As it is starting to a feel a little chilly and blustery outside, it is more important than ever to make sure your home is the perfect temperature for you and your family to nestle away comfortably. Therefore, you should take the necessary precautions to ensure there is no heat escaping from your windows or doors. By doing so, you can guarantee your home will stay warm and at a perfect temperature along with keeping your energy bills at a minimum.
Keeping control of your energy bills during the winter period can be a little tricky, especially when there are a number of you in the home that likes it a variation of temperatures. There are a number of ways you can keep certain rooms in your home much warmer than others, including insulation and draught-proofing methods. It significantly improves not only the comfort of your home but also how responsive your heating systems become.
There are a range of measures you can put in place to ensure your home is not only warm throughout the winter, but that also guarantee your energy bills will not see a massive hike throughout this period. Read on to find out our top tips on how to winter-proof your home.
A guide on how to winter-proof your home
Now there are a couple of different things you may want to look into when it comes to making your home winter-proof. Some of the options we provide throughout this article may be more expensive than others, so you may want to choose ones that are essential for your home.
Invest in insulation
We cannot stress enough how important insulating your home is. There is a significant amount of heat that can be lost through the external parts of your building. It has been reported that around a quarter of your home’s heat is actually lost through the roof in your home. Even if you already have insulation in your loft, it may be worth looking at and increasing the depth of insulation to guarantee no heat loss. If you have your loft insulation fitted properly, it can last you up to 40+ years. While it may seem costly at around £300-£400 per insulation, it soon pays for itself in the amount of years it lasts, not to mention the money it could save on your bills.
Clearing out your gutters
When it comes to preparing your home one of the last things you are going to think about is your home guttering systems. While the weather is dry, it may be an idea to get outside and ensure your gutters are clear. Regular maintenance means that your gutters can work to the best of their ability. If not, you may find yourself in a situation where the multitude of water is causing a significant amount of damage to your home.
Draught-proof your home
Every winter you should make your way around your home checking for any draughts that may be occurring. A draught can have a real impact on how warm your home can feel, while you may feel cold air entering your home, you have to remember that there is most likely a significant amount exiting. A draught that has been left can often add around 15%-20% on top of your annual energy bills.
Windows can be a real sucker for a draught, especially if you live in an older house. Some homes do not always have double glazed windows, so you will most definitely need to look at getting window sealant. Window sealant prevents any air or water from being able to enter your home.
You may also want to look at your external doors, make sure you pop your hand the whole way around the door to feel for any cold breezes entering. Draught-proofing materials can be purchased from all main DIY stores. Alternatively, you could also look at replacing your windows, this will not only improve the efficiency of your home but also add value to your property. Crown windows Buckingham provide a wide range of windows fits and styles to suit any home. They also come at an affordable price, so you don’t have to worry about racking out a fortune for new windows.
Get your boiler checked and serviced
One of the many problems winter brings is a broken down boiler, unfortunately, if there is a time of year your boiler decides to break or give up, it is usually during the cold winter months. We recommend getting in touch with a local plumber such as RA Heating and Plumbing who can assist with any boiler breakdowns, repairs or servicing. It may seem like another expense you do not want to invest in, but by having an annual boiler service, it means you don’t have the pressures or worries of it breaking down in the future as a repair or replacement can be fairly costly.
Get your radiators checked by a professional
Radiators are an essential part of heating up our homes; when they are not working to their full potential, it can make a real impact on the warmth we feel. You may find air becomes trapped in the radiators which means they may need bleeding. It is crucial that during the colder months you take the time to have your radiators serviced by a professional plumber such as JF Plumbing Services. The plumber can access all of the radiators in your home, which will help to identify if any potential problems my arise during the colder months.
Move items around your home
When it comes to radiators, they will often only project heat in certain areas. While they are meant to heat your whole room up, people often place household items such as sofas and cupboards close to radiators. By doing so, you often block the heat from being able to rise or make its way across the room.
During the winter months, you may want to think about rearranging the room, or simply moving furniture slightly away from radiators to allow for the heat projection. Alternatively, you could also look at getting radiator foils. They work by making your home radiators more efficient, which help to reduce the cost of your energy bills.
Insulate your piping
By insulating your pipework, you could save around £10-£15 a year on your energy bills. While that doesn’t sound like a large amount, every little saving does add up, and you will want to do your best to not only save money but also to reduce your homes energy consumption.
Choosing pipe insulation may be a little daunting but in reality is very easy. Most DIY stores stock pipe insulation, the insulation works to protect exposed pipes between your hot water cylinder and boiler which helps to reduce the amount of heat loss.
Use your curtains wisely
Curtains are not just there to help keep your home private in the evening and block out light during the day. Many people do not realise just how beneficial curtains can be to locking in the heat. When you start to feel a slight chill, you might just want to look at closing the curtains. They also help to prevent any draughts from entering the room.
Keep blankets around your home
If you have not already, you may want to invest in a couple of extra blankets for around the home, especially in your living room. As one of the main rooms in your home where you spend the most time, you want it to be nice and cosy, rather than feeling the chill. Initially, you may think the best idea is to turn up the thermostat, but by simply turning it up 1-2 degrees you could be adding a significant amount of money on to your energy bills.
Your home should be able to retain the heat, but if you are feeling the chill, you can look to get heat holding blankets. These types of blankets ensure you stay comfortably warm, without having to turn up the heating in your home. We highly recommend getting a blanket trunk from the Big Furniture Warehouse and storing a range of blankets for the whole family.
Consider replacing windows
In the UK we experience cold and damp winters, which takes its toll on our windows. Double glazed windows are a great thing to have in your home and should be greatly considered if you do not have them already. It works as one of the ideal forms of insulation into your home. Without them, your home can experience a significant heat loss of up to 50-70%.
Not only do double glazed windows help to lock in the heat but they are also fantastic at storing a higher percentage of natural heat produced from the winter sun.
As there is less need for heating systems to be used with double glazing, then you will soon see a reduction in your energy bills which will only help to improve the environment.
While this may seem like a rather expensive investment to make, you will only reap the rewards in the future. So, you may want to consider booking in for window replacements.
Changing energy providers
You may initially think changing energy providers during the winter is possibly a bad idea, but this is the best time to change. You have an accurate reading of your energy consumption which means you can go ahead and tell energy providers who will be able to provide you with a plan based on this data.
We highly recommend using a few different comparison sites to find out a wide range of information. They allow you to see what type of plan you can get for what you want to spend. While comparison sites are a great place to look for deals on your energy bills, not every energy provider will be on them. So, make sure to take a look around, give them a call and request a quote.
Here at Ampower we offer a wide range of energy plans to suit both our domestic and business clients so get in touch with us today for your free quotation!
Winter-proofing your home
When it comes to winter, our home gas plans can cost us a considerable amount, so it’s critical you take care of your home by taking a few of the steps we previously mentioned.
Changes such as adding insulation and updating windows may seem like a slightly costly change to make; but they can save you a considerable amount of money in the future and can also help add value to your home.
Draught-proofing your home, using curtains more effectively and ensuring you have additional blankets are all small changes which can have a large impact on the amount of energy wastage. You want to stay as warm as possible, so make sure you have all of these steps completed in your home during winter as it will help towards not only making it warmer but more comfortable.