20/10/2020
Cold weather means cosy jumpers, mugs of hot chocolate and fun in the snow, but it can also cause a build up of condensation in your home and can make some health problems worse.
Preventing mould & condensation
In the winter months, moisture in the warm air hits cold surfaces which causes condensation to form. A buildup of condensation can cause mould.
Follow our top tips to help prevent condensation in your home.
- Keep your home ventilated. Change the air once a day by opening a window for a small time each day. Keep window trickle vents open, and air vents uncovered.
- Keep your extractor fan on to extract moisture. They cost less than £1 per month to run and use less energy than a lightbulb.
- Keep doors closed and windows open when bathing and cooking.
- When filling a bath, run the cold water before the hot water. This will reduce steam which leads to condensation.
- Keep lids on pots and pans when cooking to prevent moisture escaping.
- Wipe off any water droplets on windows.
- Dry clothes outdoors, or in a room with doors closed, windows open and the extractor fan on. If using a tumble dryer, make sure the ventilation pipe runs to the outside of your home.
- Leave a gap between walls and furniture to allow air to circulate.
- Keep the heating at one constant temperature.
- Use a fungicidal spray on affected areas.
Keeping warm
Follow our top tips to help keep you warm in winter.
- Patch up any draughts in your home by filling in the gaps around windows and doors with a draught excluder.
- Close curtains before it gets dark and whilst you’re out of the house to stop warmth escaping from the windows. Consider investing in some thermal curtains.
- Cover wooden floors with rugs to stop warmth escaping.
- A good temperate for heating is 18-21°C. Set it to come on just before you get up/or in and switch off after you’ve gone to bed.
Winter is the busiest time of the year for our heating contractors. If you have heating or hot water issues, report a repair as soon as possible to avoid a delay in getting the problem fixed.