Winter Wellbeing – preparing your home for winter

 

Cheshire East Council and its partners are offering a range of advice and support to residents on how to keep warm, well and safe this winter.

This week, we remind people that there are numerous checks that can be completed which can minimise the affects of adverse weather.

Advice includes:

· Insulate pipes and drain off outside taps to prevent frozen pipes.

· Know where your stop tap is and make sure you can turn it on and off with ease.

· If you are going away, consider asking a friend or neighbour to check on your house regularly. That way, if you have a burst, it will be discovered early.

· Leave your heating on if the weather is forecast to be freezing.

· Contact Broad Oak Energy on 01782 550 371 for details of free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation.

· Fit draught proofing to seal any gaps around doors and windows.

· Get your boiler serviced regularly by a qualified engineer. Remember, for gas boilers, check that your engineer is Gas Safe registered.

· Be prepared for clearing ice and snow this winter – have a snow shovel, brush and grit or salt ready.

· If a member of a person’s household is of a pensionable age, has a disability, is chronically sick, has a hearing and/or visual impairment or has a child under eight years old, they may be eligible for free services. It is advisable for people to contact their energy supplier to check whether they are eligible for free or priority services. Suppliers have a duty of care to households with customers who may be vulnerable regarding their energy supply.

· Winter is also a good time to be aware of what to do if electricity supplies go off. Don’t assume that suppliers will know that power supplies are down – call them and have your name, postcode, house number and telephone number handy.

Councillor Paul Bates, cabinet member for communities and health, said: “Throughout winter the Council will be issuing advice and information to help our residents to prepare for the colder weather, while also encouraging them to check in on their neighbours.

“Winter can be a daunting time of the year for some members of our community but there is support out there for residents to access. Some of that help and advice is available online and residents can help friends and neighbours who do not have internet access by printing off information for them.”

For further winter-related advice, please visit: www.facebook.com/cheshireeastcouncil

and www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/winter