How to keep cool at home in the summer heat

By JR | Blog

With temperatures rising again and many of us still working from home without air conditioning, we thought we’d share with you some tips on how to keep cool and stay productive.

 

Open your windows & close your curtains

It might sound obvious but the first thing to do when it’s hot is to open your windows. This will allow air to circulate and may create a gentle breeze.

If the sun normally streams in through your windows, keep your curtains or blinds closed while you have the windows open. This will stop the sun streaming in and adding to the heat. A high percentage (around 25%) of unwanted heat can come from your windows – they act a bit like a greenhouse!

 

Drink more water

When it’s hot, your body naturally perspires more. This can make you dehydrated, so be sure to drink plenty of cold water throughout the day. If you think water is boring, you can add squash, slices of fruit or herbs to give it some flavour.

Avoid tea, coffee, other caffeinated drinks and alcohol as far as possible, as these will also dehydrate you.

 

Cool your body temperature

One of the easiest ways to keep cool is to reduce your body temperature. Do this by drinking cold water (see above) or by cooling your pulse points.

Placing an ice pack or cold compress on the pulse points at the back of your neck, behind your knees or on your wrists will help to cool you down.

If you don’t have any ready-made ice packs, make your own from a cold wet towel or some ice or frozen vegetables in a plastic bag, wrapped in a thin cloth or tea towel to protect your skin.

 

Use a fan to create a cross breeze

If you place a fan right next to you on your desk, it’s likely to be noisy and blow your papers around! Instead, place your fan near a window or in a hallway. This will create a cross breeze to draw in cooler air to the warmer areas.

A tower fan is a good option, as these sit on the floor to blow air more effectively around your room.

Remember, a fan simply moves air around rather than actually cooling it. So a good tip to create some cool air is to freeze a bottle of water and place it at an angle in front of your fan. You could also use a bowl with ice or iced-water for a similar result.

 

Get domestic air conditioning installed

Have you considered having air conditioning installed in your home? Air conditioning units are no longer simply for offices, shops, hotels and other commercial settings.

These days domestic air conditioning units are quite slimline and compact, so they don’t take up a lot of space or look unsightly.

They don’t take too long to fit – around a day, depending on your property and how many rooms you want air conditioning installed in. And, they have the added benefit of being able to produce warm air for you in cooler months.

At Stevenson Heating, we are accredited to install and maintain domestic air conditioning. We also have a range of fans for sale, including desk and tower fans.

Contact us on 020 8462 8822, email info@stevensonheating.co.uk or request a callback to find out more or get a quote for having air conditioning installed in your home.

Normal service returns after lockdown

By JR | Blog

Heating, plumbing and electrical services resume – with social distancing measures

As lockdown measures are easing, we are delighted to provide our normal heating, plumbing and electrical services again. But rest assured, we have social distancing measures in place. These are to protect you, whether we are visiting you or you are coming to our shop.

 

Boiler and heating servicing

If your annual heating service was due during March, April or May, we will be in contact to reschedule it for you, if we haven’t already done so. If your service is due soon, we’ll also be in touch – or feel free to contact us.

However, if you are shielding or have coronavirus symptoms, we can re-schedule to a more convenient time for you.

It’s important to have your annual boiler service to ensure your warranty stays valid. But don’t worry, the boiler manufacturers we work with are allowing 3-6 months’ leeway, so we can carry out your service and maintain your warranty.

 

What to expect when our engineers visit
 

Now that we can provide our normal services again, here’s what to expect when our engineers visit you to carry out a heating service or other work in your home:

✅ Our engineers will wear face masks
✅ They will maintain social distancing with you as far as possible
✅ They’ll frequently wash their hands or use hand gel
✅ They will also wipe down any surfaces they touch
✅ We are monitoring their health daily

In return, we will ask you to:

✅ Go into a different room while work is carried out, if possible
✅ Let our engineers know if you feel unwell while they are with you

Thank you for your patience and understanding. These measures are to protect you and our staff while we carry out work for you.

 

Spares and repairs shop open

Our shop in Glebe Way, West Wickham (just off the high street) has remained open for emergency spares during the lockdown. We are now open fully for all types of spares for your DIY plumbing needs. To maintain safety, we are allowing one person in the shop at a time and will ask you to wait at a safe social distance outside, if there is a queue.

Do give us a call on 020 8462 8822 or request a callback if you’ve any questions about our services and the safety measures we’ve put in place.

Send us a Rainbow!

By JR | Blog

Draw us a Rainbow this Easter

Coronavirus (Covid-19) Statement

By JR | Blog

Open for Emergency Repairs and Essential Work

In light of the Government’s announcement on 23 March around measures for halting the spread of the Covid-19 virus (coronavirus), Stevenson Heating are available for emergency heating, plumbing and electrical repairs and essential works only.

The health and wellbeing of our customers and staff remain of the utmost importance. We have strict social distancing measures in place to protect you.

Essential repairs include:

– If your hot water or heating stops working

– If your electrics keep tripping

– If you have a water leak

Our shop is also open for essential spares and repair items, with social distancing measures in place.

If you have a heating service booked with us during the coronavirus lockdown period, we will be contacting you to rearrange your appointment.

Please do call us on 020 8462 8822 if you have any questions or concerns, or need some advice. We’re here to help.

 

Meetings

We will not be holding face to face meetings in our office until further notice. Please contact us by phone on 020 8462 8822, request a callback or email info@stevensonheating.co.uk in the meantime to speak to us, book an emergency appointment or pay bills.

 

Attending your property

Before attending emergency breakdowns or repairs, we will ask if you or anyone in your property is self-isolating. Where the answer is no, the heating engineer will attend as normal but will ask you to maintain a safe 2m (6ft) distance or move into a different room while the work is carried out.

If you or anyone in the property is self-isolating, we will ask you to remain in a different room while the engineer is on your property carrying out emergency work.

While our engineer attends your property, if you feel unwell, he will ask you to move into a different room than the one where the work is required. This is to safeguard you, as well as our engineers.

Our engineers have a means of washing their hands frequently and wiping down any surfaces they touch while in your property. We are monitoring their health daily.

 

Levels of service

We aim to maintain our levels of customer service throughout the coronavirus outbreak and will continue to provide on-site engineer visits for emergency heating, plumbing and electrical work and essential repairs. During this period, our engineers will not ask you to sign their handheld phone for works completed.

 

Landlord gas certificates

At the time of writing (31 March), the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has advised that landord gas safety certificates are still required during the outbreak.

Landlords have the flexibility to have gas safety checks up to two months before the deadline for renewal of their certificate and will be expected to demonstrate that they’ve taken reasonable steps to comply with the law. More information on this is available on the Gas Safe Register website – or do give us a call on 020 8462 8822 – if you’ve any questions.

We thank you for your cooperation and wish you well during this difficult time.

If you want more information on Covid-19 or what to do if you feel unwell, please visit the NHS website.

Book Swap at West Wickham Station

By JR | Blog

Community Provides Book Swap for Locals

 

We recently contributed £50 to the new West Wickham book swap, which is inside the station’s waiting room. The money went towards the cost of some books.

The local community have come together to create the book swap, following a discussion on the West Wickham Community Facebook Group, led by group admin Karin Gerwat. With the support of the new station manager, Scott McMillan, people have donated bookcases and books so that commuters can have something to read on their journeys.

 

Support Pledged

Karin began a discussion in the West Wickham group after seeing a similar book swap in Beckenham Junction station. The idea gained lots of interest from group members, who pledged their support with books and bookcases. 

She said: “I had the idea when I saw a similar book swap at Beckenham Junction station. When I commuted, I used to read a lot. I thought how useful it would be to have a place to exchange books you’ve read. I posted in the West Wickham Community Group and the response was phenomenal.”

 

Charity Shops

Our £50 was spent on books at the local Demelza Hospice, Salvation Army and Mind charity shops on the High Street.

Karin’s daughters, Leela (12) and Yaneena (16) also collected and donated some books, as part of their pageant duties for the Miss Inspiration pageant.

Andy Oliver, MD of Stevenson Heating Ltd, said: “I saw Karin’s thread on Facebook and thought what a fab idea it was. So, we decided to donate £50 to start off the swap, which we asked her to spend in local charity shops. It’s important to us as a West Wickham business to keep the money within the local community, for the benefit of residents.”

If you have books to donate or would like to use the book swap, pop into West Wickham station’s waiting room between 6am and 6pm.