in Canberra’s cold weather,” said Chenae.

“When my husband and I first moved into our townhouse in Casey, we noticed it was cold, but it was manageable since we were either at work or out and about much of the time.

“Then when I started parental leave, I really noticed how cold I felt at home. I was hyper-aware of temperature generally because of the baby and for her safe sleeping at night.

“Managing cold temperatures is not something I’m good at. I was using the heater when I needed to, but the impact on our energy bills was always on my mind.

“I was thinking a lot about ways to save money or bring in more money so that I could stay at home with my daughter for longer and not be under financial pressure to go back to work.

The action

“I heard about the Renters’ Home Energy Program through the Our Canberra newsletter. I felt that we could really benefit from what the program offered, like advice on modifications you can make that are renter friendly. It definitely helped that it was free!

“I was a little apprehensive about the assessment, but as soon as I met Jeff, the energy assessor, I felt completely at ease. He’s a personable guy and kind.

“As we walked through our home, Jeff asked questions and I could see how the answers I was giving were all adding up to the bigger picture. When I didn’t know the answers, Jeff was great at explaining more so that I could give him the information he needed.

“Jeff provided information and tips throughout the assessment about how to lower our energy bills whilst staying warm. It was really comprehensive, and I learnt a lot just walking around my home with him.

“We’d been using one of those electric oil column heaters instead of the reverse-cycle air conditioner, as we thought it’d be the cheapest thing to run. We were careful to only turn it on when we were in the room.

“Jeff had a tool and revealed that the oil heater was using about 10 times more power than the reverse-cycle air conditioner! We got rid of the oil heater and we haven’t had to worry so much about using the heating since then.

“I already had pretty good energy-saving habits, but Jeff showed me practical things I could do in winter to keep in the heat that would help in summer too, like reducing draughts with door snakes.

The benefit

“One of the biggest benefits of doing the assessment was that I could let go of the guilt I felt about using too much energy or spending too much on heating.

“Thanks to what I’ve learnt through the program, I have way more knowledge about the importance of an energy efficient home than when I first moved to Canberra.

“Energy efficiency will be a big factor when choosing our next home, mostly because of the cost of living right now. I’m pretty sure that wherever we move to next, we’ll be paying more rent, and I don’t want to get stung with huge energy bills on top of that.

“Would I recommend a free service where someone comes to your home and shows you ways to make it more comfortable and save money on energy bills? I honestly can’t think of a reason not to! Even if you find out you’re doing great, it gives you peace of mind.”