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The temperatures are starting to drop, the nights are getting darker and we’re moving towards November. Now is the best time to start thinking about preparing your home for winter. I’m sharing my top 10 tips to prepare your home for winter both inside and out. Some will save you money, and some will help to prevent any home disasters this winter!

Prepare your Heating for winter

Get a boiler check

Now is the perfect time to get your boiler serviced. This will help to make sure you don’t end up freezing in January with no heating or hot water. If you have a boiler service contract then this will be part of your deal. If not you can get an independent heating engineer out to give your boiler the once over. A properly functioning could also help you to avoid wasting energy and excessive fuel bills.

Bleed your radiators

When your heating is on air pockets are formed as a result of the water heating and cooling. This air collects in your radiators and can lead to cold spots. If you don’t bleed your radiators to let the air out you will end up turning up your heating to get the house to the same temperature. And in turn this will increase your energy bills. If you don’t know how to bleed your radiators then this handy guide explains what you need to do.

Check your energy tariffs

We all use more gas and electricity in the winter. With the heating on, the lights on more, and all those winter nights watching Netflix the bills can mount up. Now is the best time to check you’re on the best energy tariff, whether that’s with your current supplier or switching to a new one. There are loads of comparison sites out there to help you find the best tariff. And you could also use a cashback site like Quidco to earn even more when you switch. (And if you sign up using my referral link we both get £5!)

Smart heating

Installing smart heating is something we are looking to do this winter. The layout of our house means the house is cold at the bottom where the bedrooms are and gets warmer as you go further up. At the moment all our radiators are on the same heating circuit. This means we have to manually adjust the temperature on each radiator. We are hoping to add a wireless zoning system to our home so we can control the temperature in each room more easily. Only heating the rooms you are using will help you to save money on your heating bills.

Outdoor jobs to prepare for winter

Clear your gutters

Gutters clogged with leaves and debris can cause leaky roofs and water damage. When the leaves are falling in autumn they can easily find their way into your gutters so it’s best to make sure they’re clear before winter sets in. This is a job you can so yourself but depending on your property it might be something that’s best calling in the professionals to do for you.

Check your pipes

Check your external pipes for any leaks or cracks and get them fixed now. The last thing you want to be dealing with is burst pipes the first time the temperature drops below freezing!

Insulate your pipes

On the same note, insulating your water pipes with foam lagging is the best way to help prevent burst pipes when the cold weather sets in. You should also leave your heating on low, even if you’re away from home, to avoid any frozen pipes.

Get your trees cut back

If you have large trees in your garden then getting them cut back at this time of year might be a good idea. Removing overhanging branches can help to avoid getting so many leaves in your gutters. It can also ensure that there aren’t any branches that are likely to come down in bad weather and cause any damage to your property. This is definitely something we need to do this winter. We’ve got a few enormous trees in our back garden that definitely need properly cutting back.

Things to do inside the home

Check for draughts

This is another one that will save you money on your heating bills. Stopping any draughts from your windows and doors will mean you don’t need to have your heating on higher to compensate. You can get stick on draught excluder tape to seal any gaps around doors and windows, or why not get a proper old fashioned draught excluder for your your internal doors?

Insulation

One of the best ways to make sure you aren’t using more energy than you need to is to ensure your house is properly insulated. The first place to check is the loft. Did you know your house can lose a quarter of its heat through the roof if it isn’t insulated. It may also be worth checking if you have cavity wall insulation and whether it’s possible to get it installed if you don’t.

 

So those are my 10 top tips to prepare your home for winter. Do you do any of these things already, or are there any other things you would recommend doing in your home?

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