Tips on how to prepare your home for winter:
With summer now over, the air is crisp and clear, our flower beds have faded, and the neighbourhood trees are radiantly turning a new leaf! Autumn is natures ways of telling us to ready our nests before winter’s blast.
It doesn’t take much to keep your home warm and dry! Save money on those costly winter bills and have an energy efficient home this winter.
1) Fill in the cracks:
Fixing draughts doesn’t cost much and is easy to do yourself.
Here’s what to do:
- Check all seals on skylights, pipes and ductwork.
- Look for gaps between floor boards.
- Check your doors and flooring for draughts (tip: hold a lit candle near the edges to check for any draughts).
- Check your windows, if they rattle or you can see daylight you’ve got air leaks.
- Seal off unused fire places.
You can fix most gaps and cracks with a caulking gun and silicone. Adhesive whether strips are also great for sealing.
2) Make sure you have proper insulation:
Insulation can help cut heat lost by up to 60%. The higher the R rating, the more energy effect. Here’s some tips to make sure you’re getting the most out your insulation:
- Try not to squish or flatten insulation when installing.
- The corners of ceilings, floors and walls must be properly covered (this is where most the heat leaks through).
- Don’t leave any gaps – even if it’s only 5% uncovered, you’ll lose a lot of your heating.
- Remember when installing insulations your safety comes first!
3) Check your outdoors:
Winter can be hard on your home, so it’s worth spending a bit of time checking the outside to make sure little problems don’t turn into big ones. Here are some things to look out for:
- Check your roofing – look for any cracked/broken tiles, or rusted/loose roof sheeting.
- Clear out your gutters and downpipes of leaves and rubbish so they flow freely.
- Cut back any old, rotten or overhanging tree branches close to your home.
- Put away outdoor gear like chairs, tables, BBQs etc. Make sure they are safely secured and not left out in stormy weather.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.7% Critical thinking
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29.8% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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