Now winter is under way, it is important to ensure that our homes are well prepared for the colder weather conditions.

If you plan for the winter it will mean that you are fully prepared for any emergencies as well as being able to greatly reduce costly repair bills that may come your way.

The level of preparation that you undertake will often depend on your budget as well as the amount of time you have before the winter months set in. Larger preparation jobs will include installing double-glazing or investing in loft insulation. However, if time doesn’t permit there are simple and cheaper draught excluders available that can be used as a stop-gap.

In the winter the main problems are caused when the temperature drops. Often pipes will burst due to the changes in temperature and therefore it is important to know how to turn off the main water supply if this should happen. Therefore as a preventative measure it will be important to insulate pipes to keep them warm and dry.

As well as preparing for the possibility of water damage you should consider how you can cope if there was a power cut that caused disruption to the electricity as well as the gas supply. This could result in you losing the ability to run your central heating system and therefore you will be unable to heat your home or get hot water.

So, how do you prepare for all these emergencies?

All households should prepare by packing an emergency kit that is in an easily accessible place so that everyone in a household can access it if they require. This kit should include:

• An emergency list of telephone number such as gas engineers or information regarding your home insurance policies.
• A torch which is either battery operated (with spare batteries available) or a wind up torch.
• Bottled water to drink in case the water supply gets cut off.
• A first aid kit which also includes essential toiletries.
• Any spare keys to the home so that they are all located in a central place.

With the cold winters that the UK has witnessed over the past few years no one can say what weather this winter will bring. So it is better to prepare for the worst. It is also not only important to prepare the home for winter but also prepare your families regarding the risks and how to react and cope in an emergency.

Finally, it is important to prepare your car for winter in case there is a lot of snow and ice to contend with. This includes putting an emergency kit in the car as well as checking the weather conditions before you travel.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Within your home the central heating system will often provide both heat and hot water and households will typically spend over half of their fuel bill on using the system.

It is therefore important that households understand the heating system to ensure they are getting the most out of it.

The majority of households in the UK use a boiler with radiators to heat their homes. The boiler heats up the water and then distributes it to the radiators around the home as well as providing hot water for the house. Most boilers are gas but they can be run using oil, coal or wood. However, gas is considered the cheapest and also offers lower carbon dioxide emissions. There are two types of boilers which can be used, either combination boilers or boilers which heat up water through the use of an immersion heater and water is then stored in a hot water tank.

Boilers which heat up a tank are considered less energy efficient and if your household currently has this type of boiler there are a number of ways in which you can improve your energy-saving when using this boiler. This includes replacing the boiler with a newer energy efficient one, changing to a cheaper and lower emission fuel to heat the boiler such as wood as well as making insulation improvements to retain the heat for longer.

Gas boilers that have been installed since 2005 tend to be condensing boilers as these are more efficient. These boilers can either be a combination boiler or just a regular boiler. Combination boilers provide hot water directly as and when required whereas regular boilers need a hot water tank to heat up the water and a programmer to tell it when to heat up the water. Once the hot water is heated it will remain in the hot water tank until it is required.

If your household however doesn’t have a boiler or radiators then it is likely that they will use electric storage heaters. These heaters are often are used overnight (as it is cheaper to use electricity during the night) to provide a household with heat to last the day through. This type of heating system is considered the most expensive and also the most energy inefficient. It will also mean that these households will heat water through a hot water tank that is controlled by an immersion heater.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

A thermostat is a device used by a central heating system. The device regulates the temperature of the system and turns it on and off as necessary. A household therefore sets the desired temperature they want to maintain and the thermostat will switch on and off the heating dependent on whether the temperature is met.

Conventional thermostats would have been fitted to walls but nowadays wireless thermostats have been developed as an alternative option. Wireless thermostat use radio frequency that transmit the on and off signal to a receiver which can control the boiler and switch that on and off as required. This also means that wireless thermostat can change the temperature from any room in a house.

There are many benefits of using a wireless thermostat remote compared to a conventional one.

Firstly, wireless thermostats are perfect for households wanting to relocate their thermostat. Many households find that the location of their existing thermostat is incorrect causing the boiler to come on when not required. By using a wireless thermostat they can move it to a better position without the need for complex and possibly untidy wires to move the existing thermostat.

Secondly, you can take the thermostat remote with you around the house. For example, if you are cold in bed in night you can reach over and adjust the temperature if you have a wireless thermostat meaning that you don’t have to get out of bed. This portability can be very useful for many households such as the elderly and disabled with limited mobility.

Thirdly, you have flexibility as you can put the thermostat in any room and adjust the houses temperature in accordance to the temperature in that room. This would be particularly important to a family with a new baby, for example, as they can ensure the baby’s room remains at the right temperature for the baby by placing the thermostat in their room.

Finally, you can have multiple wireless thermostats in different rooms to help you control the heating system. Or you can install technology that allows you to control the temperature in each room separately. This could possibly help you reduce your energy bill as you will be controlling the temperature in each room.

Therefore, there are many advantages to installing a wireless thermostat. Even though the cost of installing one can be expensive, they are particularly useful if a household wants to try and control their energy bill more closely. The thermostats will also come with the latest digital technology (compared to a conventional one) which means they are considered more accurate.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

After the extremely cold winters that have been experienced over the past few years preparing for a cold winter has never been so important. The top ten tips for getting your home ready for the winter months are suggested as follows.

Tip 1 – Check your boiler and central heating system

In the quieter summer months you should have had your boiler serviced. It is important to have an annual service to ensure that the boiler is still working and is as energy efficient as possible. If your boiler breaks down in the winter months it will be harder to get it fixed or replaced as boiler tradesman are much more in demand. Therefore, before the winter arrives make sure you have had your boiler checked.

Tip 2 – Make sure that your home is fully insulated

Insulation is important as it not only ensures that heat is retained within your home but also means you will experience savings on your energy bill. There are a number of recommended options for insulating your home including insulating the roof, the cavity walls, water pipes and the hot water tank.

Tip 3 – Inspect and fix any problems with the roof

You should check your roof before the winter months arrive and if there are any issues these need to be fixed before the weather changes for the worse. Homeowners should therefore check to see whether there are any signs of damage or if there are any loose tiles that need urgent attention. It is best to get the problems fixed sooner rather than when the harsh weather conditions arrive.

Tip 4 – Ensure that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working

It is important to regularly check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Over the winter months windows in your home will be closed and if your boiler had a carbon monoxide leak the chances of poisoning are greatly increased. Therefore, ensure your early warning devices are working correctly to protect yourself and your family is crucial.

Tip 5 – Prepare the exterior of the house

The exterior of your property needs to be prepared for the cold months. These includes fixing any gaps and cracks around pipes so frozen water getting in can’t freeze and expand the gaps further and checking the external condition of walls and windows to ensure no gaps that will let in cold air are present.

Tip 6 – Check for draughts

Heat is lost through any draughts in your home so it is important to identify where draughts exist in your property and cover them. The most common places that should be checked and made draught proof are window and door frames as well as letterboxes and gaps in the floor boards.

Tip 7 – Turn on the heating

Before the cold snap appears you should test your heating and make sure all the controls such as the programmer/timer and thermostats are working correctly.

Tip 8 – Put an emergency pack together for your household

It is felt that putting together a home emergency pack is a good idea. This pack will contain items such as candles, torches and fuses as well as useful emergency numbers such as your insurance company. Therefore, if a power cut occurs you are fully prepared.

Tip 9 – Renew or purchase home insurance

Having a robust home insurance policy is essential over the winter months so make sure your insurance is up-to-date. If you have carried out any work on your property over the summer it will be important to check with your insurer that these changes haven’t nullified or changed your insurance policy.

Tip 10 – Ensure you are on the right energy tariff and with the right energy supplier

You should periodically review your energy supplier and the type of tariff that you are on. Consider how your household uses energy and whether this usage trend is likely to continue for the next year. You should contact different suppliers and see what tariffs they can offer you. Remember, you are in a strong position as they will want your business and want to compete with your existing supplier. Therefore, do research and make sure you are on the right deal.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

The tough recession that we are currently in has meant that there has been a sharp price rise in the cost of heating our homes with all of the top energy companies increasing their gas and electricity prices.

Even though this is not good news for consumers, does this credit crunch period we are experiencing effect the environment in a positive or negative way?

At the start of the year The Guardian newspaper reported on a dramatic fall in greenhouse emissions and cited the recession as being the main reason behind this fall. However these findings were in relation to industrial and business output and mainly the construction and transport sectors as these were hit the hardest by the recession.

But, what about individual household emissions? The Guardian felt that households were stubborn and that their greenhouse gas emissions remain high. The reasons behind this were the growth in population as well as the growth in single homeownership. There are also other factors which I feel come into the equation such as people are not going out as much during the credit crunch leading to a greater usage of plasma televisions and computers, therefore increasing home energy consumption and usage figures.

It is also felt that households are often not encouraged enough to think about the environment. And with the Energy Saving Trust who were specifically set-up to help households think about the environment having their funding cut in half by the government, it is little wonder households aren’t getting the message.

However, these recessional times have forced the government to consider the environment and our energy usage especially as there are predetermined climate change targets for the UK to reach. The Green Deal which is going through parliament at present is the main driving force being introduced by the government to try and revolutionise energy efficiency. The scheme aims to offer households energy saving improvements throughout their homes. The cost will be paid for upfront by private firms however the money will be recouped through the household’s energy bill. It is assumed that the energy saved will more than pay for the cost of these improvements.

Therefore, does the credit crunch effect the environment in a positive or negative way when looked at in relation to households? In theory it should be good thing as it should be assumed that people will have less disposable income and will be looking at active ways to reduce their expenditure. However, this is not the case. Even though individuals may reduce the amount they spend on luxuries such as car trips and holidays therefore reducing some gas emissions, they are reluctant to change their household energy usage and budget. This is because many people feel that this is a luxury and a comfort that they should try and retain for a healthy and happy household during the credit crunch.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain