Looking After Your Home in Winter: Tips from an Electrician

Home in winter

With the colder, darker nights already setting in, it won’t be long at all before we’re defrosting our cars and getting our homes ready for winter. We’re talking thicker blankets for the bed, cosy cushions and the heating notched up to high.

So that’s the simple stuff sorted, what about your home’s electrics? Can you be sure your house is safe as we go into November, December and January? To help you out, we’ve put together some top tips for ensuring your house is ready for whatever winter has in store.Of course, you should be vigilant when it comes to the state of your home’s electrics all year round,  but particularly during winter. As days become colder and shorter, you’re likely to see a spike in your overall electricity use. While it may seem common sense to keep an eye on all things electrical – to ensure your home is safe – many people fail to take notice of basic safety guidelines. With that in mind, here’s what you should do as we near the back end of the year: Check Sockets, Plugs and Flexes – Regularly check plugs, sockets and flexes to make sure they’re not worn out or damaged.

If this is the case, make sure you get them replaced immediately. Failure to do so could result in electric shock, burns and – in serious cases – even fire. When it comes to removing plugs from the socket, make sure you don’t yank them away from the wall by the cable. Doing this may lead to overheating of the plug, loose wires or an electric shock.

Make sure you warn children of the dangers of this, too; the last thing you want during winter and over Christmas is a mad dash to A&E.Switch Off – We’re talking gadgets and appliances that you use regularly, like TVs and computers. Get into the habit of switching these off before bed; this will ensure you can avoid the risk of fire. But more than that, it’ll help save you money on electricity bills; even appliances left on standby will still be using some power.Don’t Overload Sockets – During winter, you’ll find you’re using high-rated appliances like kettles a little more – after all, often a hot drink is all it takes to warm you up during the bitterly cold weather.

However, the Electrical Safety Council advises not to overload sockets by plugging in too many adapter plugs. Instead, it’s much safer to have additional sockets installed – and, of course, always ensure this is done by a registered Leeds electrician like ourselves.Speaking in an electrical safety article online, Emma McCarthy, director of the Electrical Safety Council, said: “Electricity is an integral part of our lives, but it can kill. Contemporary homes have much greater demands on electricity than 20 years ago. The average UK home today has a TV in most rooms and any number of computers, printers, scanners and games consoles, so the potential risk of electrical accidents in the home is now higher than ever before.“At least 30 deaths and many thousands of accidents are caused by unsafe electrics every year and the vast majority of us know that faulty electrics can lead to fires and injury. Therefore we are advising people not to simply wait for a problem with their electrics before doing something about them.”Want some assistance? Do not hesitate to get in touch and we’d be more than happy to talk through any electrical requirements for the winter months.

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