Now that the clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and we’re all bracing ourselves for another cold snap, it’s time to start thinking about whether your business is ready for the winter.
When it comes to issues like burst pipes and extreme weather preventing employees from reaching the office, it pays to be prepared – so here are our top tips for making sure your business is winter-ready:
Check you’re covered
Now is the best time to check that you are fully insured against the winter weather, before the big freeze really sets in and causes issues for your organisation. Make sure your boiler cover and buildings insurance are up to date and cover risks relevant to your business.
Inform your employees
Decide on a contingency plan for extreme weather and then communicate it with your employees. Your plan could include details on what to do if the office is not accessible, car buddy schemes for public transport delays and working from home policies.
Insulate your pipes
Make sure your pipes are fitted with good quality lagging, which will keep the heat within the pipes. This should prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting, and it should also ensure that you’re not losing heat, so you’re operating as efficiently as possible.
Be prepared for emergencies
Having plans in place for emergencies should enable you to act decisively if they do occur. Make sure you know where things like your stopcock and main electrical panel are and have a back-up plan in case of a power cut. It’s also useful to know how to check for common winter issues, like leaking pipes.
Make sure you’re as water efficient as possible
Over the winter, your gas and electricity bills typically rise as you crank the heating up on site. To keep your operational costs as low as possible, you should concentrate not only on becoming more energy efficient, but also more water efficient. Read our business guide to water efficiency for our top tips on reducing your water consumption and keeping your water bills down.
It might seem like summer’s only just ended, but by preparing for winter now, you should be able to cope with any unexpected issues that may arise due to the colder weather! For more information on how to protect your business over winter, head to the Winter Warmer section of our Insight hub.