Act now and get your home winter-ready
The British winter-time can wreak havoc on your home. Unexpected leaks and wasted energy can leave you feeling wet, cold and out of pocket.
Here are five jobs to protect your home
from the worst of the winter weather.
1. Service your boiler
You'll be turning up the heating considerably soon, so now is the time to check your boiler is working fine and doesn't let you down when you most need it.
Gas Safe Register recommends you get your boiler checked annually by a registered engineer.
This protects you and your family from carbon monoxide poisoning, which can cause ill health, and in more extreme circumstances death.
Ask the engineer to advise how you can set your heating controls more efficiently to save on your bills too.
Find your local boiler servicing, replacements and repairs.
2. Clean out your gutters
Post-autumn, gutters can be full of leaves, twigs and general muck. If water can't flow through them and drain away, it will cause gutters to rot or rust. Eventually the debirs weighs them down, pulling them loose from their mountings.
Gutters should be cleaned out twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn, but if they are directly below trees this may need to happen more often. Here are some tips:
•Use a sturdy ladder and NEVER lean it against your gutters or downspouts or stand on the top two rungs.
•Remove any debris with your hands (wear rubber gloves for protection) or a trowel and place in a bag or bucket on the roof.
•Check the downspouts aren't clogged. If they are, gently unblock them with a hose, plumber's auger or unbent clothes hanger.
•Once you are done, use your hose to run water through the gutters to check that everything is flowing freely.
If the gutters are more than 2 stories from the floor, you will probably need a local guttering service to clean them out for you with special tools.
3. Seal draughts to windows and doors
It's no good having a boiler in tip top order if the heat it's pumping out is leaking through cracks and gaps in your windows and doors.
Around a fifth of heat lost from the home is due to draughts, this can be fixed simply by locating draughts and sealing them and is often a much cheaper solution than replacing old windows or doors.
Installing draught proofing will save you around £25 and reduce your CO2 emissions by around 130kg a year, but this is just a rough figure as the amount of draughts in your property usually depends on its age.
Most DIY stores stock a wide range of draught proofing in the form of brushes, foams and sealants in strips or shaped rubber or plastic. They should be able to advise you on what to use and how to apply it. Here are some tips:
•Check for draughts around doors, windows or loft hatches and take their full measurements with you to the DIY store.
•Apply a brush-strip seal to your letterbox.
•For unused chimneys, simply use newspaper to block draughts or buy a chimney balloon, but remember to take these out when you next use it!
•Gaps in floorboards can be sealed with an acrylic sealant.
4. Insulate your loft
The Energy Saving Trust reports houses with un-insulated lofts lose around a quarter of their heat via the roof. There is an associated cost, but as your loft insulation will be effective for around 40 years, you will make back the money over time and start reducing CO2 emissions straight away.
Houses that are most suitable for loft insulation will typically have an accessible loft with no damp or condensation problems. Houses with flat roofs or damp lofts will need professional help.
If you are keen to do the work yourself, you can use loft insulation blankets which are fairly easy to install by a competent DIY-er. For more in depth advice on insulating your loft, see The Energy Saving Trust loft insulation guide.
5. Inspect your roof and chimney
Your roof is the first point of contact between your house and the elements. Everyone loves a white winter, but if your roof is collecting snow for days on end and has weak points, you could end up with some costly leaks. Now is the time to check that your roof is weatherproof.
Steep roofs or roofs covered with slate or tiles shouldn't be walked on. In this case it's advisable to check from a ladder around the perimeter from the eaves. Always make sure you are using an appropriate roof ladder that is securely fastened at the top and bottom and have someone with you for safety.
Here are some checks you should make and replacements where necessary:
•Look for missing, cracked, curled, broken or rotted slates or tiles. These will need to be replaced and old nails removed.
•Check for any broken or missing points where the roof meets chimneys, walls, vents, dormers, or skylights – roofing cement can fix problem areas.
•Check your chimney is free of any unwanted guests.
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Energy saving tips room by room
•Always prepare carefully, and never rush a task
•Always set up your ladders as per the instructions that come with them - they are one of the main causes of DIY accidents
•Work safely and carefully, packing things away as you go
•Ensure you use the correct tools for each job to avoid expensive mistakes
•If a job is too big for you to handle seek professional help
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