Preparing your home for Winter

Brrrr! It’s cold outside.

As we reach the end of October ready to welcome in November with the nights getting darker earlier and a cold snap already hitting us, now is the perfect time to make sure your home is ready for winter.

Winter can be a harsh mistress. Whilst there is lots of lovely things about winter the cold, bitter weather can take its toll on you and your home. By making sure your home is ready for whatever winter can throw at it, you will hopefully enjoy a cosy winter, save some money and prevent any home disasters caused by the harsh winter weather.

Here are a few ways you can prepare your home for winter  -

Fuel up

If you have a log burning stove or oil boiler make sure you stock up on fuel before winter so you have plenty to keep your heating system working over the cold months.

Have a plentiful supply of logs, kindling and coal for wood burning fires so you can have cosy nights in front of a warm fire. Likewise ensure your oil tank has plenty of oil so you can have your oil boiler working when needed. When getting oil for your tank shop around for the best price and ensure you arrange delivery as soon as you can afford to as oil deliveries tend to get busy when a cold snap hits.

Central heating system

To make sure your home is ready for the cold winter weather looking at central heating systems is a must.

Make sure you get your boiler service so that it is working at tip top condition. Central heating boilers that are functioning properly provide efficient heat and hot water and helps avoid wasting energy and excessive fuel bills. Not servicing your boiler can be risking your boiler not working correctly or breaking down which could leave you without heat or hot water when you need it most.

If you central heating system is old and not working effectively or you do not have a central heating system installed it can be worthwhile looking at upgrading or installing a new central heating system in your home.

Bleed radiators

Air pockets form in radiators which can lead to cold spots in radiators. If left the cold spots will remain and you will find yourself turning up the thermostat to try to achieve the same temperature. As the radiators will not be working efficiently it will end up costing you more money to heat your home. Bleeding radiators will remove the air pockets and help make your radiators and heating system work effectively and efficiently for a cosy warm home.

Pipework

When the temperature drops below freezing there is a risk of pipes bursting which can cause damage and be expensive to fix. With that in mind it is vital to ensure you check pipework.

Make sure you check pipes especially external pipes for leaks or cracks. If any problem pipes are found get them fixed asap to prevent the risk of having a burst pipe.

Another way to help reduce the risk of pipes bursting is to make sure water pipes are insulated with foam lagging. It can also help to leave heating on low even if not home to help avoid frozen pipes.

Draughts

Check your home for draughts as cold creeping in from outside to your home through draughty windows or doors fights against the heating in your home. Draughts can add a chill to rooms and cause heat within a room to escape, this causes you to have to put your heating on higher to compensate which increases your heating bill.

To save money on heating bills and ensure your heating system is heating your room rather than heat dissipating thanks to draughts, stop any draughts by sealing or covering any gaps around doors and windows using products such as draught excluder or insulation tape.

Do you have any tips for preparing your home for winter?

* Collaborative post *