{"id":2586,"date":"2014-04-15T12:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T00:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/?p=2586"},"modified":"2021-01-21T23:25:21","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T10:25:21","slug":"preparing-for-winter-3-things-can-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/project-advice\/advice-heating-insulation\/preparing-for-winter-3-things-can-right-now.html","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for Winter – 3 Things You Can Do Right Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Looking<\/a>Autumn\u2019s begun and now that there’s a noticeable chill in the air, preparing for winter is a top priority. If you\u2019re anything like us you\u2019ve been wondering if it\u2019s too soon to turn the heater on in the evenings or if now\u2019s the time to hire a handyman<\/a> to chop and stack some wood for your fire.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are three things you can do right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hire a registered electrician<\/a> to safety test your electric blankets and heaters today.\u00a0 You have packed them away for summer and they would have collected a bit of dust. The cords may have been chewed by rodents or even the internal wiring. A few dollars spent now will bring peace of mind over the coming months.<\/li>\n
  2. Install smoke alarms, or if you already have them, hire an alarm technician<\/a> to service them. The end of Daylight Savings is a great time to remember to replace your smoke alarm batteries. In terms of smoke alarm placement, Fire and Emergency NZ<\/a> recommend they are installed in every bedroom, living room and hallway of your home.<\/li>\n
  3. Hire a qualified plumber<\/a> to check your hot water cylinder is set at the correct temperate and consider having it insulated. Not only will this prevent nasty accidents if it\u2019s too hot, it\u2019ll keep your hot water warmer for less. Hot water usage takes up a large part of our power bills. Also check your cylinder is set at 60 degrees at the cylinder and 55 degrees at the tap. This prevents the growth of legionella bacteria and also prevents hot water burns.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Another way to reduce your power bill is to replace your hot water cylinder with solar panels. Read our article to learn more about the benefits of using solar panels and their installation.<\/a><\/p>\n

    Solar Panel installation<\/a> can be expensive and complex, so it\u2019s important to hire a professional installer<\/a> with a good reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Autumn\u2019s begun and now that there’s a noticeable …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[978],"tags":[914,951,928],"class_list":["post-2586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice-heating-insulation","tag-914","tag-951","tag-928"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPreparing for Winter - 3 Things You Can Do Right Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The weather is changing and it's getting colder. Preparing for winter becomes a high priority. But what job should you do first? 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