Are you holding out for an Indian summer this year? Our summer was quite disappointing to say the least, and although it’s still mild and balmy, in our experience it’s never too early to start prepping for the cold weather which is inevitably on the way.
From what you should do to winter-proof your home to precautions to take for your car, here’s a few tips on how to prepare for colder weather now so that the first cold snap of the season doesn’t catch you out.
Preparing your home for colder weather
- Home heating oil: Make sure you top up your oil tank with a delivery of home heating oil so that when the time comes to have your heating on regularly you’ll have plenty of oil to keep your home cosy. If you haven’t had the heating on in quite a while you might have totally run out and not even noticed. Order your oil today in just a few minutes for a delivery when it suits you.
- Draught-proofing your home: Time to nip those pesky draughts in the bud. Whether it’s caulking up gaps around the window sills, replacing worn or broken seals around windows or adding brush strips to the bottom of your doors, anything you can do now to prepare your home for colder weather will help you stay cosy.
- Insulation: Check your attic insulation is at the recommended thickness and if not, top it up or replace it so that you don’t lose as much heating through your roof space this winter. Recommended insulation is around 270mm, which helps to trap warm air in your home and will prevent you from wasting money on home heating oil in the process.
Preparing your car for colder weather
- Winter tyres: When the snow falls it can be more than inconvenient, it can be dangerous to drive in, but when you have no other option to get to work you should consider having winter tyres put on your car. These will help your car grip the road better when covered in ice and snow. If you don’t have them yet, start to budget for them and make sure to put them on your car in advance of the first predicted snowfall.
- De-icer: Next time you do a weekly shop it would be a good idea to add a can of de-icer to your trolley which you can keep in the car in case of unexpected frost one morning.
Taking care of yourself during cold weather
- Vitamins: It’s not just your home and car that need extra attention during the colder weather, as we all can feel a little run down when the cold weather sets in. For this reason, make sure you stock up on some vitamins and some cold and flu remedies. If you get struck down with a bug you’ll feel better knowing you have some medicine already on hand to help you beat it.
- Heavy coats and thermal clothing: The shops are full of summer sales at the moment, making way for new autumn winter stock which will soon be hitting the shelves. Make sure you invest in some much-needed winter essentials like thermal clothing and a heavy winter coat to see you through the worst of the cold weather.