House & Garden

Keep Calm And Protect Your Home This Winter

Winter is well and truly on it’s way, and so it’s natural for a thoughts to turn to colder weather. Sure, there is much to look forward to, and who doesn’t love a snow day. But your home is under severe pressure when the harsher weather hits. Both to keep things in check and to keep you and your family protected. With that in mind, I thought I would share with you some of the ways you can protect your home this winter.

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Make sure you are paying the best electricity rate

As the mornings and evenings get darker, our electricity bill rises. Fact! We will automatically switch those light son earlier and use our appliances much more frequently. So now is a great time to ensure you are on the best tariff for your electricity. Many people end up paying more than they should for these kinds of bills, and often can get themselves a huge saving just by changing their deal. You can obtain more Information online if you want to find out more.

Ensure you have no lurking issues

With winter approaching it is important to check over your house thoroughly. This means looking at your roof to ensure there is no gaps for leaking. Checking your foundations are all up to scratch and any brickwork or rendering is satisfactory. These are all issues that could cause you further problems when the harsher weather hits. The last things anyone wants is a leaky home.

Clear out your gutters to ensure good drainage

Another problem winter poses is sever rain. Even in the driest of areas there is an increased chance of rain, so gutters and drainage are important. Make sure these are cleared out so you have good drainage for when those bad rainfall days occur. Things can get clogged up during the fall because of the falling leaves and debris. Don’t get caught out.

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Protect your exposed pipework

Exposed pipework is open to the elements, and that means they potentially can freeze on some of those colder days. However, with freezing comes the thawing element and this can cause your pipes to burst. But don’t fret, it’s a simple resolve. Just add a foam protection around any exposed pipework to avoid them freezing.

Keep your heating system maintained

No one wants a cold home during the winter, so now would be a perfect opportunity to ensure your heating system is checked over. You may be made aware of an underlying issue that could be resolved quickly, without it turning into a huge problem.

Use a thermostat to control the temperature

Finally, a great tip to keeping those heating bills down is to use your thermostat to control the temperature of your home. It’s no good to let your home go cold and then fire up your boiler every day to heat it quickly. Maintaining a temperature takes any pressure off appliances and keeps your home warm throughout the colder months ahead.

 

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