How To Prepare Your Home For The Colder Temperatures
When the temperature drops, there are a few things you need to ensure your home is safe for the cold. In this article we take a look at what you need to get your house ready before the cold sets in.
Winter is coming! That is what Jon Snow says in the famous Game of Thrones, a show that is well-known around the world. However, it is coming to those UK homes and many of us feel like we didn’t have much summer. There weren’t many days that we could sit in the back garden and enjoy the rays of sunshine and hot temperatures. It almost feels like winter never left us.
Now, when the temperature gets cooler, there are a few things you need to ensure your home is safe for those cold temperatures. In this article we look at some of the important things that are required to do to ensure you have these ready for winter.
Home Insulation
Many homes will already have the essential insulation that is required in a home. This would include wall insulation and roof insulation. However, as a house gets older, the house is bound to get a little wear and tear, especially for the exterior of the wall. Cavity wall insulation is the perfect solution for this as you can inject insulation foam into the holes of your walls. However, it only works for cavity walls. External solid wall insulation is something else that can be installed if you cannot inject cavity wall insulation.
There are many variations of insulation that you should look to have to ensure your home stays warm during winter. This includes insulation for your conservatory. Get a tile roof for a conservatory fitted with insulation to ensure you can use your conservatory, even during the coldest temperatures. Insulation in your conservatory allows you to heat the room and not worry about losing any heat.
Draught Proofing Windows and Doors
The next thing you will need to consider is draught proofing. Draught proofing is something else that you will need for winter. Windows and doors can lose a lot of heat and this is the last thing you want during winter. Draught-proofing is also very affordable and easy to install.
It is believed that draught proofing can save you around £40 a year but this depends on how much you have your central heating on. Furthermore, you can install draught proofing yourself if the pipework is exposed.
Wrap Your Copper Pipes In Pipe Insulation
Pipe insulation is something else that you can install yourself and is relatively cheap. This will be good for your exposed pipework to keep your pipes warm once hot water has been turned on. If you can gain access to your underfloor then you will also be able to place pipe insulation around your pipework here.
The reason why you purchase pipe insulation is to ensure your copper pipes don’t expand. Pipes will expand with ice which will then cause the copper pipes to burst or crack. If you have plastic pipes then these are less likely to split however, it is best practice to ensure these are also wrapped with insulation.
Summary
There are many things you can do to ensure that your home is prepared for winter. Yes, this will cost you a bit of money but it will save you a lot of money over the winter period. Furthermore, it is a long-term investment so it will save you money for the following winters.