How to Prepare for Winter: Simple Tips to Save Money
I’m not a huge fan of winter. The days are shorter, the weather is colder, and somehow everything seems a little harder when it’s dark and freezing outside! However, one thing I’ve learned is that preparing for winter early can make the colder months much easier.
A little preparation can help you stay warm, protect your home, avoid unnecessary expenses and be ready for those occasions when the weather causes problems.
Winter can bring frozen pipes, heating problems, higher energy bills, icy roads, power cuts and storms. You don’t need to spend a fortune preparing, either. Many useful jobs cost very little or nothing at all. So, let’s look at some simple ways to get your home, car, finances and yourself ready for winter.
Why Prepare for Winter?
Ensures safety and comfort – Getting ready for winter early means your home is warm, insulated, and protected from cold weather, preventing issues like frozen pipes or heating failures.
Saves money – Winterising your home, such as sealing drafts or servicing your heating system, reduces your energy bills and helps you avoid expensive repairs.
Protects your health – Cold weather can increase the risk of illness. Stocking up on warm clothing, healthy food, and medicine helps you stay healthy and comfortable. Cold homes can increase health risks for vulnerable people.
Being ready for emergencies – Having supplies like blankets, batteries, and non-perishable food helps you to be prepared for power outages or severe weather.
Keeps vehicles reliable – Preparing your car with antifreeze, winter tyres, and emergency kits helps prevent breakdowns and accidents in icy conditions.
Reduces stress – When you plan, you avoid last-minute scrambles for supplies or last-minute repairs, making the season more peaceful and manageable.
Supports mental well-being – Creating a cosy, organised environment and planning enjoyable indoor activities can help combat winter blues and help you to keep a positive mood during the winter months.
You don’t have to do everything in one weekend. Work through the list gradually and concentrate on the things that are most important for your home and circumstances.
How to Winter-Proof Your Home
Check Your Heating System
It’s a good idea to have your boiler serviced before the cold weather sets in. If you have a fireplace or wood burner, make sure it is safe and that the chimney is swept when necessary.
Bleed Your Radiators
Feel the top and bottom. If the top stays cold while the bottom warms up, air pockets could be blocking the heat. Get a radiator bleed key. It’s a small tool like a square key.
Turn off your heating and allow the radiator to cool. Place a cloth underneath the valve, then use the radiator key to slowly turn the valve. You should hear air escaping. Once water starts to come out, close the valve. That should fix the issue.
Look for Draughts
Draughts can make your home feel colder and increase the amount of energy needed to heat it.
Check around:
- Doors
- Windows
- Letterboxes
- Floorboards
- Skirting boards
- Pipes passing through external walls
Draught excluders and suitable window or door seals can be inexpensive ways to reduce unwanted draughts. Energy Saving Trust estimates that draught-proofing windows and doors could save around £40 a year in Great Britain, although the actual saving will vary between homes.
Important: Don’t block trickle vents, airbricks, extractor fans or other ventilation designed to keep your home safe and well ventilated.
Insulate Exposed Pipes
Wrapping foam pipe insulation to exposed water pipes helps to keep them warm and prevent them from freezing and bursting during cold weather, and is relatively inexpensive.
Check Your Windows and Curtains
To help keep heat inside, cover your windows with thick, thermal curtains. Closing the curtains at night can help keep cold air outside and warm air in.
Avoid covering radiators with long curtains because this can stop heat from circulating effectively around the room.
If you have old draughty windows, you could consider wrapping them in a window shrink film insulator kit. Adding clear plastic films to windows will protect against the cold.
Check Your Roof and Gutters
Leaves and debris can block gutters and prevent rainwater from draining properly. This can lead to leaks and other problems.
If you aren’t comfortable getting onto a roof or using a ladder, don’t risk it. Ask someone qualified to do the job instead.
Protect Outdoor Taps and Hoses
Disconnect your garden hose and drain it. Protect exposed outdoor taps or turn them off. Frozen water expands, which could burst your pipes.
How to Reduce Winter Energy Bills
Winter can be expensive, especially when you are trying to keep your home warm. Here are some simple ways to keep costs under control.
Set Your Heating Controls
Heating controls can help you heat your home when you actually need it rather than heating an empty house.
A programmer can control when your heating comes on and off, while a thermostat helps maintain your chosen temperature.
Energy Saving Trust says a comfortable thermostat setting for many people is around 18°C to 21°C, although the right temperature depends on your circumstances and comfort needs.
Close Curtains When It Gets Dark
This costs nothing and takes seconds. Open curtains during the day when there is useful sunlight, then close them once it gets dark.
Use Blankets and Warm Clothing
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the cheapest.
Before turning the heating up, try:
- Putting on a warm jumper
- Wearing thick socks or slippers
- Using a blanket while watching television
- Adding an extra blanket to your bed
- Using a hot water bottle safely
You don’t need to sit shivering to save money, but using layers and blankets can help you stay comfortable without relying entirely on your heating.
Don’t Heat Empty Rooms
If you have thermostatic radiator valves, you can adjust the heating in rooms that aren’t being used regularly.
There is little point in keeping an unused room as warm as the room where you spend most of your time.
Plan for Higher Winter Costs
If possible, start putting a little money aside before winter arrives.
Even a small amount saved each month can help towards:
- Higher energy bills.
- Winter clothing.
- Car maintenance.
- Home repairs.
- Unexpected expenses.
You don’t have to save a huge amount. The idea is simply to avoid being caught completely unprepared.
Financial Help You May Be Entitled To
Always check the current GOV.UK guidance before relying on any payment, as eligibility and rules can change.
Winter Fuel Payment
If you were born on or before 27 June 1960, you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2026 to 2027. Click the link below to check eligibility.
Please be aware that if your total income is over £35,000, HMRC will take your Winter Fuel Payment back.
Cold Weather Payment
In England and Wales, eligible people receiving certain benefits may receive £25 when the average temperature in their area is recorded or forecast to be 0°C or below for seven consecutive days.
The rules are different in Scotland, where Winter Heating Payment operates instead.
Click the link below to check eligibility.
Health and Safety
Winter isn’t just about keeping your home warm. It’s also important to look after yourself.
Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms before winter. Replace batteries when necessary and make sure alarms are positioned correctly.
Stock Up on Essentials
Winter storms can sometimes cause power cuts. Having a few basic supplies at home means you won’t have to panic if the electricity goes off.
It can be useful to have items such as:
- Tinned food
- Frozen food
- Pasta, rice or other cupboard staples
- Toiletries
- Basic cold and flu supplies
- Any regular medication you need
- Batteries
- Torch
- Power bank
- Bottled water
Buying things gradually when they are on offer can be easier on your budget than buying everything at once.
Keep Warm
Make sure you have enough warm clothes for the colder months.
Think about:
- Jumpers
- Coats
- Thick socks
- Slippers
- Gloves
- Hats
- Scarves
- Warm pyjamas
- Wellies or boots
And don’t forget your bed. An extra blanket or a thicker duvet can make a surprisingly big difference.
How to Winter-proof Your Vehicle
Winter driving can be more difficult because of darkness, rain, frost, ice and occasionally snow.
Check that your tyres have a good tread. The legal minimum tread depth for cars in Great Britain is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre and around the entire circumference. Some motoring organisations recommend replacing tyres before they reach this minimum, with 3mm often suggested as a useful safety margin in wet or winter conditions.
RAC recommends checking fuel, oil, tyres, wiper blades, coolant, electrics, and screen wash before winter journeys.
Keep an emergency kit in your car and include
- A blanket
- Warm coat
- Torch
- Phone charger or power bank
- Water
- Snacks
- First-aid kit
- Ice scraper
- De-icer
- Hi-vis vest
Looking After Your Mental Health During Winter
For me, this is one of the hardest things about winter. The short days and dark evenings can make it tempting to stay indoors and scroll the internet.
Instead, you could:
- Start a new hobby
- Read a book
- Watch an old favourite film
- Listen to music
- Try a new recipe
- Declutter a room
- Do a craft project
- Have a game night
- Arrange a coffee with a friend
- Go for a winter walk when the weather is suitable
You don’t have to spend lots of money to enjoy yourself.
Want more ideas for enjoying the colder months? Read my guide to Thrive in Winter for affordable ideas to make the most of the season.
Final Thoughts
Preparing for winter doesn’t have to mean spending lots of money or spending an entire weekend getting your home ready. Start with the simple things.
Check your heating. Look for draughts. Protect your pipes. Make sure you have warm clothes and a few emergency supplies. Check your car and think about how you would manage if you lost power for a while.
Then, if you have the time and money, work your way through the bigger jobs.
A little preparation now can save money, prevent problems and make winter feel much more manageable. And although winter isn’t my favourite season, I find it much easier to cope with when I’m prepared for it!
If you have your own winter-preparation tips, I’d love to hear them. What do you do every year to get your home and yourself ready for winter?
