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This guide steers you through the essentials of setting up a new home – the things you need to know, room by room, inside and out, that make your home modern, comfortable and low maintenance.
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Setting up your home
Guide
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ICE
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Welcome
Matthew SteenTeam Leader, Whitegoods
Congratulations! You’re moving into your first house.
But now what? How do you begin to turn those
empty rooms into your home? This guide steers you
through the essentials of setting up a new home – the
things you need to know, room by room, inside and out, that
make your home modern, comfortable and low maintenance.
We outline how CHOICE can help you save money, heartbreak
and frustration with our uniquely unbiased,
independent advice and helpful services.
Setting up your home for the first time
doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We
take out some of the risk and guesswork,
whether it’s knowing which washing
machine has the lowest running cost or
choosing the right home and contents
insurance policy. We want you
to create and enjoy your
personal space with
peace of mind.
matt Steen
2
PLUS! Join CHOICE today and you’ll receive the latest issue of CHOICE Computer and
a CHOICE multi-mini tool set – FREE! Enter the promotion code CCTOOLOFFER
at the checkout to receive your giftsOFFER ENDS 31 DECEMBER 2013 OR WHILE STOCKS LAST
Back to cover4 5
Services & insurance 7Knowing your home is effectively powered, networked
and insured is essential for peace of mind
In the kitchen 10Fridges, dishwashers and ovens – oh my! What you
need to know about the room that will be the heart
of your home
how ChoICe helps 6The advice and services we offer makes the difference
between a good home and an amazing home
In the laundry 12Can you save money over time by buying a more
expensive washing machine up-front?
In the study 16Enjoy playing around with all your gadgets without
getting bogged down by all the technical jargon
around the home 18What about the stuff on your roof, down the side of
your home and in your backyard?
In the living room 14How to watch and record your favourite shows
effortlessly, in the comfort of a clean, climate-
controlled space
Contents
call us today
1300 360 655
Back to cover6 7
how ChoICe helps
As a CHOICE member you get free
access to our CHOICE Shopper
service. You select the $100+
product you wish to purchase and
obtain a price from a retailer.
Then, call CHOICE Shopper on
1300 360 655 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
to tell them your member number,
the brand you’re after, model
number and price to beat. CHOICE
Shopper calls back to advise you
of the best price they’ve been able
to find. If you’re happy with that
price,
CHOICE
Shopper
places the
order for
you.
SHOP tILL yOU drOP
Reliability surveyCHOICE lab testing always
rates performance and ease
of use for new products, but
we usually cannot test their
longevity. This is where
our members come in – do
products in our What to Buy
list perform better in the long
run? Could a Best Buy mean
savings years down the track?
And could a bigger purchase
price save on repairs in the
long run? This is why we
regularly survey members
asking them to share their
experience of reliability for
a number of products.
CHOICE RecommendedCHOICE’s endorsement
scheme allows eligible
manufacturers to use
the exclusive CHOICE
Recommended logo. Where
you see one in shops,
you can be assured we’ve
recommended that product to
buy in CHOICE magazine or
on choice.com.au based
on our rigorous schedule
of testing.
Services & insurance
EnergyBefore contacting a provider,
take a look at your overall
energy use and see whether
you can become more energy
efficient to reduce your bills.
CHOICE’s 10% Challenge (10percentchallenge.com.au/)
is all about simple tips that
will save you lots of money and
let you help the environment.
PhoneThinking of ditching your
landline? Before you do,
consider where you live,
how many calls you make
and where you call. If you’re
a fairly heavy user of your
home phone and internet –
and reliability is important
– keeping your landline can
make good sense.
248 words on this page + quotation
call us today
1300 360 655
Before you start filling up rooms with furniture, you’ll want to ensure it’s properly powered, networked and insured.
Back to cover8 9
Estimates vary, but some say up
to 80% of Australian homes are
underinsured. This could mean
you’re out of pocket by tens of
thousands of dollars or more
should your house burn down and
you need to rebuild. Make sure
you always read all parts of your
policy document and be clear
about what you’re covered for.
What you believe is covered in one
section of the document may be
explicitly excluded in another
section. For example, fire damage
is usually only paid for if there is a
tHE aSSUranCE Of InSUranCE
Services & insurance
flame,
so you
may not be
covered if your
iron scorches your shirt or a hot
pot scorches the benchtop. For
contents insurance, go through
every room of your home and
estimate how much it would cost
to replace each item. Include
everything: commonly overlooked
contents include crockery
and cutlery, bed linen, books,
CDs, clothing and footwear.
And shop around. We found the
average differences between
premiums across Australia were
$600 for home defined events
policies, $830 for home accidental
damage policies, $270 for
contents defined events
policies and $400 for
contents accidental
damage policies.
80%of Australian homes
are underinsured
InternetIf you’re picking an ISP for
the first time:
•Compare speed, download
limit and monthly costs for
a few plans on comparison
sites such as phonechoice.
com.au or whirlpool.net.au.
•Check the length of any
contract and whether there
are any charges if you
terminate before it expires.
•Check the terms and
conditions for minimum
charges during the contract.
•Enquire about any set-up or
establishment fee.
•Find out the cost for
equipment such as a modem.
•Ask if the ISP will support
a modem you purchase
yourself.
•Ask about billing cycles and
if you’re billed in advance.
•Find out the monthly
data limit and if there are
separate peak and off-peak
limits.
•Check for peak and off-peak
usage times and any excess
usage charges.
•Find out if your service is
shaped, or slowed, if you
go over your data limit.
Back to cover10 11
In the kitchen
Through our rigorous testing, we
reveal which espresso machines
have the best temperature
performance, are the easiest to use
and program and, most importantly, make the
best-tasting coffee. We also test juicers, centrifugal and non-centrifugal,
and find the latter in particular tend to perform well. And if you’re
interested in a food processor, we’ve found that whether you choose a
standalone processor or combination processor/blender will depend on
how much storage space you have and what you want to use it for.
SMaLL WOndErSThe kitchen is increasingly the centrepiece of many people’s homes, so it’s important to get it right from the start.
FridgesA good rule of thumb is that
two people need between
250-285L of space in a fridge,
and you should add 28.5
litres for each additional
household member after
that. Add freezer space on
top of that. The bigger the
fridge, the more features,
the better the efficiency
per litre and the better
performance. If in doubt,
get the bigger fridge.Keep
in mind that very large
fridges of all kinds can be
difficult to get into the house.
Check the measurements of
bottlenecks such as doorways,
hallways, staircases and lifts
before you buy.
DishwashersIf you’re limited by space or
renting, consider a slimline
or a compact model. Slimline
machines are narrower than
a normal dishwasher and can
be built-in or freestanding.
Compacts are usually half
the height of a standard
dishwasher and they can be
placed on a bench or built in.
There’s also a drawer option
in the compact type.
OvensYour new oven should be
reliable, easy to use and clean
and last through endless
hours of food preparation.
Most electric ovens these days
are multifunction, meaning
you can use a combination
of top, bottom, grill and
sometimes rear elements plus
a fan to optimise different
cooking, baking and grilling
needs.
Back to cover12 13
In the laundry
Buying big-ticket items such as
washing machines is about
more than just the purchase
cost. Our 10-year running cost
figure is an estimate of how
much it’ll cost you over 10 years
for water and electricity if you
wash the equivalent of one load
every day using a normal cycle.
The calculations are based
on 22c / kWh for electricity and
$1.50 / 1000L for water. We
exclude depreciation and interest
costs, as well as the cost of
detergent – people use different
amounts and the price varies
widely between brands. We
also calculate 10-year running
costs for dishwashers, fridges
and other big appliances.
dEaL Of tHE dECadE
Top or front loader?Front loaders work by gently
turning the washing over and
over in a tumbling action, a
process that is quite gentle
on clothes. This cleaning
action uses less energy (when
washing in warm water) and
water than a top loader and
can be more adept at handling
unbalanced loads. However,
often the wash cycle takes
longer, though many front
loaders often have fast-wash
cycles or options.
DryersWe purchase the most
popular clothes dryers on
the market, bring them back
to our laboratories and test
them for six weeks. Models
tested include electric
vented, heat pump condenser,
condenser and gas-powered
clothes dryers.
Once you’ve set up your dryer:
•Ensure there’s adequate
ventilation or have it
ducted outside. Humid
air circulating around it
increases drying time and
energy costs.
• Only dry full loads.
• Separate loads into heavy
and lightweight – lighter
clothes will take less time
to dry.
• Dry consecutive loads – you’ll
use less energy because the
dryer is already heated, even
if it has a cool-down phase at
the end of each cycle.
• Clean the lint filter after
each use to maintain full
airflow and maximise
drying efficiency.
248 words on this page + quotation
Our 10-year running cost f igure is an estimate of how much it’ll cost you over 10 years for water and electricity
22cThe per kilowatt figure
we use to calculate 10-year running costs
Back to cover14 15
In the living room
You can’t go past a vacuum
cleaner that’s light, quiet and
easy to manoeuvre over both
carpet and hard surfaces, has
a long cord so you’re not forever
changing power points and has
a neat compact design for
easy storage.
Like vacuum cleaners, steam
mops come in stick and canister
forms, but they don’t have suction
power. If you need to clean up
large amounts of spilled liquids,
you’ll need a conventional mop or
a wet and dry vacuum cleaner.
They’re suitable for
most hard floors,
including vinyl, tiles
and sealed timber.
But are they really
that much better than
an ordinary mop and
bucket? Sign up
with CHOICE
and find out!
KEEP It CLEan
Watching & recording tVIf you prefer to watch shows
on your computer rather than
on a TV, a USB TV tuner
is a good option. They’re
small, relatively inexpensive
and usually come with an
electronic program guide
(EPG) and software that
allows you to program a
recording. You can then watch
on the computer screen or, if
you have a TV that connects
to your network, stream the
video to the TV.
Heating & coolingBefore you buy any cooling or heating system, first
optimise the energy efficiency
of your home — for example
by insulating the ceiling and
walls, and draught-proofing
windows and doors — and
then calculate the capacity
you need:
•If you want to cool or heat
individual rooms with
separate appliances, use
our cooling and heating capacity calculators
available at choice.com.au.
•If you decide on installing
a central cooling or heating
system, the right size and
design depends on a
range of parameters and
should be determined
by the supplier for your
individual situation.
Central systems
shouldn’t be bought
off the shelf.
In our first CHOICE Guide we took you through setting up your home entertainment system – one of many ways we can help you out.
Before you buy any cooling or
heating system, first optimise the energy
efficiency of your home
Back to cover16 17
In the study
Digital camerasBefore you buy a no-frills
compact camera or advanced
SLR model, check out our
advice on all you need to
know, including megapixels,
memory cards, batteries,
comes with a screen that’s
clear to read in all lighting
conditions and does not cause
eye strain. Also check eBook
stores to see what format the
books you want come in (the
most common form is EPUB).
Also note where the page-
turning buttons are located,
as this has a big impact on
long-term comfort.
CamcordersWant to be the next James
Cameron? Think about which
connections to your TV and
computer you’ll use, and
make sure the model you’re
interested in has them. Get
all the necessary cables when
buying the camcorder. Then,
consider what features and
functions you need, and
make sure the model you’re
interested in has them all. Go
to a shop and try it out. Check
whether you can comfortably
hold them and reach the main
controls (such as the zoom)
at the same time, especially if
you’re left-handed — most of
the latest models are designed
for right-hand use.
PrintersIn many cases you’ll pay
a little more up-front for a
colour laser multifunction
(MFP) printer but be much
better off in the long term
once running costs are
factored in.
A desktop or laptop computer will likely be the focus of this space. We regularly review both, but what about all the gadgets that sync with it?
video output, viewfinders,
shutter speed, focusing and
image stabilisation.
eBook readersLook for one that’s portable,
has a long battery life and
We test MFPs for ease of use, print speed, output quality, cost per page and running costs, including power consumption
Back to cover18 19
around the home
Hot water systemsFor many people, replacing an
old electric hot water system
with a similar model is no
longer an option. Standard
electric systems produce about
four tonnes of greenhouse
gases per year (on average)
– similar to an average-sized
car – and about three times
as much as gas or solar HWS.
Electric HWS can’t be
installed in any new detached,
terrace or townhouse, or any
such existing property where
there is access to piped natural
gas (some exemptions apply).
From 2012, this applies to
all existing detached, terrace
or townhouses. You don’t
BarbecuesBefore you buy a barbecue,
think about the size you
really need. A large four
burner looks impressive and
will do the job but it may be
much bigger than you really
need and cost you more.
Our testing has found that
smaller barbecues not only
give excellent cooking results
but, depending on the brand,
may save consumers hundreds
of dollars as well. Keep your
barbecue clean by scrubbing
the plate and grill with a
barbecue brush and water
while the plate is still warm.
Installing a solar hot water
system produces carbon-free
energy and insulates you from
rising coal-fired electricity prices.
Solar panels work best when
they’re north facing, pointed
directly at the sun, at the correct
angle and not blocked by trees
or shading. The effectiveness
of solar panels also depends on
where you live and the weather.
SUCKIng UP tHE SUn
Your home is much more than the sum of its furniture, appliances and whitegoods. What goes on outside its four walls is just as important as what goes on inside.
Our testing has found smaller barbecues give excellent cooking results and can save you hundreds of dollars
need to replace a working
electric HWS, but if you
own a detached, terrace or
townhouse, and it currently
has an electric HWS, you need
to consider a gas, solar or
electric heat pump for your
next replacement. Electric
HWS are still available for
apartments and other homes
where gas, solar or heat pump
systems aren’t feasible.
To find out more or to subscribe visit choice.com.au or call 1800 069 552
Back to cover