Cold Weather Tips For Caring For Your Home

Maybe it’s your first winter in a new home, you are first time buyers, or you are just looking to make sure your home is cosy, safe and secure in the cold weather. The average spend on home improvements, DIY work and emergency repairs increases in winter usually because people fail to prepare their homes for the colder months and find themselves with a breakage or issue that needs urgent attention.

Some basic checks could help you avoid having to call out a heating engineer on the coldest morning when you are late for work and the boiler is broken. The first important thing to do as the nights draw in and things get chillier is to check to the boiler, a top tip is to make sure you bleed your radiators to ensure they are working efficiently and heating your home as they should. Follow the rest of our cold weather tips for homes in winter, here:

Try To Avoid Your Pipes Freezing

Although it is important to conserve energy wherever you can, it is not ideal to allow the temperature of your home to slip too low as this could lead to your water pipes freezing. This becomes a problem as it could leave you without running water and even increase the risk of the pipes bursting. Keep warm air circulating around the pipes to prevent the water inside from freezing. Regularly run the water to keep it moving to prevent it solidifying and freezing. This could save you a hefty repair sum and is one of the top cold weather tips for homeowners.

Consider Updating Your Appliances

If you are looking into it already, autumn and winter are an ideal time to update your appliances. Typical households in the UK will consume the most energy in the Autumn and Winter months. Switching or upgrading your appliances is one idea for how to stay warm in cold weather at home and save money in the long run as it makes your home more energy efficient.

Appliances you should make sure are working properly are;

• Boiler
• Dishwasher
• Oven
• Kettle
• Washing machine
• Tumble drier

As these appliances produce heat, they are likely to get a lot of use in the colder months, particularly tumble driers which might be out of action during the summertime, but they do also draw the most energy and thus a new version could save you money and ensure your home is prepared for cold weather.

Install Timer Switches & Change Them Up

Lights and lamps can be fitted with a simple timer which can turn them on even when you are out. Modern timers can be synced with apps and smart technology to be controlled remotely or via mobile phone. Switching up which light you leave on is useful and also appears more natural. This is an important cold weather tip for home because it can help to keep your home safe and deter burglaries. Of course, you will also be able to see when you get home!

Check For Drafts

If you are looking for how to stay warm in cold weather at home without spending too much money, this is one of the most important checks you should do. Go around your doors, windows, conservatory, your loft hatch and even your garage door to check and make sure everything is sealed as it should be. If the sealing has leaked, cold air could be coming into your home and impacting your property’s efficiency. It may be the case that you need to seek double glazing repairs from professionals as your windows may be losing up to 30% heat.

Don’t forget to ensure you have a professionally fitted cat flap, too!

Check Your Outbuildings

Outbuildings experience a lot of break-ins during the winter months. The risk of this will depend on where you live, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Check the doors and locks and reinforce the windows wherever necessary.

Properly Care For Garden Furniture

Here in the UK, there has been an increase in hurricanes and high winds over the last 5 years. As a result, there has been drastic increase in the number of window breakages and repairs required where unsecure garden furniture has damaged a property. When you know you are not going to be using your garden furniture any more, wipe it down and ensure it is clean (to avoid mildew and mould) and properly cover it, either with tarp or in secure outbuildings. If you are just using tarp, ensure it is properly tied around and weighed down wherever possible.

Thermostats!

A thermostat is the first port of call when you are looking at how to stay warm in cold weather at home. This can help combat so many issues all at once – including preventing frozen pipes as you can set a smart thermostat to turn on when your home reaches a certain temperature – but a thermostat can also prevent you from getting too cold and whacking the heating up full blast, which will draw a lot of energy and wrack up on your bill. A thermostat can be programmed to make getting out of bed on cold, winter mornings easier, as it can be set to come on just before you wake up, get home and then go off throughout the night.

For more cold weather tips for homes or to ensure your windows and glazing are efficiently keeping the cold out, get in touch with the team here at Montrose Glass.