Winter Preparation for the Home

With the stormy weather that was brought to a great many areas from mid-October, coupled with more unpredictable conditions, getting your home ready for winter seems to be a more important for us to do now than ever. A look at the data shows that weather conditions are becoming more extreme, and we need to be able to adapt to these changes. Some parts of the world which never see snowfall have seen artic conditions in recent years when winter has come around.

We need to start respecting the fact that when the winters are getting colder, and steps need to be made to have the adequate protection in place. What we are likely to see is more people taking steps to protect their homes as we'll start getting wetter summers and harsher winters. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to keeping your home safe from the elements.

Storm Windows

A lot of older homes used to have storm windows fitted as standard in the days before double glazing. These days, you’re less likely to see them in homes, but that’s not to say that they’re not a good idea. Houses near coastal areas would be the most likely to benefit from some extra protection, as this is where high winds will be most severe.

Being Prepared

As the most recent spate of storms have come across the UK and Ireland have shown, a number of households have been left for extended periods without any electricity. This is something that it is good to be prepared for.

You don’t need to go out and fit a nuclear bunker to your home, but having a torch or candles as well as a supply of water and food can be very useful. Also knowing how to deal with minor electrical problems is a very useful skill, if you find yourself unexpectedly plunged into darkness.

Keeping Cosy

If the recent winters that we’ve had are anything to go by, then it’s pretty safe to assume that the mercury is going to plummet considerably over the next few weeks and months. It can be all too tempting to crack the heating on full blast, but this can be costly.

Investigation proper wall and loft insulation where appropriate is an ideal investment to prevent heat from escaping. There are a number of government schemes to help support households make this change so it won’t cost as much as you may expect.

Knowledge is Power

As we all know, the newspapers love to ramp up the weather conditions that we might see, even though meteorologists themselves find it notoriously difficult to accurately predict specific weather patterns in the future. We do know, however, that the reports get more accurate, the closer they are. So checking in to see how the next week is going to be should keep you right.

While you get weather updates regularly on the news, you can use apps like the one offered by the BBC weather department can give you information that is both accurate and specific to your local area. If any alerts come through, you will receive a notification to your phone to keep any weather surprises to a minimum.

Whether you like it or not, it’s clear to see that weather patterns in this country are changing. With that, our habits have to change too. Having an awareness of what’s happening with the weather and how the changes will affect your home will help to ensure that you’re prepared for the more severe winters we’re expecting to see and you won’t get caught out with unexpected damage.