NOW that winter is almost here, we can expect our energy bills to rise along with the temperature. Studies show that UK homeowners use significantly more gas and electricity during the winter months to heat their homes. With the current gas crisis in the UK, it is more important than ever to be prepared for winter and use gas efficiently.
When winter comes it puts our heating system through a real test plus chilly weather causes our drainpipes to freeze which makes things even worse. Although you can stay warm by wearing warmer clothes and eating warm food. But what about your home? Your home also needs protection to keep you warm. No need to worry if you don’t know how to winterproof your home as we got you covered.
In this blog, we will discuss the Top 6 Tips and Tricks to Winterproof your home to help you save money on your energy bills and consume gas efficiently.
1. Get Your Home Insulation Checked
If you want to keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year round, it’s important to make sure you have good insulation.
Insulation helps to keep the heat in during the winter and the cool air in during the summer, which can save you money on your energy bills. Lack of proper insulation can make your home feel drafty and can also cause your energy bills to spike.
You can check your home insulation by a professional to ensure it’s up to par, and you should also check your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
The EPC will tell you how well your home retains heat, and it’s an excellent way to see where you might need to make improvements. You can also get your loft and floor insulation checked to make sure they’re in good condition.
2. Draft-proof Your Doors and Windows
Do you ever experience a sudden cold gust of air inside your home, even when all the doors and windows are shut? This is likely due to drafts. Drafts can form when your home’s warm air leaks out and is replaced with cold air from outside. Not only is this uncomfortable, but it also makes your heating systems less efficient.
There are a few things you can do to help eliminate drafts and keep your home warm:
– Check for gaps around doors and windows and seal them with weather-stripping or caulk.
– Install storm doors and windows.
– Add insulation to your attic, walls, and floors.
3. Clean and Maintain Your Boilers
Living in the UK, we all know that cleaning and maintaining your heating systems are quite crucial. If you don’t maintain your boiler regularly then you might end up with no heating in freezing winter. All you need to do is:
Check if your boiler is functioning properly or not by turning it on.
After checking the operational status of your boiler finally turn it off.
Remove the outer and inner dust.
Clean the boiler unit with a brush and wash your tubes.
Reassemble and restart.
If error or fault codes are displayed on your screen, try resetting it. If you are finding it difficult to reset the boiler, then for more details regarding how to reset a boiler read this article.
4. Check and Maintain Your Roof
As we head into winter, it’s important to make sure our homes are ready to weather the storm – and that includes our roofs! Inspect your roof visually for cracks, loose screws, and rusted panels, and take care of them before they have a chance to turn into leaks.
5. Only Heat The Rooms You’re Using
Making your home warm and comfortable doesn’t mean that you waste energy on heating the rooms that you don’t use often. Wasting energy is not only harmful to the environment but also bad for your budget.
To consume energy more efficiently and responsibly you should Invest in a smart or customized programmable thermostat that will save you on unnecessary energy consumption as well as unnecessary money on your bills.
These new thermostats also allow you to customize the temperature of your home based on your personal preferences. Many brands have an app for your phone so you can control your thermostat remotely or without ever leaving your bed. When preparing your home for winter, personal comfort should be a top priority.
6. Keep an Eye on Your Radiators
Apart from cleaning and maintaining your boilers, you should also keep an eye on your radiators. If your heating is on but your radiator is cold from the bottom it means that you need to bleed out your radiators. Bleeding out radiators not only increases heating efficiency but saves you a lot of money.
Enjoy Winter With a Warm Home!
Getting ready for winter can prevent you from having to spend a lot of money on your monthly bills. With a little preparation and planning as suggested in this article, you can protect your home from cold temperatures. If you need any help preparing your home for winter, please feel free to contact us anytime. We are happy to help!
