Get winter ready with our cold weather advice

Planning ahead can really help when the cold sets in. By spending a bit of time doing some simple checks around the home, you can ensure that you’ll be able to stay nice and warm and minimise the risk of nasty surprises, such as frozen pipes and bursts. 

Get winter ready with our cold weather advice

It’s that time of year when the temperature starts to drop. Time to get the big coats back out of the cupboard and start preparing your house for the cold weather. 

 

Planning ahead can really help when the cold sets in. By spending a bit of time doing some simple checks around the home, you can ensure that you’ll be able to stay nice and warm and minimise the risk of nasty surprises, such as frozen or burst pipes. Here are our top tips for protecting your home from the cold this winter. 

 
Wrap your pipes with lagging

Just like our hands and feet, our pipes also feel the cold when the temperature drops. We wear hats and gloves to fight off the cold, and our pipes need similar protection, in the form of lagging. Lagging simply means wrapping your water pipes in insulation to help delay the start of freezing. It’s easy and fairly cheap to do and with a little bit of knowledge, you can do it yourself. Read our detailed guide to lagging your pipes. 

 
Is there a tap dripping outside? Get it fixed

It’s important to fix dripping taps, as little drops make your pipes more prone to freezing when they are exposed to the cold air. Even a small dribble can increase the risk of your pipes freezing. If your pipes are frozen, you can use a towel soaked in hot water to thaw them. Never use a naked flame, such as a blow torch, to thaw your pipes. 

 

Untitled design (96)-1

 

Not in? Keep the heating on low

Hot, cold. Hot, cold. This sudden change in temperature can cause havoc on your poor pipes – particularly if they’ve frozen. Instead of turning the heating off, set it to around 14 degrees to maintain a constant temperature. Maintaining a constant temperature, as opposed to heating from scratch, shouldn’t make a noticeable difference on your energy bill.

 

Find your stop tap 

The location of your stop tap will vary from house to house, so it’s best to take a look and make sure you know where yours is. You’ll normally find them under the kitchen sink or cupboard, in the garage or utility room or in the bathroom. Check out our advice on how to find your stop tap.

 

Regularly service your boiler

Servicing your boiler regularly is important to keep it working in a safe and efficient manner. Getting a service will ensure that your boiler is performing efficiently and will help to identify any issues, so your boiler will be less likely to break down later on. Remember that most boiler warranties require you to get your boiler serviced every 12 months. 

 

 

ornament

Related content

What is a ‘rezone’?

What is a ‘rezone’?

What do we mean by “rezoning”? When we get reports of customers with no water our first thought is “how do we get the water back on” rather than how do we fix the burst main. When there has been a burst main that is causing people to be without water the majority of the…

Read More

Renewing our past for the good of people

Renewing our past for the good of people

In my early morning run today I came across a field of daffodils. It’s another few days until spring equinox, and the blooms reminded me of dark winters coming to an end and nature awakening, ready for spring renewal, time for shaking off the winter blues and opening up the windows to the sun. It’s…

Read More

Gender Pay Gap

Gender Pay Gap

The UK Government introduced legislation for employers with 250 or more employees, to publish annually, information relating to the gender pay gap in their organisation. The gender pay gap is the difference in the average earnings of men and women. This information is taken from a snapshot of the Company’s payroll data on the 5…

Read More