Waking up to Winter - November 2014

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2014†ECHO

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Issue 1: November 2014

Waking up to

winter Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter

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Waking up to winter

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Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter

Get set for the colder days If you leave your house for any length of time, make sure there’s enough heat to stop the pipes from freezing

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ARE you ready for the big chill?

While it’s always difficult to get a definitive long-range forecast, weather patterns are so uncertain that’s it’s always as well to prepare for the worst.

With a little forward planning you can get through those inclement periods a little easier and with much less disruption.

Many garden centres and builders’ merchants stock salt and grit which will help defrost your path or driveway and stop ice from forming. If we do get a snowfall during the winter months a little grit may stop a slight flurry from sticking and eventually freezing.

If we get a heavy fall it may be worth investing in a snow shovel, which will make the job of clearing the snow that bit easier than by using a conventional spade.

Always ensure your

pipes are well lagged. If you’re leaving the house for any length of time – and certainly if you’re going away – adjust your heating to come on at least once a day to take off the chill. Temperatures can drop below freezing, especially at night, and the last thing you want is to come home to a thaw which results in a burst pipe ruining your carpets, furniture and décor!

As well as internal pipes, if you have a combination boiler, ensure that your condensate pipe on the outside of the house is lagged and prevented from freezing.

If this pipe does freeze, the boiler will shut down and it may result in condensate leaking back into the house and causing damage to the boiler.

More households are returning to solid fuel, and there’s nothing more welcoming or cosy on a cold winter’s day than a

roaring coal fire or wood-burning stove to warm your room.

As the weather gets colder, demand gets higher for coal and wood, so make sure you stock up. Firelighters and kindling also sell out quickly, so be prepared.

If you do use solid fuel it’s important to have your chimney swept regularly.

This will reduce the risk of a chimney fire and will also make your hearth or wood-burner more efficient.

There’s little use heating up your home if all of the heat is escaping through draughty doors and windows or poorly-insulated lofts. Now’s the time to make sure your doors and windows fit properly and you have adequate draught excluders.

Some households may be able to benefit from free insulation, so it’s always worth checking.

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Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter

Prepare for the worst

Don’t forget to have your flu jab to help you stay healthy this winter

WINTER often catches us by surprise.

The changes in temperature, especially after such a relatively mild autumn, can be quite a shock to the system.

To make sure you’re prepared for the falling mercury, the first thing you should do is sort out your winter woolies.

Clothing is arguably the simplest way of keeping warm in winter, and layers are always the best way of ensuring you retain your body heat. Depending on your age, as a youngster you probably never left home without your vest, and it’s surprising what a difference a ‘thermal’ under your shirt or blouse could make.

Like the pipes in your home, make sure your legs are lagged, either with thick woollen tights or your favourite corduroy or wool trousers and, if you’re venturing out, there’s a good chance that as well as a warm top coat

you’ll need a waterproof.

While colds and flu are caused by viruses, if you’re cold and wet you’re more likely to catch one, so make sure if you go outdoors you wrap up well and keep dry.

Don’t forget to have your flu jab. The injections are offered to the over 65s and at risk groups by your GP or health centre. It’s a 30-second job, if that, and in the time it takes to roll up your sleeve you’ll be leaving the surgery.

The pneumonia jab is also offered at this time of year, so it’s a good idea to have both.

As well as keeping warm and taking the help on offer from your doctor,

make sure you stick to a healthy diet throughout the winter months.

As the weather gets colder it’s surprising how our appetites tend to increase and our tastes change a little. This is probably quite natural as taking on fuel helps keep you warm. Not many people feel like a plate of salad during winter, however, a hot bowl of soup or stew is just what the doctor ordered and there’s nothing better than a lovely bowl of hot porridge to start off the day, flavoured with golden syrup or honey.

If you’re taking on extra carbohydrates, weather permitting, you should be

able to walk them off and, at this time of year, it’s really important to keep active.

If you are going out for a brisk winter walk, make sure you warm up first, as the cold weather is the thigh and calf muscle’s worst enemy!

At any time of year it’s important to keep your fluid levels high – the last thing you may feel like is a glass of cold water straight from the tap or bottle out of the fridge but by keeping a jug or bottle at room temperature it’s much easier to drink.

Finally, always remember to keep an eye on the weather forecast and plan ahead.

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Waking up to winter

Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter

British Gas offers help and advice to customers in Liverpool this winter British Gas, the country’s largest energy provider, is urging customers across Liverpool to get in touch and take advantage of free help and advice about winter energy bills.

British Gas has dedicated teams at two contact centres in Manchester helping customers with various inquiries, from billing queries through to energy-efficiency advice.

British Gas’ top five winter warmers ■■ Bleed your radiators: to make sure they are working properly. If your radiators have cold spots, this means you have air in your central heating system, so you will need to bleed them to get them working efficiently. To do this, turn the system off and then turn the radiator key until the air stops and water runs consistently. Once you have turned the system back on, the problem should be solved. Bleeding your radiator may result in pressure dropping. If you have a pressure gauge make sure the boiler is at the right pressure and top up as necessary.

most DIY stores, is a quick and cheap way to cut down on your energy bills.

■■ Block the breeze: Make sure all of the windows in your home and doors seal properly to stop warm air escaping.

For those that don’t, fitting draft excluders, which you can buy from

■■ Wrap up your water tank and insulate hot water: The materials can be purchased from most DIY stores and help to conserve heat and save you money.

■■ Stay safe: It’s vital that you don’t forget to have an audible carbon monoxide alarm fitted and that you test it regularly.

■■ Love your boiler: Check to make sure your boiler is working properly before winter sets in. The older your boiler the more inefficient it will be. If you have a pressure gauge make sure the boiler is at the right pressure and top up as necessary.

Peter helps get homes in Liverpool ready for winter Peter Knowles from Formby is among 134 British Gas engineers helping customers in Merseyside to get ready for winter.

Peter has worked as a British Gas engineer for about 24 years, having joined the company as an apprentice aged 16. He visits customers’ homes in an area stretching from Formby to Tarleton.

Peter’s proud to be part of a team of engineers who, together, work every day of the year to help customers stay safe and warm in their homes.

Peter said: “About three years ago, we had a really hard winter and the snow was heavy for days.

“I remember digging the van out of the snow with a shovel just to get to the first visit each day and some customers even helped.

“That year, I visited a couple’s home in Formby because they had no heating and hot water and it was

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At the company’s contact centre in Hattersley, its 400-strong team handled thousands of calls from customers last year.

Brian Jackson, regional director for British Gas in the North West, who heads up the contact centre, said: “No one who needs heat should be going without it. Last year, British Gas spent more than £380m helping 1.8 million vulnerable households with discounts, free insulation and benefits advice.

“We know that household budgets are under pressure and many people will be concerned about their winter heating bill. There is help available, and we urge customers to get in touch to find out what support is on offer.”

There are a number of ways that British Gas is helping customers in Liverpool this winter, including:

n Warm home discount Last year more than 485,694 British Gas customers in England received the Warm Home Discount – a one-off discount of £140 on the electricity

Brian Jackson, regional director for British Gas in the North West

bills of its most vulnerable customers.

British Gas has the broadest eligibility criteria of all the energy suppliers.

To find out more call 0800 980 1917. n ‘HEre to help’ teams British Gas has dedicated Here to Help teams offering additional support to customers who are elderly, disabled or living with a long-term illness. Anybody can ask on behalf of a friend or relative to register them for extra help free of charge. To register for extra help, customers or someone acting on their behalf should call 0800 072 8625 (or 0800 294 8604 if they

have a Pay As You Go meter).

n flexible payment options British Gas helps millions of customers with flexible payment plans and other direct financial support, giving customers the opportunity to set and manage their own payments. Anyone worried about their bills can call 0800 980 1917 to discuss the help available.

■■ For more information visit www.britishgas.co.uk

Christmas Day. “They were in their mid-forties and they had parents and grandparents in their seventies and nineties visiting as well as a baby grandchild.

“After looking at the boiler, I quickly realised that the fan had failed.

Luckily, I had the exact part on the van, because British Gas makes sure our vans are stocked with parts that match our customers’ boilers as much as possible.

“I fixed the boiler in no time and everyone managed to sit down to a cosy Christmas Day lunch. Days like that make our work really worthwhile.

“With the weather already turning colder this month, my main advice for any customer worried about winter would be to prepare now.

“There’s also plenty of help available from British Gas including helpful and practical tips on getting Engineer Peter Knowles covers an area from Formby to Tarleton and has worked for British Gas for 24 years ready for winter on our website.”

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Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter

British Gas Energy Trust marks 10 years of helping people out of debt Over the past 10 years, the British Gas Energy Trust has helped thousands of people across the UK to clear their energy debts and get back on their feet.

Funding from the British Gas Energy Trust enables specialist advisors at centres in Merseyside – including The St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau, Energy Projects Plus based in Wirral and Local Solutions in Liverpool – to help individuals and families who are struggling to pay their energy or other household bills by offering them free and confidential advice, support and assistance with applying for grants.

The British Gas Energy Trust, the first nationwide trust of its kind in the UK, is funded solely by British Gas. The business has donated £75m to the charity over the past 10 years to help 120,000 individuals and families facing fuel poverty.

Established in 2004, the trust offers support which includes grants to clear energy debts, provide energy efficient household appliances like fridges, cookers and washing machines, and to fix or replace boilers.

The trust also funds more than 50 specialist energy-debt advisers across the UK, based in the heart of communities, who offer help to those struggling to pay their energy and other household bills. The advisers talk to people individually and confidentially about their personal circumstances to understand their problems and give tailored advice and support.

The trust is open to everyone, not just British Gas customers, and is governed by a board of independent trustees. Imelda Redmond CBE, chair of trustees, said: “I have seen first-hand how the help from the trust can really change people’s lives. The trust provides direct financial support alongside charitable advice located at the heart of the most deprived communities. This holistic support provides a more sustainable future for people and has a real and positive impact on health and wellbeing.”

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the trust which was celebrated at a special event held at the House of Commons last month.

Members of Parliament met trustees and staff from community advice centres funded by the trust, to find out more about how it is offering fuel debt advice and support to those who need it most.

Recognising the importance of helping those in poverty and other needs, St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau has been funded by the British Gas Energy Trust since 2011, and strives to obtain grants and provide other holistic support for people throughout the region.

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Since 2004 British Gas has donated £75m to the trust, which has helped 120,000 individuals and families facing fuel poverty

Michael Egan from the St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau said: “Our role is to help the people who need it most. This can include everybody from those who are on benefits to people who cannot work due to their illness, referred to us by charitable organisations.

“Many of the people we work with come to us when they are verging on desperation and it is important for them to be able to access practical help and guidance to help them through these difficult periods, and lessening the risk of them having to turn to food banks in order to eat, or worse, losing their home entirely.”

Wirral-based Energy Projects Plus also supports local people struggling with energy and other household debts The centre’s Maureen Davies said: “Our service is not just about

providing access to financial help, but on providing practical assistance to those in need, from helping elderly people to source a new boiler, for

charities throughout our region to vastly reduce the impact of fuel poverty.”

Liverpool’s Local Solutions also

that vulnerable people get the help they need to avoid encountering any problems with paying their energy bills.

Laura Scregg from Local Solutions said: “Fuel poverty can affect anybody, from working families and benefit recipients, to the elderly and young people living alone. Cases have been worsened by issues including benefit cuts, pay freezes and unemployment.

“To help combat these issues, we are teaming up with partners provides outreach services in including councils and housing addition to access to funding, helping associations, as well as charitable all areas of the community to receive organisations, to help ensure that help to combat incidences of fuel funding goes to those who need it the poverty. The organisation has most.” achieved considerable success in ■■ More information, including securing grants for those in need details of how to apply for grants since it began to work with the trust from the Trust, is available at three years ago, and works to ensure www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk

Our service is not just about providing access to financial help, but on providing practical assistance to those in need, from helping elderly people to source a new boiler, for instance, to assisting young and unemployed individuals to better understand their energy bills instance, to assisting young and unemployed individuals to better understand their energy bills.

“Through our work with the British Gas Energy Trust, we access a wide cross-section of our community to help them to understand that help is available, as well as working with other services, organisations and

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Waking up to winter

Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter

AA experts offer drivers some handy hints and top tips to make your journey home a safer one n Battery and Electrics Lights, heaters and wipers put high demands on the car battery. If your driving is mainly dark rush-hour trips, the battery will give out eventually.

Batteries rarely last longer than five years. Replacing one near the end of its life can save a lot of time and inconvenience at the side of the road.

Avoid running electrical systems any longer than necessary – turn the heater fan down and switch the heated rear window off once windows are clear.

If the car stands idle most of the weekend a regular overnight trickle charge is a good idea, to give the battery a chance to revive.

Turn off non-essential electrical loads like lights, rear-screen heater

and wipers before trying to start the engine.

Use the starter in short five-second bursts if the engine doesn’t start quickly, leaving thirty seconds between attempts to allow the battery to recover.

n Antifreeze

A continuous squealing noise as soon as the engine is started is a sign the water pump is frozen – it’s the fan belt slipping on the pulley.

The cylinder block could be frozen too. Stop the engine immediately and allow it to thaw out. This may take several days unless the car can be moved to a heated garage.

If the car begins to overheat a few

Of all the seasons, winter requires the most care and preparation if you’re to stay safe and avoid a breakdown.

Breakdowns are more common at this time of year – the AA has extra patrols on call as the number of breakdowns nearly doubles during particularly cold spells – and road conditions can be really challenging, particularly when snow and ice strike. Here’s some general advice from the AA motoring service for safe and troublefree driving through the cold, dark months ahead miles from home it’s likely that the radiator has frozen, preventing coolant from circulating.

Stop straight away to avoid serious damage and allow the radiator to thaw. Antifreeze costs only a few pounds, but a frozen and cracked engine block will cost hundreds of pounds to repair.

Most modern cars use long-life antifreeze – it’s important to use the right type and avoid mixing different types. Check the handbook or ask a dealer for advice.

Some types of antifreeze may need to be changed after only two years.

Check the manufacturer’s service schedule.

You need a 50-50 mix of antifreeze and water in the cooling system for winter.

This gives maximum protection down to -34° centigrade, and without it, severe engine damage costing hundreds of pounds can occur.

require a little elbow grease. Try using a cream glass polish with a slight abrasive action. If that doesn’t work then try dishwasher powder dissolved in a little water – Use clean kitchen paper to clean a small area at a time and try not to go back over a patch you’ve just done.

Use air conditioning for faster demisting and to reduce condensation on cold windows.

Check windscreen wipers and replace if necessary.

Make sure that wipers are switched off in the park position when leaving the car, when there’s risk of freezing. If you don’t and the blades freeze to the screen, you could damage the blades or wiper motor when you turn the ignition on.

Top up windscreen washer fluid and treat with a suitable additive to reduce the chance of freezing. Don’t use ordinary engine antifreeze as it will damage paintwork.

n Vision

n visibility

Keep the windscreen and other windows clear – if your vision is obscured through dirt, snow or even sticker-infested car windows you could face a hefty fine. Clear snow from the roof as well as from windows, as this can fall onto the windscreen, obscuring your view. It can be a hazard to other road users as well.

n dazzle

Think ahead to avoid breakdowns this winter

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The low winter sun makes dazzle a particular problem. Improve vision by making sure that the windscreen is clean both inside and out. Scratches, abrasions and chips on the outside can also worsen the dazzling effect of the sun.

Greasy smears on the screen that don’t go with screenwash additive will

for winter motoring, and certainly no less than 2mm. Don’t reduce tyre pressures to get more grip – it doesn’t work, and reduces stability.

It’s rare to need snow chains unless you live in an isolated area hit with heavy snow, and where the roads are not cleared. They must be removed to drive on a metalled road without a reasonable covering of snow.

Consider changing to winter or allseason tyres – these have a higher silica content in the tread, which prevents it hardening at lower temperatures, and therefore gives better grip in cold wet conditions.

n Before you go

Get up at least 10 minutes early to give you time to prepare the car.

Don’t drive off like a tank-commander, with a tiny hole cleared in the windscreen. Clear all windows using a scraper and de-icer.

Use a cigarette lighter to warm a key for a frozen lock. Don’t breathe on the lock, as the moisture will condense and freeze.

Plan routes to favour major roads which are more likely to have been cleared and gritted.

Put safety before punctuality when the bad weather closes in. Allow extra time for winter journeys but be prepared for the inevitability of being late for work due to unexpected delay.

Make sure that all bulbs are working and that lenses are clean. When roads are really mucky you might need to clean lights after every journey. Keep the number plates clean, too, as you can be fined if they are dirty and illegible.

If you have to clear snow from the car it’s important to clear it from the lights – front and back – as well as from the glass and roof.

You must use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced. You may n Driving on ice also use front or rear fog lights but Gentle manoeuvres are the key to these must be switched off when safe driving – stopping distances are visibility improves as they can dazzle 10 times longer in ice and snow. other road users and obscure your Wear comfortable, dry shoes for brake lights. driving. Cumbersome, snow-covered n tyres boots will slip on the pedals.

We recommend at least 3mm of tread Pull away in second gear, easing

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Waking up to winter

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Raising awareness and providing great advice for you and your family this winter your foot off the clutch gently to avoid wheel-spin.

Up hill – avoid having to stop part way up by waiting until it is clear of cars or by leaving plenty of room to the car in front. Keep a constant speed, choosing the most suitable gear well in advance to avoid having to change down on the hill.

Down hill – reduce your speed before the hill, use a low gear and try to avoid using the brakes. Leave as much room as possible between you and the car in front.

If you have to use brakes then apply them gently.

Release the brakes and de-clutch if the car skids.

Automatic transmission – under normal driving conditions (such as motorways) it’s best to select “Drive” and let the gearbox do the work throughout the full gear range.

In slippery, snowy conditions it’s best to select “2”, which limits the gear changes and also makes you less reliant on the brakes.

Some autos have a ‘Winter’ mode which locks out first gear to reduce the risk of wheel spin. Check the handbook.

If you get stuck, straighten the steering and clear the snow from the wheels. Put a sack or old rug in front of the driving wheels to give the tyres some grip.

Once on the move again, try not to stop until you reach firmer ground.

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