Your house will soon feel the full force of the British weather again with winter’s wind, rain and snow inevitably on the way. Nasty leaks and wasted energy are just some of the possible consequences that can leave you wet, cold and out of pocket. Here are five jobs for the house you want to get out of the way as soon as possible to get ready for winter.

1. Service your boiler
You’ll be turning up the heating considerably soon, so now is the time to check your boiler is working fine and doesn’t let you down when you most need it. Gas Safe Register recommends you get your boiler checked annually by a registered engineer. This is mainly to protect you and your family from Carbon Monoxide poisoning, which every year claims lives and in less extreme cases ill health too. Make sure you ask the engineer if you could set your heating controls more efficiently to save on your bills.
This may be a good time to replace an old boiler for a newer model. Paul Coupe from Northern Gas Heating, nationwide installers of condensing and combi boilers, says: “If your boiler is over 10 years old you could be wasting up to half the gas you buy! Replacing an old boiler with a new condensing model can save around a third on your heating bills straight away and it dramatically reduces CO2 emissions too, making it much better for the environment.”

2. Clean out your gutters
With autumn on the way your gutters are due to be filled with plenty of debris such as falling leaves, twigs and general muck. If water can’t flow through them and drain away it will cause gutters to rot or rust and eventually weight them down too much and pull them loose from their mountings. As they’re designed to direct rainwater away from your house, a faulty gutter can cause water damage which is a pricey problem to fix. Gutters should be cleaned out twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn, but if they are directly below trees this may need to happen more often. Here are some tips:
- Use a sturdy ladder and NEVER lean it against your gutters or downspouts or stand on the top two rungs.
- Remove any debris with your hands (wear rubber gloves for protection) or a tool like a spoon or trowel and place in a bag or bucket placed on the roof.
- Check the downspouts aren’t clogged. If they are, try to gently unblock them with a hose, plumber’s auger or unbent clothes hanger.
- One you are done, use your hose to run water through the gutters and check that everything is flowing freely.
If the gutters are more than 2 stories from the floor, you will probably need a professional to clean them out for you with special tools.

3. Seal draughts to windows and doors
It’s no good having a boiler in tip top order if the heat it’s pumping out is leaking through cracks and gaps in your windows and doors. Around a fifth of heat lost from the home is due to draughts, but this can be fixed simply by locating draughts and sealing them and is often a much cheaper solution than replacing old, draughty windows or doors. Installing draught proofing will save you around £25 and reduce your CO 2emissions by around 130kg a year, but this is just a rough figure as the amount of draughts in your property usually depends on its age. Allan Onslow, Deputy Executive Director of the Draught Proofing Advisory Association Limited, says:
“Pre-Second World War housing can be particularly leaky, especially Victorian properties with sash windows. These houses will need more draught proofing to seal, but the savings are also greater. One important thing to remember, however, is to always make sure your property is adequately ventilated. For example, trickle vents for windows can be closed and opened according to need, while bathrooms need good working fans and kitchens should be fitted with an extractor fan.”
Most DIY stores stock a wide range of draught proofing in the form brushes, foams and sealants in strips or shaped rubber or plastic. They should be able to advise you on what to use and how to apply it. Here are some tips:
- Check for draughts around doors, windows or loft hatches and take their full measurements with you to the DIY store.
- Apply a brush-strip seal to your letterbox.
- For unused chimneys, you can simply use newspaper to block draughts or buy a chimney balloon, but remember to take these out when you next use it!
- Gaps in floorboards can be sealed with an acrylic sealant.

4. Insulate your loft
The energy saving trust reports houses with un-insulated lofts lose around a quarter of their heat via the roof and this is especially important in winter as your heating bills may literally go through the roof! There is of course an associated cost, but as your loft insulation will be effective for around 40 years, you will make back the money over time and start reducing CO2 emissions straight away.
Houses that are most suitable for loft insulation will typically have an accessible loft with no damp or condensation problems. Houses with flat roofs or damp lofts will need professional help. Your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre can put you in touch with an installer and you can call them for free on 0800 512 012.
If you are keen to do the work yourself, you can use loft insulation blankets which are fairly easy to install by a competent DIY’er. This needs to be done correctly in order to be effective, so if you are unsure, you may want to get in the professionals. For more in depth advice on insulating your loft, see the Energy Saving Trust loft insulation guide.

5. Inspect your roof and chimney
Your roof is the first point of contact between your house and rainfall or snow. Everyone loves a white winter, but if your roof is collecting snow for days on end and has weak points, you could end up with some costly leaks and suddenly that snow won’t be so festive anymore! Now is the time to check that your roof... is weatherproof.
Steep roofs or roofs covered with slate or tile shouldn’t be walked on. In this case it’s advisable to check from a ladder around the perimeter from the eaves. Always make sure you are using an appropriate roof ladder that is securely fastened at the top and bottom and have someone with you for safety. Here are some checks you should make and replacements where necessary:
- Look for missing, cracked, curled, broken or rotted slates or tiles. These will need to be replaced and old nails removed
- Check for any broken or missing flashing at points where the roof meets chimneys, walls, vents dormers, or skylights – roofing cement can fix problems areas.
- Check your chimney is free of any unwanted guests!
(Image by akeg)