6 Simple Ways To ‘Winter-Proof’ Your Home

6 Simple Ways To ‘Winter-Proof’ Your Home

With the days already getting shorter, temperatures on the decline, and more and more jumpers, scarves and gloves making a reappearance on the streets, now is the time to prep your home for the winter months.

While the idea of winter may fill some people with joy, the fear of rising fuel prices leaves a large proportion of the British population worrying about how much they’re going to have to pay to stay warm.

Fortunately, there are a number of relatively inexpensive things you can do to help keep your home warm over winter. From installing draught excluders to bringing patio furniture in, here are six of the best ways to keep your energy bills down and effectively ‘winter-proof’ your home.

1. Check your heating system.

First things first, you need to make sure that your heating system – gas boiler, oil tank, ground source heat pump, whatever – still runs efficiently. After all, the last thing you want to happen is for an issue to go unnoticed, potentially costing you hundreds of pounds to sort out later on.

Therefore, to guard against this happening, you should think about arranging a service for your heating system, by an appropriately-trained and registered engineer.

2. Insulate, insulate, insulate.

Insulation is one of the best ways to keep your heating bills down. Not only does it ensure your home retains the heat it uses, but it also keeps your home cool during the summer months.

In terms of winter though, insulating your loft, attic and pipes should be one of your first ports of call. This will improve the energy efficiency of your home, add value to your property, and prevent your pipes from cracking when the external temperature drops below 0^oC.

3. Seal all gaps.

This may be one of the less popular jobs on this list, but it’s also one of the most effective. Your home loses a lot of heat through cracks and gaps in doors, windows, floors and skirting boards. Therefore, going around your house and sealing up any gaps you can find will make a huge difference to your home’s heat retention.

You should also think about investing in, or creating your own, draught excluders. These are relatively inexpensive, but can be highly effective in ensuring the cold outside weather doesn’t find its way into your home.

4. Clear your gutters.

Another fairly unpopular yet important task, clearing your gutters and making sure they stay free of debris is vital to ensuring your pipes don’t become blocked. If they do, water can converge in them, become stagnant, and cause potential costly issues in the home – such as damp or leaks.

5. Set a thermostat schedule.

To keep your energy bills down, you should set your thermostat on a sensible heating schedule. As a general guide, here are some of the golden rules to follow when deciding how and when to turn your heating on:

• Don’t set your heating above 21^o Anything over this will just feel uncomfortably hot and potentially bad for your health.
• Turn off radiators in rooms you don’t use very often. You’ll only be wasting heat and money if you don’t.
• Set your thermostat to come on at certain times. This ensures your home will be toasty at the times you need it to be.
• Don’t leave your thermostat on constantly. If you do, your energy bills will become crazily expensive.
• If you don’t have a thermostat, use plug timers and electric heaters. This will give you control over when the radiators turn on and off.
• When you’re away from home over winter, keep your heating on at 15^o This prevents pipes from freezing over.
• Think about investing in a smart thermostat. These allow you to set and alter your heating schedule from wherever you are in the world.

6. Protect the patio.

Rattan chairs, firepits, BBQs – patio furniture is all the rage over the summer months but, when it comes to winter, it won’t be used at all. Therefore, with the winter months known for being wetter and colder, without protecting this furniture, it could easily become rusted and broken by the time next summer comes around.

Avoid this from happening by either locking them away in a shed or garage, or protecting them with an effective waterproof cover.