As the weather drops, we all start asking ourselves: "Is it time to put the heating on?" And after months of not needing it, it's also when you might realize that your heating isn't doing as efficient a job as it was the year before.
I should know, my husband's a heating engineer and it's around the same time each year that his phone doesn't stop ringing with people wanting to know why their house isn't warming up like it used to.
But, before you call in a professional, there's a few things you can do around your home to make sure your property isn't losing heat – and they're pretty simple to do and fairly inexpensive. Add in the fact that you could also be saving yourself money on heating bills in the long term and this should become part of your fall/winter routine.
1. Use a sheet of paper to identify gaps
As Kaitlin Wood, Senior Category Manager for Bathrooms, Plumbing, Heating and Renewables at Travis Perkins says: "Homeowners often focus on their boiler or thermostat when preparing for winter, but heat can also escape through small gaps and poorly insulated areas around the property."
And one really important place to check is your windows. Fortunately, you can do so with just a simple strip of paper. All you have to do is place it between an open window and its frame before closing the window and locking it. If you can remove the paper once it's closed with little resistance, there's clearly an issue with the seal around the window.
You should check this in several places around the window to ensure where the problem is, and once you've identified the problem, you can use draught-proofing strips around the windows to fix it.
Though it's important to identify what the issue actually is, too. Whether it's a worn seal, a misaligned window, damaged hinges or a gap around the outer frame. "A joiner or window fitter can establish whether the window needs a replacement seal, an adjustment, or a more substantial repair, helping homeowners avoid applying a product that is unsuitable for the window," advises Rob Haddock, Senior Group Commercial Category Manager at Travis Perkins.
2. Check your attic
If your attic is anything like mine, it's a place where I store the things I don't need all year round, from seasonal clothing and decorations to suitcases and memorabilia. But storing all this up in the attic might actually be causing a problem for your heating.
All these storage boxes and/or boards might be impacting the effectiveness of your attic's insulation by compressing it or pushing it to the sides. So, head into your attic with a tape measure and check the depth in areas of high storage against empty spots to assess. You'll need to check the climate zone, but it'll range between 10 and 24 inches.
Haddock says: "Adding more insulation will not necessarily solve the problem if it is then compressed beneath boxes or loft boards. Raising boarding can provide storage space while allowing the insulation underneath to retain its intended depth."
He advises: "Damp Insulation, insulation damaged by pests, or covering electrical equipment should not simply be topped up. An experienced installer can assess its condition, ventilation and coverages before recommending the correct improvement."
And it's also worth checking your attic door while you're up there for any visible signs of gaps, whether that's a noticeable draft, movement, or light shining through.
3. Assess your radiators
You don't have to be a heating engineer to run a quick check on your radiators to see if the heat is being distributed evenly. Instead, do it yourself and then you can identify whether you need to call in an expert.
Place your hands gently on the radiator (being careful of heat). If you're feeling coolness at the top of a radiator, but heat at the bottom, coolness throughout, or a radiator that heats very slowly compared to others, than you might have a bigger problem.
Wood explains: "Uneven heat is a symptom rather than a full diagnosis. Turning up the thermostat could make other rooms unnecessarily warm without resolving the original problem. A heating engineer can determine whether the radiator contains trapped air or whether there is a problem elsewhere in the system."
5. Insulate exposed pipes
It's worth checking throughout your home and especially in unheated spaces like your loft and garage for pipes that may be exposed as they could be susceptible to freezing or condensation during the colder months.
Once you've identified these pipes, it's possible to buy pipe insulation and slip over straight pipe runs with self-sealing adhesive, but you may want to call in a plumber to help you identify and treat the pipes, as well as ensuring that valves, controls and components are still exposed for access.
It's also worth noting that if you identify heating or hot water pipes that these need to be switched off and cooled fully before handling.
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5. Do a full draft check
While checking your windows is the most obvious place for drafts in a property, there's a few other spots you should also be paying attention to. These include floorboards, baseboards, around pipework and fireplaces.
Small gaps can be treated with the appropriate filler, with research and expert guidance, but if you identify any larger gaps or openings you think shouldn't be there, it's time to call in an expert. Spotting them could be just what you need to reduce those heating bills in the long run.