With winter comes unpredictable weather conditions and certain challenges for all, but especially those who live in rural, off-grid areas who can be more exposed to harsh weather conditions. As winter approaches, it’s the perfect time to start getting ready for the colder months ahead.
By planning ahead, rural householders can mitigate the risks associated with winter emergencies, ensuring their homes keep warm and cozy, safe and comfortable. Here we’re going to take a look at the top winter emergencies that those living off-grid face, and what householders can do to prepare ahead.
Protecting your property from high winds
Strong winds in the form of severe gales and storms can wreak havoc, and put a serious strain on your home, resulting in unexpected and costly damage.
Your roof is one of the most vulnerable parts of your home in high winds so it’s worth checking for broken or loose slates or tiles ahead of the winter. Check that guttering and pipes are fixed securely and free of debris and trim trees or overhanging branches to prevent them from falling onto your property during a storm.
If strong winds are forecast, secure items such as plant pots, garden furniture, and bins, and check that shed doors, fences and gates are securely fastened to protect from potential damage. Park your car away from trees, preferably in your garage if you have one. And charge mobile phones in case you need to call for help.
Even if you put these safety measures in place, there’s still a good chance your property could be damaged. If it is, report any damage to your insurance company as soon as possible as you may need to get emergency repair work done, and take photos or videos of the damage.
There’s a power cut - what do I do?
Strong winds and heavy snow can knock out power lines leaving homes with no heating, lighting, or communications. Be prepared – have torches and extra batteries to the ready, warm throws and blankets on hand, and unplug electrical devices such as computers and TV’s to protect from power surges that may happen when the supply is restored.
If your power goes off unexpectedly, check to see if your neighbours are affected - if so, get in touch with your Electricity Distribution Network Operator who is responsible for maintaining supply – call them on 105. If, however, the outage is just affecting your home, it’s likely there’s a problem with your fuses or trip switches.
No heating!
When temperatures drop, our heating systems work overtime to bring our homes up to the required temperature, putting greater stress on boilers whether they run on heating oil, LPG or any other off-grid fuel source. This means that boilers, which work hard to keep your home supplied with heating and hot water, are under more strain, and vital components are more likely to develop faults, leaving our boilers more vulnerable to breaking down, so it's always good to prep ahead for winter.
Being without heating or hot water in freezing temperatures is unpleasant, to say the least. An annual boiler service is the best way to ensure that your central heating can handle cold weather and sudden drops in temperature. Not servicing a boiler can lead to reduced efficiency and potential safety hazards resulting in higher heating bills and a shorter lifespan.
A regular annual service will ensure that your boiler is operating safely, protecting your family from the potential of carbon monoxide leaks, as well as keep it running at maximum efficiency. In addition, your boiler will be checked for signs of wear and tear at its annual boiler service, so any issues can be spotted and rectified, preventing any future breakdowns from taking place.
It’s also important to prevent frozen pipes by protecting them with insulation such as foam. If pipes do freeze, thaw slowly using warm water or with a heat source like a hair dryer, and once thawed, check for leaks.
Staying safe in flooding
Heavy rainfall has hit many this year throughout the UK with many homes and businesses suffering flooding. In January, Storm Henk brought persistent rain with devastating flooding occurring across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and other counties across the Midlands, and only last month, Storm Bert led to significant flooding across Northamptonshire.
Be prepared - sign up to get flood warnings and make an evacuation plan. Prepare a kit in case you need to leave your home quickly and consider buying sandbags from your local DIY or hardware shop if your home is in an area prone to flooding. If flooding is expected, protect your furniture and valuables by moving them up high if possible, and turn off your gas, electricity, and water supply.
The gov.uk website has tips for protecting your property, from moving electrical sockets higher up your walls to laying tiles instead of carpets.
Structural damage to your home
Whilst extreme conditions and periods of prolonged snow and ice are quite rare, they do happen. Ice accumulation and heavy snow can put your home at risk of structural damage – a build-up of snow or ice is heavier than you might think and has the potential to damage the structure of the building. And if snow or ice suddenly slides off your roof, it can pose a hazard for anyone passing by, or for vehicles parked nearby.
Then there’s when the snow or ice thaws – as it turns to water, it needs somewhere to go. And as it melts, the force of water freezing then thawing can cause weak areas to crumble or become unstable, as water expands as it thaws.
Regularly clear snow from roofs and gutters and make sure it's not deposited against the foot of any downspouts so water can drain away freely. Trim overhanging branches near your house.
We hope we’ve helped you understand the risks so you can prepare effectively as we head towards winter.
It’s an excellent time to familiarise yourself with your home insurance policy to see what is and isn’t included, make sure that you’re adequately covered and check your excess.
Lots of different providers have different tiers of cover, and this can be confusing. At Northern Energy, we’re now offering our Premium Package oil customers and our LPG Package customers a significant discount on Home Emergency Cover in association with coverbaloo. The coverbaloo policy provides cover for up to 3 claims per year, and can include your main heating system as well as hot water, plumbing and drainage, gas and electricity supply, roofing and more (full offer Terms and Conditions apply). To find out more, call us on 01423 770 666.
Northern Energy Gas Ltd and Northern Energy Oil are Introducer Appointed Representatives of Cavere Ltd. which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Financial Services Register number 517325. Northern Energy is appointed for the introduction of Home Emergency Insurance only.