The dark evenings are drawing in, which gives us that extra excuse to light candles, get under a blanket on the sofa, and drink mugs of hot chocolate. Little things like that can help make the winter evenings a lot cosier.
Before we get too comfortable on the sofa however, there are some additional practical steps that should be taken in order to ensure your home itself is ‘winter ready’- luckily they’re all really easy to do.
Radiators
As soon as the temperature starts to drop you’ll start relying on your radiators more and more to keep your house warm and cosy. To make sure they’re working to their full potential make sure to bleed your radiators to release any trapped air.
If you notice that the heat isn’t distributed evenly from top to bottom when you touch the radiator, this is a sign that there’s still some trapped air inside and that it needs bleeding again.
Gutters
As the leaves change into every shade of orange, yellow, red and brown, and fall to the ground, they also unfortunately start to clog up the guttering. Making sure to clear the leaves from your gutters will reduce water build up and any potential resulting water damage to your home.
Draughts
To prevent the bitter winter chill entering your home, make sure that your doors and windows are properly sealed. Closing the curtains, adding draught sealant strips or draught excluders can help prevent loss of heat, keep your house cosy, and also importantly keep your energy bills down.
Boiler service
We’ve either been there ourselves, or know someone, whose boiler has packed in at the coldest most inconvenient time of the year, leaving them without hot water and central heating. Before winter truly kicks in, it’s a good idea to get your boiler serviced to ensure that it’s running properly, and reduce the likelihood of any nasty surprises.
Check your cover
Now is also a good time to check your home insurance details. Make sure to check that you’ve got adequate cover in place for any winter-related damages should they occur. At Budget Insurance we provide cover to protect your Home in the event of a storm, flood & water damage. So if you want to find out more, click here for more information on our Home cover.
