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When the weather gets really cold, you go out wearing a thick set of clothes. At home, this protective layer is made up of your outer walls and the insulation you have put in place. Quality insulation is crucial, especially when temperatures start hovering around freezing point. But there are other things to look out for around the home and the garden. Is your home ready for the worst of the freezing cold?
As the autumn sets in, and winter gets under way, the garden, balcony or terrace have a number of chores waiting. The fact is that quite a few items are not very resistant to freezing temperatures. Baked clay/terracotta flower pots and planter boxes for instance. And spare a thought for your pets. Take the right precautions in case of frost, if your pets live outdoors.
Important: be sure to close off outside taps when freezing temperatures become likely. Shut off the water supply and bleed the pipes. This will help prevent pipes and taps from bursting.
Above all, getting your home ready for winter is a matter of thorough checks and maintenance. The main things that need checking are the chimney, the windows, the heating and ventilation. Check your doors and windows for any thermal bridges. A lot of heat can be wasted, dissipating through gaps and cracks, which can be painful on the wallet (higher energy bills). Seal cracks with draft excluders or silicone.
You stand everything to gain from a clean chimney. A dirty chimney means higher energy consumption and raises the risk of fire in your home. The more soot inside the chimney, the higher the risk of a chimney fire. Have your chimney cleaned at least once a year.
During the summer your heating system was on the backburner. Now, with winter around the corner, it will need to operate at full pelt again. Bleeding your radiators enables them to achieve maximum heat efficiency. And do not forget to have your central heating boiler checked and serviced!
In the winter time we open our doors and windows a lot less, precisely because the differences in outdoor and indoor temperatures are considerable. This is why a mechanical ventilation system that is in good working order is indispensable. Your ventilation system makes sure your home has plenty of fresh air at all times, prevents humidity from building up and drives out harmful substances. Depending on your system – is your system B, C or D? – you will need to attend to other maintenance duties ahead of the winter.
