How To Prepare Your Home For Winter

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the temperature’s dropping and Christmas is just around the corner.

There are a few things you can do, especially if you have an older house, to get your home ready for winter to make sure you’re cosy and comfortable all the way through until spring.

You don’t want to be rushing around trying to figure out why your energy bills are so high or your guttering is leaking in the middle of a winter storm!

If you are looking to move this winter, check out our current developments today.

Here are our top tips:

1) Clear your fireplace/chimney. Now’s the time to clear out all of last year’s ash and make sure your fireplace is ready to go. Build up of ash and debris will mean it’ll burn and warm your home less effectively. You should also get a professional in to clean your chimney – it can be dangerous if you light your first fire without realising you have a blocked chimney.

2) Look out for drafts. Drafts can increase your energy bills as you end up turning the thermostat up to compensate for them. Inspect your windows and doors to make sure there are no cracks, openings or broken seals allowing air to flow through.

3) Clean out the guttering. During autumn your gutters will very quickly get full of fallen leaves and grime. If you leave it too long this can prevent water from draining effectively, which can damage your guttering and even your roof and inside your home. What’s more, if the debris freezes in winter it can become very difficult to clear out. Best to take care of it now to make sure you’re not frantically trying to repair a leak in the middle of January.

4) Check your heating system. It’s worth getting a professional in to ensure your heating system is clean, safe and working efficiently. Old or broken heating systems can be dangerous, or at the very least give you nasty surprises in your energy bills. If you’ve got a programmable thermostat, now’s the time to set it to cool slightly at night so save you money.

These are all routine things you should do every year, and especially if your home is fairly old. Newer homes have far less potential to cause problems, and will be much more energy efficient, but you should still conduct checks and clean out your guttering every year.

If you are interested in new build homes in Kent, contact us today!