PROTECT your home against autumn downpours and winter draughts.
Fixing a broken tile or blocked gutter now is much cheaper than paying for a costly fix further down the line.
And, as energy bills rose again this week, taking steps to keep the heat in your home could save you a fortune.
These ten essential winter checks could save you hundreds of pounds.
LEAVES and moss can block your gutters leading to damp problems.
According to Checkatrade, a professional gutter clean for a semi-detached house costs from £100 to £150, while a problem with penetrating damp could cost £1,000 to sort out, fix the plaster and re-decorate.
To clear gutters yourself, set up a ladder, attaching your bucket to an S hook, from £3 at B&Q, to leave your hands free.
Using gloves, scoop debris from the gutter into your bucket before rinsing through with a hosepipe.
Joanna O’Loan, knowledge manager at the Energy Saving Trust, suggests doing an MOT on your heating now.
She says: “Give it a trial run, so you can sort out any glitches before the first real cold snap — that’s when plumbers will be rushed off their feet.”
If your radiators have cold spots, you can bleed them yourself. Find a step-by-step guide at uswitch.com.
“ONE of the biggest mistakes people make is not understanding their heating controls,” says Joanna.
She explains that the boiler programmer, thermostat and radiator valves need to work together.
Set your heating on the programmer to come on only when you need it.
Set the thermostat temperature to between 18 and 21 degrees and adjust your radiators according to which rooms you use the most.
You can buy radiator valves for under £10 and fit them to radiators.
Joanna says: “Turn the radiators right down in rooms you don’t use but don’t turn them off completely as this could make any damp issue worse.
“If you have a wireless thermostat, put it in a room you use a lot, like a living room.”
DON’T let warm air disappear through cracks around doors and windows.
You could save around £40 a year on your heating bill by draught-proofing windows and doors, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Professional draught-proofing could cost around £250 for the whole home.
That could be money well spent, but there are measures you can take yourself.
The cheapest solution is self-adhesive foam strips, but metal or plastic strips with brushes attached are likely to last longer.
A QUARTER of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home.
It can cost around £950 to add the right insulation to a semi, but that could save you around £200 a year on your energy bill.
Joanna says: “A lot of people have already insulated their loft but not to the required level.”
If you live in a home built between 1930 and 1980, look in to cavity wall insulation, costing £1,000 to £4,000.
Help for improvements may be available through the ECO scheme for low-income households, and the Great British Insulation Scheme for homes with an EPC rating D to G, and within Council Tax bands A-D in England and A-E in Scotland and Wales.
YOU should have a chimney swept at least every year.
A professional clean is essential to reduce the risk of harmful fumes, soot and prevent chimney fires.
It will cost around £65, but will cut the danger of a house fire.
According to Checkatrade, the average cost of restoring a house after a fire is nearly £36,000.
AS well as letting rain in, loose roof tiles can fly off in stormy weather and cause serious damage.
Fix before the winter winds arrive.
The average roof tile replacement cost is £170 for up to five broken tiles.
GETTING your boiler checked annually by a Gas Safe plumber (gassaferegister.co.uk) can help you avoid expensive boiler repairs.
The plumber can help your boiler run more efficiently, so you can save on energy bills.
They may bleed your radiators for no extra cost, as well as advising on balancing heating controls.
A boiler service comes in at around £100.
STORMS may arrive with cheery names but the damage they leave is far from friendly.
Wobbly fences are often the first casualty of a strong autumn gust.
For repair tips and videos, go to the B&Q website at DIY.com.
THOSE who are more vulnerable should add their details to the Priority Services Register at thepsr.co.uk.
Free to join, it helps utility companies, including energy suppliers and water companies, look after customers with extra needs.
Also check that you are getting all the help you are entitled to with bills.
Contact turn2us.org.uk or citizensadvice.org.uk.
