While it is true that astronomical autumn does not officially begin until September 22nd and there’s still people out there enjoying sunshine and cricket, by some calculations summer is already over.
That is the position of the Met Office, which uses calendar months to mark the seasons and thus brackets the whole of September, October and November together as the season of golden leaves and bonfires. It also means it has just posted its stats for the summer weather.
While these showed the summer was the joint-hottest ever in England – although not quite so tropical for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – the indisputable reality is that today’s weather will be contributing to those autumn stats, by the end of which there will be frost on the ground and people wincing at their energy bills as they are reluctantly forced to turn the heating on.
All that is why now is the best time for window glass replacement work. Keeping out the draughts won’t have mattered when the windows were open anyway to cool the heat, but will soon be crucial as the mercury drops and Energy Price Cap soars.
Just how much heat can typically be lost through windows varies depending on who you ask. Some put these at up to 30 per cent, others at 18 per cent. These are averages anyway, so the exact amount may also depend on the size of the home and the windows. Nonetheless, the message is clear: if your windows are not up to scratch, you’ll lose a lot of heat – and money.
This means now is definitely the time to check all around your home to make sure it is as cosy as possible and therefore easier to keep warm while using the heater sparingly. There may be many draughts that need plugging and if that includes the windows, now is the time for replacement panes.