I cannot quite fathom the fact that we’re about to head back into autumn and I have mixed feelings! I definitely love the autumn/winter fashion more than I do the summer but I love the sunshine and warmth of spring and summer. We’ve had a reasonably good summer but I hate the cold and I hate it, even more, when it goes dark at 4pm. However, it’s inevitable regardless and as homeowners, we’re making sure that we prep our home for the cooler months to ensure that our flat stays nice and toasty. Here are five updates to make to your home before it gets cold.
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Install A Smart Meter
A smart meter is something I’ve wanted to get for our flat for a while and it might not be something that we can do until later this year due to financial reasons (aka booking a holiday in September). However, smart meters are great for when you’ll be using your heating a lot more than usual. Smart meters like NEST are great for keeping control of using too much heating and to help be more kind to the environment. It’s also smart in that it’s an electronic device that replaces your current thermostat and can be controlled from your phone or iPad. I think we may end up getting it as we’re certainly going to be in our flat until 2021 before we think about selling but I also want to have it in our next home as that’s when we’d be at the point where we have a family and of course, bills are likely to increase.
Replace Any Old Or Single-Glazed Windows
Windows are so important to your home and they need to be at least double-glazed or triple-glazed. Any less than that can end up being not as successful in terms of keeping in the heat and therefore you’re likely to be using more of your boiler to help combat the cold. This time of the year is the perfect opportunity to take a look at your windows both from the inside and outside, to check if any cracks or gaps need filling in or if the windows themselves need replacing.
Do Any Paint Touch-Ups
Painting your home, whether it’s touching up the scuffs or marks on the walls to repainting your kitchen cabinet, can be done by yourself. You don’t need any DIY skills, in particular, just a bit of common sense when it comes to the use of brushes and rollers and to check the type of paint that should be used on the walls or cupboards. Doing these paint touch-ups now is beneficial because you’ll need to leave your windows open for the majority of the day for the paint fumes. You wouldn’t be able to do this during winter, so get it done now to avoid sitting in a cold property!
Invest In Some Thermal Blinds Or Curtains
We’ve currently got thermal, blackout blinds in just our main bedroom but it’s going to be worth having some blinds in all of the rooms in our apartment as it gets colder. I think we’re aiming to do this as part of our Christmas presents to each other. I’m at that point where I’d rather be spending money on our flat for birthday and Christmas presents as we’re also trying to save for our wedding too. I got our main bedroom from Blinds2Go and I highly recommend using them.
Get The Boiler Serviced
And finally, your boiler is the most important thing in your home, particularly when it comes to heating up your home. The last thing you want is your boiler to break down as that can only mean bad news for you and your household in terms of hot water and heating up those radiators. If your boiler is due a service, get it done before the cooler months come around as it may take longer to get a call out if something happens during this time.
Have you made any updates to your home recently? Let me know in the comments below!
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post with St Helens Windows. All words are my own.
