How to prepare your home for winter

Before the cold: the home

Be Ready's cold-weather checklist starts with the things that keep you safe as well as warm:

• Get heating and cooking appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer (Be Ready, UKHSA). UKHSA also says to have boiler flues and chimneys checked for blockages.
• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm that meets EN 50291 or carries the BS Kitemark (Be Ready, UKHSA). A battery alarm keeps working in a power cut.
• Deal with damp and mould before winter makes them worse (Be Ready).
• Fit cheap draught excluders around doors (UKHSA).

Before the cold: pipes and water

Burst pipes are one of the most common winter problems, and pipes inside your boundary are your responsibility (Affinity Water). Water companies' advice:

• Lag pipes and insulate water tanks, with no gaps at bends, valves or fittings. Pay most attention to lofts and garages (Affinity Water, SES Water).
• Fix dripping taps. Even a small trickle can freeze.
• Find your stopcock and check you can turn it. It's usually under the kitchen sink and closes clockwise.
• If you go away, leave the heating on low and ask someone to check the house (Affinity Water).
• Keep some drinking water separately for emergencies (Affinity Water). See how much water to store.

If a pipe freezes (Affinity Water): turn off the stopcock, check whether it has burst, open the tap it feeds and thaw the pipe slowly with hot water bottles or a towel soaked in hot water, starting at the tap end. Never use a naked flame, hairdryer or blowtorch.

If a pipe bursts: turn off the stopcock and boiler, open all taps to drain the system, soak up water with towels, and call a qualified plumber. If water has reached electrics or appliances, switch them off at the mains.

Before the cold: you and your family

• Medicines and food. Be Ready says check you have enough in case it becomes hard to leave the house, and arrange someone who could collect them for you. Our home medicine cabinet list helps.
• Vaccines. Be Ready and UKHSA advise flu and COVID-19 vaccines if you're eligible; ask your GP or pharmacist.
• Priority Services Register. Free support from your energy and water companies. Ofgem says it can include priority support in an emergency and advance notice of planned power cuts, for people over state pension age, families with young children, and people with a disability, long-term condition or powered medical equipment, among others. Contact each company separately.
• Money. If you get certain benefits, GOV.UK says you may get a Cold Weather Payment of £25 for each 7-day period when the average temperature in your area is 0°C or below, between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027. It's paid automatically and isn't available in Scotland. UKHSA says grants and advice on heating bills are also available, and your council can tell you about local help.
• Warnings. Use the Met Office app or website for weather warnings, and watch for Cold-Health Alerts for your area (Be Ready).

Ready for a winter power cut

Cold weather and power cuts often come together. Be Ready's power-cut list:

• A battery or wind-up torch and spare batteries. Be Ready says torches are safer than candles, and using your phone's torch drains it.
• Blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothes. Be Ready warns that homes can get cold very quickly when the heating goes off.
• A battery or wind-up FM radio.
• The number 105 to report a power cut (England, Scotland and Wales), or 03457 643 643 in Northern Ireland, written down and saved in your phone.
• Some food that needs no cooking and bottled water.

During the cut, Be Ready says keep fridge and freezer doors closed, keep doors to unused rooms shut and curtains closed, and turn off ovens, irons and electric fires so they don't come back on unattended. A flask filled before the power goes keeps water hot for drinks. For the full method, see how to keep warm without power, safely.

During a cold snap

UKHSA's advice:

• Heat the rooms you use most to at least 18°C if you can.
• Wear several thin layers rather than one thick one, and keep bedroom windows closed at night.
• Stay active indoors, and wear shoes with good grip outside (Be Ready).
• Check on people at higher risk: UKHSA lists people over 65, young children, people with long-term conditions, people who live alone or are housebound, and others. Ask how they are and whether they need food or medicines.

Hypothermia is a medical emergency (Be Ready). UKHSA lists signs such as shivering, slow breathing, tiredness or confusion, and pale, cold skin. Contact NHS 111 if you're worried, or call 999 in an emergency.

For driving, Be Ready says prepare your car and keep essential items in the boot in case you get stuck: warm clothes, blankets and a first aid kit are a good start.

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Related guides

• Winter home checklist: getting your home ready for the cold
• Frozen and burst pipes: what to do, and how to prevent them
• Cold Weather Payment 2026/27: who gets it and how much
• Cold-Health Alerts: what UKHSA's yellow, amber and red alerts mean
• Priority Services Register: a plain guide
• Carbon monoxide at home: signs, alarms and what to do
• Winter power cut checklist for UK homes

Free tools

• Storm tracker: live Met Office warnings
• Priority Services Register checker
• Power cuts near me

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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