Cosy autumn themed seating area

Getting the home ready for autumn

With summer now creeping away from us, it’s perhaps time to prepare the home for the chillier months of the year. Like many things in life, getting ready nice and early is a sure way to keep costs down, and here at Best at Flooring, we can show you just how to do that.

Brighten up spaces

There’s nothing we can do about things getting darker in the winter months, but there are things we can do to make it better. By investing in a few candles here and there we can help brighten up little spaces as well as adding warmth and comforting smells.

Kelly Hoppen, a designer writing for The Huffington Post, says, “lighting in your home should be something which works all year round – consider lighting which brightens up a room at night-time but also provides great light for darker autumn days too.” We’ve also talked about how certain colours can help you feel warmer and make the house feel a little bigger too – you can check that blog post out here.

Invest in an electric blanket

Electric blankets make for great gadgets for comfort, but they can also keep you warm and help you save money. Although people tend to think that they cost a lot of money to run, the fact is that, on the whole, electric blankets use only small amounts of electricity to run. By switching one on an hour before bed, you can stay warm and snug without relying on the heating. If you really want to save money, you can also reduce your autumn and winter bills by buying a little hot water bottle for bedtime.

Bleed the radiators

With colder days approaching, bleeding the radiators is a key step to keeping the bills down, which is important when you consider that 50 per cent of fuel bills go towards heating and hot water. If you find that your gas central heating isn’t warming your home, or that your radiators are colder at the top than the bottom, it means that there is air trapped in them — which can also lead to problems with mould. You can bleed a radiator by turning the heating off, gathering materials to catch the water, unscrewing the bleed screw and slowly turning the key anti-clockwise. Once the air stops hissing and water begins to drip out, tighten the screw and wipe the radiator down.

Kill the draughts

By simply draught-proofing your home, you could save around £25 per year on bills. Draughts can, of course, happen around windows, doors, floors, loft hatches, and even around electrical fittings on walls and ceilings. If you’ve just had a newly laid floor, no matter what type, whether solid or engineered, now is the time to look out for draughts. Draught proofing costs can vary, but you can buy professional draught proofing for around £275 for the whole house. If you want to do it yourself, check this video out by the Energy Saving Trust.