Winter Is Coming – Here’s How To Prepare Your Home
Winter is coming, and by that, we don’t refer to the end of a titanic show that left us all with disappointment, but the actual, real thing. So, we’re about to get cold. This is not necessarily a good thing at a time where energy costs are soaring for many people around the world and especially in Europe.
But you don’t have to worry about your household costs and utilities to prepare your home either. Anyone who has slipped over on their garden path, resulting in a sore bottom, will no doubt understand this.
Yet it’s not always easy to predict just how intense this particular winter will be. Do you batten down the hatches to prepare for a hard blizzard? Do you need to clean your gutters right now when you could probably get away with a light snowfall? These questions are no doubt going through your mind, so let’s save you some mental energy and discuss a few worthwhile steps to take beforehand:
Window Preparations
Resealing the window insulation, replacing the single pane with double glazing, or simply refitting a better window section so you can even use it to evacuate the home if you need to (you may never need to, but if you’re upgrading this utility you may as well think long-term), can all be a great idea. Window shutters can also help you protect your windows in the event of intense gale winds and snowstorms, protecting your property and breaking some of the intense weather it has to deal with. Thicker curtains or blackout blinds can also help you get some sleep despite the exterior lights reflecting on the white blanket of snow.
Insulation
Quality home insulation really does make a massive difference to the household, and it means that thanks to the rising cost of energy bills, if you do actually decide to use a radiator, you will keep most of the heat in and make the most use of it. Insulation can come from pre-fitted panels replacing certain walls within the house, or it can be a reapplication of the foam that might be implemented in the wall cavities of your garage area or other renovated elements of the home. Replacing roofing felt can also make a big difference to that outcome, too.
Electricity Backup
It’s a good idea to make sure that you have some kind of backup for when you might have trouble with your electrics. There are all sorts of problems that can happen with your energy supply in winter, so having something like a generator for those occasions can be really helpful. However, you’ll also need to care for the generator itself, and maintaining generators in cold weather is something that you will need to learn how to do too. On the whole, it’s good to have some kind of electricity backup, so that you can easily and simply keep running your home no matter what.
Pathway Protection
You don’t have to be the clumsiest person in the world to slip over an iced garden path or driveway. In fact, you’d be surprised just how many winter injuries this accounts for in many A&E rooms across the nation. This is why purchasing your own store of grit salt can help you better dispel the ice safely, and also give your vehicle’s tires more texture to grip as you pull in and pull out. For steep driveways, this is absolutely essential. Of course, it can’t hurt to inspect your garden handrail to make sure this is provides ample support on top of that, either.
With this advice, you’re sure to see that winter is coming, except now you can meet it with a strong, worthwhile home.