The cheapest way to heat your home this winter

The cheapest way to heat your home this winter, scammers resort to intimidation tactics, and the 40% gains driving property investors to buy interstate. Here are five things you may have missed this week.

The cheapest way to keep your place warm this winter

Rising power prices are set to cast an extra chill over Aussies this winter.

But how much you're likely to pay to stay warm depends on where you live - and the type of heating you use.

Comparison site iSelect says the ACT is the most expensive state for heating due to a combination of high energy tariffs and the region's cold climate.

Using a reverse-cycle air conditioner for heating in the ACT can cost around $1471 through winter assuming four-hour usage each day. Switch to a portable electric heater and the cost falls to $472 - a saving of almost $1000.

In NSW, winter heating can cost around $938 when using a reverse-cycle air conditioner (assumes 2.5 hours of usage daily). Portable heaters, on the other hand, could cut the winter heating bill to $296 - a difference of $642.

While a portable electric heater can clearly be budget-friendly, it's also worth adding insulation to your place - or upgrading the insulation in an older home.

Effective insulation can reduce heating costs by around 45%.

'We know where you live' - scammers resort to scare tactics

Bendigo Bank is warning consumers about the rise of aggressive bullying tactics being used by scammers.

It comes as the National Anti-Scam Centre reveals Australians lost a staggering $2.18 billion to scams last year, with nearly 40% of those losses to investment scams.

Bendigo Bank believes these losses may be due in part to a rise in criminals bullying their victims.

Bendigo Bank's chief compliance and financial crime officer, Steven Blackburn, says the national statistics "mirror the threats we see targeting our customers every day.

"In one recent, distressing case, a scammer verbally abused and threatened a customer, telling them 'they had their home address and would come to their house.'

"This was not an isolated incident. These are high-pressure, terrifying situations designed to make people panic and act against their better judgment."

Bendigo Bank is calling on consumers to 'stop, think and protect' to keep their money safe from cyber-crooks.

Blackburn explains, "Stop: don't give money or personal information to anyone if unsure.

"Think: ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Is it too good to be true?

"Protect: act quickly and contact your bank through verified channels if something feels wrong."

Why one in five property investors buy interstate

A new PropTrack-Westpac report shows 20% of investors nationally are snapping up interstate properties.

This rises to 40%-plus among investors in the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

The common thread is that investors are focusing on affordable homes.

Nearly half of investor enquiries on realestate.com.au are for properties under $700,000 even though fewer than three in 10 homes Australia-wide sit below this price point.

Investors who have tracked down one of these affordable properties have likely been well rewarded.

One of the stand-out performers according to the report, has been Bayswater in Perth's north east, where apartments (median value of $585,000) have racked up annual price gains of 40.6%.

Not surprisingly, loans to investors currently make up 40% of the Western Australia mortgage market.

Virgin Australia launches 'Australian-first' all-in-one flight search tool

The battle between Virgin Australia and Qantas to get bums on seats just heated up.

Virgin Australia has just launched a new flight search tool designed to let travellers view cash fares, points plus pay and Velocity frequent flyer reward seats all in a single interface.

According to Virgin Australia, the new search functionality makes it faster and simpler to instantly compare options, plan travel, and choose the best value across Virgin Australia's domestic and international flights.

Virgin Australia's Alex Plummer says the update marks a significant shift in how Australians search and book flights.

He explains, "For the first time, customers can see every available way to book (Virgin Australia) flights in a single calendar view, unlocking far greater choice across dates and fares."

The feature will be introduced progressively, with full availability to all Virgin Australia customers by mid-year.

Aware Super offers free wills service to members

An estimated $5 trillion will be passed down as inheritances over the next two decades.

Yet up to 60% of Australians don't have a will that states who their wealth will go to.

In response, Aware Super launched an estate planning pilot in January 2025, in partnership with industry experts SafeWill.

It has now made the service available to all Aware Super members.

Aware Super's group executive of member growth, Steven Travis, says the early take-up of online wills exceeded expectations.

He notes, "The need for a robust and accessible online estate planning solution is immense.

All Aware Super members can now create a simple, legal will at no additional cost, with the process typically taking about 20 minutes to complete.

Additional services are available for a small fee, including a customised will for members with more complex estates and the option to create a power of attorney.

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