Summer is truly over, and fall is officially here, meaning that winter is just around the corner. As magical a time as it can be, the cold weather, wind, rain, and snow all wreak havoc on your home and heating bills, potentially costing you money and time that you can’t afford to lose. Instead of sitting back and allowing it, you need to prepare properly and take precautions. With that in mind, here are eight ways you can prepare for the big freeze.
- Replace Your Old Boiler
The thought of your boiler breaking down in the dead of winter is an absolute nightmare. Unfortunately, it’s one that thousands of people have to deal with each year. To prevent this, you should have your boiler checked by a professional and replaced if it’s more than ten years old. This will reduce the risk of breakdowns and carbon monoxide leaks, and save money on heating.
- Insulate The Whole Home
To increase energy savings even further, you’ll want to insulate your loft and roof. After all, this is an area that loses almost a quarter of the heat in your home. You should also consider investing in double glazing, or, at the very least, thick insulated curtains or blinds. To prevent your pipes from freezing or bursting throughout the cold months, you can cover them in foam lagging.
- Plug Any Household Leaks
There’s no use in insulating your property if heat is being lost through leaks and mini draughts anyway. For this reason, you should go around your home to spot these leaks and plug them up. Common cold spots include keyholes, letter slots, around windows and doors, and your chimney. By blocking these draughts, you’ll save money and will feel more comfortable overall.
- Reverse The Ceiling Fans
When it’s absolutely freezing, the last thing you’re likely thinking of is switching on your ceiling fans. However, running fans throughout the colder months can actually save you money on heating, while making use of your cutting edge styling. All you need to do is flick the reverse switch. This will produce an updraft that better distributes the heated air around the room.
- Clean Out The Guttering
When your guttering is filled with leaves, dirt, and other debris, water can back up against your home, causing damage to the roof and sides, that often results in leaks and ice dams. To prevent this, you need to make time to clean out any grime and foliage that might have built up over the last few months. This certainly isn’t a fun job, but it will save you the unnecessary hassle.
- Trim Away Your Trees
Of course, the leaves in your guttering have to come from somewhere, and if you have trees in your garden, I would imagine that they are the culprit. For this reason, you may want to trim away a few of the branches closest to your property. This will remove the source of the leaves, thus helping to keep your gutters clear. It also stops branches from falling and causing harm later on.
- Check Your Insurance Policy
Your home has to face a number of risks, especially throughout winter when it’s cold, dark, and the weather is less than ideal. Most homeowners would imagine that their insurance policy covers most of these potential threats, but, unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. With that in mind, you should double check your plan and purchase any additional cover you might need.
- Stock Up On Essentials
Never wait until the first winter storm to stock up on your cold-weather essentials. As soon as the weather turns, these items will be sold out in every store you can imagine, often for much more than they were priced just a few weeks earlier. Instead, you should purchase your salt, shovel, and anything else you need now. You may also want to put aside some extra food.
- Look After Your Roof
Roof damage and leaks often go unnoticed throughout the summer when the weather is warm and rain-free. Unfortunately, the moment an autumn or winter storm begins, your whole house could be damaged by water. For this reason, you should call in a pro to come and inspect your roof. Never attempt to do this yourself, especially throughout winter when tiles could be slippy.
Winter can be a magical and wondrous time, but only when you’re properly prepared for it. If you want to save yourself time, money, and worry these colder months, then you should follow the tips above and take the necessary precautions.
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