Your house is a complex, temperamental beast made up of all manner of diabolically simple technologies and design ideas - some of which you could easily spend a lifetime overlooking. A little bit of knowledge is a powerful thing, and knowing how your home works is vital to both how efficiently you'll be able to live in it, and how effectively you'll be able to keep it in shape.

So many people these days have new 'energy efficient' houses and don't have any clue about how to properly drive them. Got a snazzy 5-star (or higher) rated home? Unless it came with a manual or a training session, there's a good chance you're not using it properly. Give your builder a call and request some info - you might be amazed at the difference it makes!

Hope you enjoy some of the tips and hacks we've shared here. If you've got some of your own to share, tell us about them on Facebook.

Darcy Wilson
Editor - Build
www.build.com.au