Home insurance - tips & advice - home maintenance

While the seasons have recently had a tendency to blend into one in the UK, it can still be a shock when the real ‘winter freeze’ sets in. So make sure you’re one step ahead by sorting out your heating system so that it meets your needs, year round.

Winter 2006 was one of the coldest for years, while summer 2007 was one of the wettest in the UK. Throughout the year we have also witnessed unpredictable weather systems that have brought hot and cold weather when we were least expecting it – hot sun in April and hailstones in July! Taking all these things into consideration, it is therefore wise to prepare your home now for any eventuality and that includes having an adequate heating system in place. Not only will this keep you warm but also with the right advice, you could save some money along the way.

Help heating your home
You may take your heating for granted, or you may be one of the three million households in the UK that are experiencing fuel poverty and spending more than 10% of your income just trying to keep warm. Either way, the Home Heat Helpline (launched in 2005 by the Energy Retail Association) on 0800 336699 and online advice sites www.homeheathelpline.org and www.heatmyhome.co.uk are designed to help you.

The Home Heat Helpline operates from Monday to Friday 9am-8pm and from 10am-2pm on Saturday. There is a free minicom number (0800 0272122) and the Helpline also has access to interpreters for those callers whose first language is not English.

Online sites have also recently been updated to include advice, tips and guides in Hindi, Bengali and Chinese as well as English to help reach as many people as possible. By calling the Helpline you can also speak to expert advisors, including qualified health professionals, who offer a range of information on heating benefits and fuel grants, tips on saving energy and advice on how to cope with the cold if you fall into a vulnerable category – if you are old or ill, for example.

Top tips
You can download a leaflet from www.homeheathelpline.org that gives the following advice to help keep you warm and help cut fuel bills. It might be hot outside now but act on this advice soon to save you worrying through winter!

Simple steps to reduce your bills
• Turn radiators down in rooms which you only use occasionally.
• Switch your lights off when you’re not using them.
• Turn appliances like TVs and phone chargers off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby when they’re not being used.

Thinking about insulating your home?
• Good insulation can make a real impact on your bills in the long run. Laying your loft with 10 inches of insulation can save you around 25% of your home's energy use. An adequate amount of insulation (250mm) can also save you a quarter of heating costs and up to £170 each year.
• Around 33% of the heat lost in your home is through the walls, so insulating them can be the most cost effective way to save energy in the home. Installing cavity wall insulation can save you up to £120 per year on your heating bills.

Staying warm
• Draw curtains over windows at night to provide insulation for the room.
• Keep outside doors shut and block up obvious draughts (including the letterbox).
• Move furniture away from radiators and heaters to allow heat to circulate around the room.
• Open internal doors of any rooms that get more sun than others and let the warm air travel around your home.

How Direct Line can help
At Direct Line we’re also committed to help keeping you warm through winter. On our online Home Insurance page you can find features designed to help you ‘Prepare for Winter’, ‘Fight the Freeze’ and offering more ‘Top Tips on Home Insulation’.

Our Home Buildings and Contents Insurance policies can also give you some peace of mind if adverse weather conditions such as storm or flood should damage your home. Plus, why not take out our Home Response 24 cover which offers around the clock expert help and advice if disaster should strike – your pipes burst or a storm blows your roof in, for example.

Apply for a great value Direct Line  Home Insurance quote today and you’ll also see how much you could save.