The East Midlands winter is well underway. It’s already delivered more cold and wet weather than we’ve been used to in recent years, and it’s far from over yet – February is traditionally our time to expect a challenging visit from ‘the Beast from the East’! So how well are your windows coping at keeping that precious warmth in your home… and winter’s icy fingers out?
Keep utility prices low this winter
Fair enough, nobody really wants to face a full scale window make-over this far into the season. But there’s still plenty you can do to reduce your energy costs and increase your home comfort with a bit of thought and relatively minimal effort. After all with utility prices the way they are, every little helps.
Save energy in your home when the days are cold
There is no doubt that the weather is turning cold and as snow starts to land on the ground we can also notice some issues appearing in our home. Keeping your windows in the best possible condition and making some quick fix changes around the house can make a big difference to avoid the cold and damp in the winter months. Take advantage of the next decent day that comes along, and check a few things out…
Check rubber seals
Look at any rubber weather seals in your doors and windows – make sure they haven’t come adrift or are cracking. The chances are that this will be a fairly simple DIY fix. Checking these a couple of times during winter will ensure that you avoid any unwanted drafts.
Check wooden frames
If you’ve got wooden frames, check them for any cracks. Make sure that you fill in any cracks that you find. This will help you to prevent frost damage and subsequent rot.
DIY your letter box
As it gets colder, it’s important to make sure there are no unwanted drafts or gushes of wind coming into the home. Stop your letterbox from flapping open with every gust of wind by using a small magnet or even a blob of BluTack which can work wonders for this problem!
Keep the warm in
Try and keep as many internal doors shut as is practical for you. As soon as you and the family are aware of doing this you will soon notice a difference. You could even invest in a draught-excluding ‘snake’ or two for the bottoms of living room doors.
Dress your windows accordingly
You might already be looking at making some new year, new living changes to your home anyway. Now is a good time to consider investing in longer curtains if you don’t have them already. It’s amazing the difference longer curtains – with linings – can make to keeping the heat in a room. ‘BlocOut’ roller blinds are apparently pretty effective, too. Fitting within vertical runners attached to the window frame, they have a rubber seal and draught-excluding brush at the bottom. In tests run by the British Board of Agrément (BBA), these were found to reduce heat loss through single-glazed windows by 43%.
At least by addressing these few issues you can sit in the comfort of a cosy lounge and enjoy planning exactly what styles you’d prefer for some new doors and windows, and when to get us round to replace your ageing ones in readiness for next winter’s challenge!
If you’ve any questions about maintenance, or our superb ranges of Archer doors and windows in Nottingham, submit an online enquiry or visit our showrooms at The Mill, Queens Road East in Beeston or Rutland House, Nottingham Road in Ilkeston. You’ll find all the numbers, addresses and opening times on our contact us page.