How to Winterproof Your Home

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The days are getting shorter and colder as the months pass by and before we know it winter will be well and truly here. As the weather gets colder and we all start turning our mind to Christmas, it’s time to layer clothing, light your fireplace, drink hot cocoas and enjoy winter from the cosiness of your living room. But many of us want to be able to face winter without having to worry about expensive energy bills and cold breezes coming from the windows. 

So if you are one of those people wondering how you can head into winter without worrying about these things then keep reading! The answer is winter proofing your home and below you will find a great list of ways you could winter proof your home and be ready for the cold weather ahead. 

Draughtproof everything.

Draughts are one of most obvious and main ways that cold gets into our homes. The Handy Squad, handymen service in London, mention on an article about winter proofing homes “If you are feeling chilly breezes in your house, it is most likely draughts coming from cracks or gaps around doors, windows or even letterboxes.” To stop cold draughts getting in it is imperative you get these draughts sealed or covered before winter and don’t forget to also seal smaller draughts too such as cat flaps and keyholes. These gaps need to be sealed to stop draughts from coming through and to ensure heat and warmth stay in your home. You can seal these yourself or if you need an extra hand, the Handy Squad can easily help if you’re located in and around London.

Clean gutters and drains.

The gutters and drains may not seem like an obvious thought when you are thinking of winter proofing your home. However gutters and drains can play a bit part in keeping your home warm and damp free during the winter months. Leaves and garden debris can easily clog gutters and drains, which in turn can lead to water damage to your home. Left uncleared built up debris can stop drains and gutters from working as they should and blockages will then allow damp into the walls of your home. Once damp is in the walls of your home it can be very hard to rectify and will make your home feel much colder not to mention having damp in your walls can lead to other more dangerous issues such as mould growing!  

Insulate water pipes.

Every home will have water pipes and it is important that these are cared for as these are vital for providing water into your home. When it comes to these pipes and winter it is even more important to ensure they are looked after properly. Insulating water pipes is an inexpensive way to protect them as if they get damaged this could be a costly repair! When the colder weather creeps in our uninsulated water pipes are more susceptible to freezing and if pipes do freeze this can then lead to them bursting or becoming damaged beyond repair which then becomes a costly repair job. This article on the Washington Post recommends insulating bare water pipes for these reasons. They mention that by insulating water pipes helps “to prevent freezing, which could cause the pipes to burst, insulation also keeps the water in hot-water lines hotter and helps prevent condensation on cold-water lines in the summer too."

Bleed radiators.

Radiators are often the main source of heat in our homes and are how most people will heat their homes during colder months. However if you have your radiators on but it still feels cold, try to touch the radiators to see if they have cold spots. If you have any radiators that are cold at the top and warm at the bottom, this indicates that they will need bleeding, which can be easily done by yourself! The Handy Squad has an easy-to-follow guide on how to bleed radiators. This can be a super quick fix too and have your home warm in no time at all. 

Add extra insulation.

If you have tried all of the above but your home still feels cold you may wish to consider adding more insulation into your home. The Hertfordshire Life published an article that mentions that “one of the easiest ways to retain heat is to install insulation – such as roof and loft and cavity wall – and check the condition and effectiveness of any insulation installed.” Whilst this is a more costly suggestion to those posted above it can be highly effective when done properly and will last for years to come. It is  recommend that you also make sure that loft hatch and holes are covered and sealed as if there are large gaps in these it will counteract the effectiveness of any lost insulation.

How do you make sure your home is ready for the winter?

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