Is your property winter ready ?
Winter-Proof Your Property With Factors Direct
Although still quite mild, it’s inevitable that things will turn colder as the weeks continue to draw in.
And as the weather turns cooler there is more potential for damage to be caused to properties, and for house holders to run up larger than normal energy bills.
We have created this blog post with some helpful tips and pointers designed to winter-proof your property and bank balance.
The following are tried and tested forms of keeping your property safe throughout the cold months and keeping your energy spend to a minimum.
Energy Saving Tips
Some of these tips may seem obvious but they can make a big difference when it comes to reducing your bills.
- Set your heating to come on just before you get up and switch it off after you’ve gone to bed. If it’s very cold, set your heating to come on earlier and turn off later rather than turning the thermostat up.
- If you can’t heat all the rooms you use, heat the living room throughout the day and your bedroom just before you got to bed. Remember to close curtains and shut doors to keep heat in the rooms you use most.
- Turn the thermostat down – the Energy Saving Trust estimates that turning it down by just one degree could reduce heating bills by up to 10%.
- Use low energy light bulbs. With shorter days and longer nights, it is recommended to use energy efficient light bulbs to reduce electricity costs.
- Unplug phone chargers, laptops etc. Even if a device is not connected to a charger, if the charger feels warm then it is still using electricity.
- Wear layers. Putting on extra layers rather than turning up the thermostat could reduce heating bills.
- Program your thermostat. Consumer advice and review site, viewpoint.com, recommends investing in a programmable thermostat to ensure you don’t forget to turn down the heating before leaving the house or going to bed.
- Invest in draft excluders, you’d be amazed at the difference they can make!
- Make sure your radiators are not obstructed by the likes of curtains or furniture.
- If you have an open fireplace invest in a chimney draught excluder.
Tips if you are going away over the festive.
- Leave your heating on for at least an hour a day while you are away from home.
- In severe weather, or if severe weather is forecast, you should leave your heating on day and night at your usual temperature setting.
- Make sure you know where the stop cock is, and that it works so that you can turn off the water supply if needed.
- Consider asking a friend or relative to visit your home every day while you are away. This will mean that, if you do suffer a burst pipe, it will be detected as soon as possible. Make sure that they know where the stop cock is located also.
- Switch off all electrical appliances. Do not leave TVs or phone chargers switched on standby when not being used. This will reduce your bill.
In addition, there can also be issues with condensation.
Condensation can be underestimated and the damage it can cause is almost certainly the most common form of dampness.
It occurs where warm moist air comes into contact with cold air or a surface that is at a lower temperature. When the moist air cools, it is unable to retain the moisture and is released to form condensation in the air or on the surface.
At Factors Direct we will regular inspect your property particularly over the winter months to ensure we are being proactive so costs don’t escalate.
If you enjoyed reading this blog post and would like to read other content like it, please visit the Factors Direct website which has a whole host of interesting articles as well information on all the services available at Factors Direct.
You can also get in touch with us via email, or by calling us on: 0141 739 4439. Finally, you’ll find us on social media where we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
