Please give us your winter advice

What if those who work for the emergency services thought that way, there would be no-one to pick you up

Their work involves saving lives, so its not unusual for them to be out and about, however if your job involves tasks that are not as important as an paramedic, then it might be a good idea not to tempt fate and walk for miles, now would it?

Hibernate.

Last winter - and for the 2 preceding winters - I lived in a place where the temperature routinely falls to -15'C or lower.

This winter (and hopefully for all the rest) I'll be in Florida.

I probably won't have to shovel too much snow this year.

I do, however still have a home in Bavaria and it needs to be protected against the cold.

If you're going to leave a house for an extended period (more than a few days) in winter, then ensure that the heating system maintains the temperature at about 10'C. (At the lowest, it should keep the house above 4'C, because water occupies more volume at 4'C than it does at other temperatures ... pipes don't burst when they freeze, they burst when they thaw and (usually when the temperature hits 4'C) Keeping the house at 10'C costs a little bit (but not a lot) more than keeping it at 5'C, but it prevents the place from getting musty and reduces condensation (which could cause other problems) considerably.

...We also followed the advice of many of the colder countries which was to prevent condensation and damp problems by throwing open all of the windows for 5 minutes every morning and use a fan to blow out all the stale, damp air then start again with fresh air inside the house.

Yes Yes Yes! Not only does that prevent condensation and damp problems, but it also reduces the amount of energy (money) you use to heat the house... provided it's not foggy (or really damp) outside.

Temperature is degree of heat. - Not amount of heat. Your goal is to keep the temperature at a comfortable level without using a large amount of heat.

Dry air doesn't need much heat to raise the temperature considerably, whereas moist air needs a significant amount of heat to increase the temperature by a few degrees.

If - when you wake up - the relative humidity in your bedroom is (say) 65% (not exactly humid, but you've been breathing water vapour intop the air all night) then if you want to warm that air, you'll need significantly more energy than you would if the RH was 40%.

If you open the windows and allow cold air at, say. 2'C; air which has an RH of even 50-60%, then when you close the windows and the house heats that air up, the RH will fall rapidly (it's relative humidity and it varies with temperature) and it will cost you far less to increase the temperature by one degree.

When you open the windows tha air in the house will get colder - but the walls, floors, ceilings and radiators won't and when you close the windows, the house will sonn warm up the comparatively dry air.

If it's not raining (and you're going to be home for a while), hang your duvet (or blankets and sheets) out of the window! Your bedding was warm when you got out of bed, but it was (comparatively) damp, too. Airing it kills the cooties, but it also gets rid of a lot of moisture which is otherwise going to evaporate into the air in the bedroom ... and you don't want to have to pay to heat that moist air.

When you leave the bathroom after a shower in the morning, open the window. Close it once you've dressed. - That gets rid of a lot of moist air, too.

If your house has a bit of a moisture problem, you might consider buying a de-humidifier. - It will pay for itself very quickly! They don't cost a lot to run and you don't need to run them all day, but it's another way of reducing the RH (and thus reducing your heating bill.)

Winter 2010 was one of the most severe we've seen for many years, with thousands of customers left with frozen pipes and no water. As part of our winter campaign we're giving advice on how to protect pipes and properties during a cold spell, but we'd also like your help. What did you do last winter to protect your home from the frost? Perhaps you knitted some insulation for your pipes or just popped round to check on your neighbour's house over Christmas - either way please share your tips with us and help millions of others across Yorkshire get ready for winter!

I have read though these hints and tips and love most of them,

but

You give away freebies to reduce water in toilets, showers, ect.. so why not help with pipe protection, not for 1 minute am I saying it should be free, but a service showing people what the problem areas are, and a discount towards buying/fitting via yourselves or approved companies may help.

Last winter - and for the 2 preceding winters - I lived in a place where the temperature routinely falls to -15'C or lower.

 

This winter (and hopefully for all the rest) I'll be in Florida.

 

I probably won't have to shovel too much snow this year.

 

I do, however still have a home in Bavaria and it needs to be protected against the cold.

 

If you're going to leave a house for an extended period (more than a few days) in winter, then ensure that the heating system maintains the temperature at about 10'C. (At the lowest, it should keep the house above 4'C, because water occupies more volume at 4'C than it does at other temperatures ... pipes don't burst when they freeze, they burst when they thaw and (usually when the temperature hits 4'C) Keeping the house at 10'C costs a little bit (but not a lot) more than keeping it at 5'C, but it prevents the place from getting musty and reduces condensation (which could cause other problems) considerably.

 

 

 

 

Yes Yes Yes! Not only does that prevent condensation and damp problems, but it also reduces the amount of energy (money) you use to heat the house... provided it's not foggy (or really damp) outside.

 

Temperature is degree of heat. - Not amount of heat. Your goal is to keep the temperature at a comfortable level without using a large amount of heat.

 

Dry air doesn't need much heat to raise the temperature considerably, whereas moist air needs a significant amount of heat to increase the temperature by a few degrees.

 

If - when you wake up - the relative humidity in your bedroom is (say) 65% (not exactly humid, but you've been breathing water vapour intop the air all night) then if you want to warm that air, you'll need significantly more energy than you would if the RH was 40%.

 

If you open the windows and allow cold air at, say. 2'C; air which has an RH of even 50-60%, then when you close the windows and the house heats that air up, the RH will fall rapidly (it's relative humidity and it varies with temperature) and it will cost you far less to increase the temperature by one degree.

 

When you open the windows tha air in the house will get colder - but the walls, floors, ceilings and radiators won't and when you close the windows, the house will sonn warm up the comparatively dry air.

 

If it's not raining (and you're going to be home for a while), hang your duvet (or blankets and sheets) out of the window! Your bedding was warm when you got out of bed, but it was (comparatively) damp, too. Airing it kills the cooties, but it also gets rid of a lot of moisture which is otherwise going to evaporate into the air in the bedroom ... and you don't want to have to pay to heat that moist air.

 

When you leave the bathroom after a shower in the morning, open the window. Close it once you've dressed. - That gets rid of a lot of moist air, too.

 

If your house has a bit of a moisture problem, you might consider buying a de-humidifier. - It will pay for itself very quickly! They don't cost a lot to run and you don't need to run them all day, but it's another way of reducing the RH (and thus reducing your heating bill.)

First rate advice. The number of calls I get each winter regarding "damp" problems (that invariably is mould formed by condensation) is incredible and so is the look on their faces when I tell them that 95% of the problem is of their own making. Houses need ventilation even when its cold. Also, please, if you have a cellar, don't entirely block up the old coal chutes unless you want to store up dry rot problems for the future.

Last winter - and for the 2 preceding winters - I lived in a place where the temperature routinely falls to -15'C or lower.

 

This winter (and hopefully for all the rest) I'll be in Florida.

 

I probably won't have to shovel too much snow this year.

 

I do, however still have a home in Bavaria and it needs to be protected against the cold.

 

If you're going to leave a house for an extended period (more than a few days) in winter, then ensure that the heating system maintains the temperature at about 10'C. (At the lowest, it should keep the house above 4'C, because water occupies more volume at 4'C than it does at other temperatures ... pipes don't burst when they freeze, they burst when they thaw and (usually when the temperature hits 4'C) Keeping the house at 10'C costs a little bit (but not a lot) more than keeping it at 5'C, but it prevents the place from getting musty and reduces condensation (which could cause other problems) considerably.

 

 

 

 

Yes Yes Yes! Not only does that prevent condensation and damp problems, but it also reduces the amount of energy (money) you use to heat the house... provided it's not foggy (or really damp) outside.

 

Temperature is degree of heat. - Not amount of heat. Your goal is to keep the temperature at a comfortable level without using a large amount of heat.

 

Dry air doesn't need much heat to raise the temperature considerably, whereas moist air needs a significant amount of heat to increase the temperature by a few degrees.

 

If - when you wake up - the relative humidity in your bedroom is (say) 65% (not exactly humid, but you've been breathing water vapour intop the air all night) then if you want to warm that air, you'll need significantly more energy than you would if the RH was 40%.

 

If you open the windows and allow cold air at, say. 2'C; air which has an RH of even 50-60%, then when you close the windows and the house heats that air up, the RH will fall rapidly (it's relative humidity and it varies with temperature) and it will cost you far less to increase the temperature by one degree.

 

When you open the windows tha air in the house will get colder - but the walls, floors, ceilings and radiators won't and when you close the windows, the house will sonn warm up the comparatively dry air.

 

If it's not raining (and you're going to be home for a while), hang your duvet (or blankets and sheets) out of the window! Your bedding was warm when you got out of bed, but it was (comparatively) damp, too. Airing it kills the cooties, but it also gets rid of a lot of moisture which is otherwise going to evaporate into the air in the bedroom ... and you don't want to have to pay to heat that moist air.

 

When you leave the bathroom after a shower in the morning, open the window. Close it once you've dressed. - That gets rid of a lot of moist air, too.

 

If your house has a bit of a moisture problem, you might consider buying a de-humidifier. - It will pay for itself very quickly! They don't cost a lot to run and you don't need to run them all day, but it's another way of reducing the RH (and thus reducing your heating bill.)

Thank you for this. I now know something I did not know before and will use this advice going forward.

Thanks for all your great advice. We've used this advice & created a dedicated area on our website that all this plus a whole lot more. Not only does it have advice but we're also offering products at discounted rates to help protect your home during winter.

http://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water-services/protect-your-pipes.aspx