Now that the summer is coming to an end and the cold weather is on the way, it’s important that you start preparing your home. The cold weather and heavy rain can take a toll on your home so you need to find ways to protect it from the elements and avoid any damage. But you also need to think about keeping the house warm. If you aren’t careful, you could end up with some big energy bills and a freezing cold house. But there are plenty of simple things that you can do to make the house more comfortable and keep your energy bills down. These are the best ways to keep your home warm in the winter.
Improve Insulation
If your house is very cold a lot of the time, it’s probably because the insulation isn’t very good. This is a problem in a lot of older properties and when the insulation isn’t up to scratch, it’s hard to heat the house and keep it warm, which means that you will have some big energy bills. If you are trying to get ready for the winter and your house is prone to getting cold, you should check the insulation in the walls and the roof and consider improving it. If you upgrade the insulation in the roof, it won’t be too expensive but it will be harder to improve the insulation in the walls. Even though it will cost quite a bit of money to add more insulation to your home, you will save a lot of money over the years, so if you plan to stay in the house for a long while, it’s a worthwhile investment.
Install Cladding
Another great way to improve the insulation on the house and protect it from the weather at the same time is to install cladding on the exterior walls. If you use Nailstrip and Flatlock Colorbond, it is very easy to install and it can withstand a lot of bad weather very easily. Cladding is often an easier solution than insulation in the walls and it gives you an added layer of protection against the elements, and it also gives the exterior of your house a new contemporary look.
Insulate Sockets
The sockets on your exterior walls could be a source of heat loss but a lot of people don’t realize that. If you have sockets installed on a wall that also has windows, you should try to hold your hand over it and see if you can feel a breeze. If you can, that means you’re losing a lot of heat and letting a breeze into the house. The good news is, you can easily fix it if you get some socket sealers and install them or add some insulation around the outlets. They fit on easily and they cost next to nothing, but you’ll save a lot of money in energy bills.
Update Windows
If you live in an older property and it doesn’t have double glazed windows, you’re probably losing a lot of heat. Single pane windows are not very good at keeping the heat in at all, so you should consider upgrading to double glazed or even triple glazed. You’ll find that the house stays a lot warmer and you don’t need to keep the heating on for as long. Better quality windows will also help to keep the noise out so they’re great if you live near a busy road. Upgrading the windows will also increase the value of your house by quite a bit, so it’s worth spending the money on.
Get Rid Of Drafts
There are a lot of small gaps where the cold air will get into your house and if you can find ways to plug them, your house will be a lot warmer. Draft proofing your house is a far cheaper way to keep it warm than making big changes like improving insulation and updating windows. Underneath doors is a common area where cold air gets in but you can fix that with some simple draft excluders. You should also fit some to the letterbox on the door if you have one. If you have a fireplace that you do not use, you should consider having it bricked up to stop the cold air from coming in.
Improve Your Heating Systems
Sometimes, your house is cold because it is letting a lot of heat out. But it might also be cold because it isn’t warming up in the first place. If your boiler and heating system is very old, it won’t be very efficient at all and it won’t keep your house warm enough. Before the winter arrives, you may want to think about updating it so you are ready for the warm weather.
These are the best changes to make around your home so you are ready for the cold weather when winter comes.