With the generally poor economy a lot of people have been skipping important winter preparation steps as simple as making sure that their windows are prepared for the cold weather. Have you been feeling drafts? Dragging out extra blankets despite having the heating on? Have you noticed rising heating bills? These are all things that could be affected by the conditions of your windows, windows that are not ready for the winter months won’t keep the heat in, won’t stop draft and will be of little benefit to you, which all leads to the rising cost of heating. However – if you could keep the heat inside the home you could save your heating bill by hundreds of pound every year, that’s not exactly a small amount.
You may want to have new windows fitted – some studies suggest that you should replace your windows every seven years, in order to fully benefit from them before they start to deteriorate in condition, but at the very least make sure that the glass and seals are maintained. Your windows can actually pay for themselves in what they’ll save you on heating bills, and some different types of window are considerably more efficient than others. Of course, should you be putting off the time when you really have to replace the windows you can make your winters a little more bearable with a few DIY steps.
First of all you should have thick, heavy curtains in place. Wool curtains are the most likely to benefit you as the material is thick and insulating as well as heavy enough to stop most drafts. Your curtains will probably need to be full length (go all the way to the floor) in order to fully prevent the drafts and of course if you like the look of daylight they won’t be as much use to you during the day. If you’re looking for a quick fix hanging a thick blanket over the windows can be just as effective, hanging a thick blanket over a doorway can also be an efficient way of stopping a draft and can actually add a nice look to your home.
Keep your windows clean, particularly around the sealant. Having mould means having bacteria that can actually wear away as the seals and cause the drafts that give you so many problems, so keeping your windows clean is a simple prevention method. You can also re-seal or insulate the window; bathroom type sealer will work for sealing the edges of the windows and applying a window insulator (a sheet type item that will fit to the window pane) will reduce the amount of heat being lost through the glass. Both items can be picked up at most hardware stores.
Regardless of how you have dealt with previous winter cold spouts you should ensure that your windows are up-to date and up-to scratch, uPVC double glazed windows are cheap and energy efficient and come in a range of styles, designs and sizes. These won’t only be of benefit in winter either, during the summer the double glazing limits heat transfer; this means that during the winter it traps the cool air outside and the warm air inside but allows sunlight to get in. During the summer it works in the same way; it keeps the hot air out and the cool air in and allows sunlight in, meaning you can enjoy your home to the fullest throughout the year.