As the nights get darker earlier and earlier and the mornings become frosty, it’s time to start prepping your home ready for the winter season. There can be some arduous tasks that need to be done before the cold weather sets in in order to protect your home.
In this article we’re going to give you some tips and tricks that will hopefully help you save time and money when preparing your home.
Prepare Your Heating for Cold Weather
Heating bills can get expensive during the autumn/winter season, especially if you have an old boiler that’s not very efficient. The first thing you want to do is to make sure that your boiler is gas safe. Ideally this should be done annually.
Cover your boiler and pipes
You should also make sure your home insurance covers broken down boilers. There’s nothing worse than being left without hot water or heating during the winter months. You’ll also want to check the batteries in your carbon monoxide and fire alarms.
If you’re going away for the winter season, make sure you leave your heating on low, this will help prevent frozen and burst pipes. You should also look to invest into boiler cover, this can help keep the heat in and make your boiler more efficient.
Putting your heating on a timer will mean that the house is toasty and warm when you wake up and come back home in the evening. You can upgrade to a smart central heating meter to remotely control your temperature in the home.
Bleed the radiators
If your radiators don’t seem to be getting as hot as they used to, then you might need to bleed your radiators. You can buy a radiator bleeding key in most DIY stores. Use the key to release any trapped air that might be circulating around your central heating system.
Prepare Your Roof for Cold Weather
Warm air rises and so the last line of defense to keep the heat in your home is in your roof. Most people won’t regularly check the roof for damages and often it’s when something goes wrong before they notice any issues. Here are some tips to prevent any disasters.
Protect your roof tiles in the winter
If you’ve got any loose roof tiles, then you’ll need to get these replaced before the cold weather sets in. Missing roof tiles can be a major contributor to losing heat, remember that warm air rises. If rain and snow get in through cracked tiles, then it can damage the integrity of the roof.
Check Your Gutters
During Autumn, the trees are shedding their leaves and they’ll often build up a mulch in gutters. This can often cause blockages which, combined with freezing weather, can lead to damages. By regularly cleaning out the guttering of any autumn leaves and debris build up, you can prevent any damages and extra expenses.
Make Sure Your Outdoor Lights are On
The mornings and the evenings will be getting much darker, so it’s important that you check the outdoor lighting. Replace any light bulbs before the weather gets too cold, that way you won’t need to go up a ladder in the snow if they do go in the depths of winter.
A lot of modern outdoor lighting systems use a light and motion sensor to detect when the sun has gone in or when someone is in proximity of it. Make sure that this isn’t covered with fallen leaves or dirt. If you use a timed lighting system, you may want to keep updating the timings as the nights get darker, earlier.
Make the Inside of Your Home Cosy for Winter
Autumn and winter is when we spend most of our free time inside. So, it's worth spending some time to make your home cosy for the winter weather, to keep you nice and warm.
Change to the Winter Bedding
Change out the flimsy summer bedding for a bigger TOG bedding. Opting for a bigger winter-weight duvet, will mean that you’re nice and toasty in the morning. Add some extra blankets or throws to the bed to make it extra warm. If you get really cold, consider investing in an electric blanket.
Make Your Living Room Winter Ready
The living room is usually a hub of activity in most homes. Getting it winter ready will make it a welcoming room to be in. Start by getting extra throws and blankets out for the sofas and armchairs. This way, you can get wrapped up as soon as you come out of the cold weather.
Follow the scandinavian interior design trends, Hygee for a cosy and comfortable feel. Utilising some extra storage space to hide away some of your clutter will make your living room a much nicer place to be.
If you have a real fire in your living room consider hiring a chimney sweep to give it a deep clean before using it. This will help prevent fires that often break out when chimneys haven’t been swept for a while. It’s also a good idea to check that your buildings insurance covers chimney fires.
Insulate Windows and Doors
Having big, thick curtains can make a massive difference to how much heat escapes. Consider putting up thicker curtains for the winter months. Get some draft excluders for the doors to help keep the heat in and to also stop any cold winds blowing through the house.
Prepare Your Home with Some Winter Essentials
Before it gets too cold, you’ll want to stock up on some winter essentials that will make the winter weather a bit more bearable. Here’s a checklist of some winter essentials you might have forgotten.
- Ice Scraper
- De-Icer
- Soup
- Gloves, Hats and Scarves
- Slippers & Thick Socks
- Firewood and Coal
Hopefully you've taken away some tips to prepare your home ready for the winter weather. For more home improvement tips, offers on sliding wardrobe doors, and much more, sign up to our email newsletters below.
