Rogue hack to keep house warm for free during winter months as costs spike

Australians have been offered an obscure hack to keep their home warm as temperatures plunge and energy prices skyrocket.

An Aussie woman has come to the rescue of households desperately trying to avoid breaking the bank to keep the house warm in winter.

TikTok creator Stephanie shared what she described was a “dodge” but effective way to keep rooms toasty throughout the winter without adding any extra strain on the electricity bill.

Stephanie revealed she had picked up the nifty hack as a teenager while living in the NSW area of New England, where temperatures get notoriously low during winter.

“None of our houses are insulated properly and we don’t have the right kind of glass so heat seeps out of the glass,” Stephanie told viewers.

She then revealed the crafty hack she utilised every year during winter – taping cardboard all over the windows in her bedroom.

Stephanie discovered the hack as a teen living in New England. Picture: TikTok/sbellcaster

Recent chilly weather saw her get the cardboard out again. Picture: TikTok/sbellcaster

“I’ve completely sealed it off with cardboard,” she said, calling it the best “old trick to insulate your house”.

“It looks dodge but it’s really effective at insulating a giant piece of glass in your room.”

Without the cardboard, Stephanie said she only had a “flimsy little blind” between her and the window, which she said did nothing to keep warmth “from seeping out of the glass”.

“That’s where it’s all going,” she said, revealing she often woke in the morning to discover there was dew on her ceiling because of how cold the room was.

“I used to do this all the time when I was a teenager and it works a treat,” she said, recommending that others source some “extra thick” packing boxes for the best effect.

Without the cardboard, all she has is flimsy blinds. Picture: TikTok/sbellcaster

The barrier blocks the cold air out. Picture: TikTok/sbellcaster

“Yes, I can’t open my windows, but given we’re lining up for our coldest winter in 124 years, I feel like that’s not going to be an issue for me for quite a while,” she said.

“That window is staying sealed up until spring.”

And according to the BoM, the chilly weather is only going to get worse.

The mercury hovered at -1.4C at Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba, just after 5am this morning, while, the Gold Coast reached a low of 1 today, and Warwick dipped to -2.8C (apparent), making it the coldest location in the Sunshine State.

The BoM’s Harry Clark said temperatures would drop ever further in the days ahead.

“Essentially what we have is a really dry air mass has been pushed over most of Queensland from down south which is bringing these clear and relatively calm, but cold, conditions,” Mr Clark said.

“We didn’t quite have an autumn so it’s been quite a sharp transition which makes it feel all that much worse. It certainly could get colder over the next few months.”

The big freeze is taking over huge parts of the nation. Picture: Sky

Other hacks to keep the house warm

The Australian government also recently released 10 hacks Australians could utilise to keep their house warm without spending any money.

The tricks included dressing appropriately for the season, avoid wasting energy, turning off heaters when everyone’s asleep or outside, letting the sun in, and not using a hot shower as a way to warm up.

It was also recommended that people shopped around for good energy deals, considered active transport options like walking instead of driving, used the sun to dry clothes, turned off gadgets and appliances, and cut back on food wastage.

Five additional tips were also given, including keeping heat that’s been paid for inside the home, stopping heat from leaking out of windows, setting the thermostat, installing a water-efficient shower head and insulating the roof.

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