With clocks going back an hour on 6 April 2024, it’s a good idea to check that your house and property are ready for the approaching winter months.
Daylight saving ends at 3 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, April 6, 2025. Clocks will be put back one hour.
Winter might be a few months away, but this weekend offers the perfect opportunity to do the annual pre-winter check.
Check Your Smoke Detectors
When you change your clocks, check your smoke alarm for a second. It’s as simple as pressing a button. Don’t risk it; test it.
Working smoke alarms help save lives. You must have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home, placed between bedrooms and living areas, It’s the law.
In Fire and Rescue NSW Annual Report (2021/2022) the following was noted:
“While official data are not yet available and the time period is out of scope for this report, there have been a high number of home fire deaths in NSW in the winter of 2022, reinforcing the urgency and importance of ongoing fire prevention and fire safety education within the community.”
Check Your Chimney
Having your chimney checked and swept ahead of winter is an important step to reduce the chance of a house fire.
Test Your Appliances
Ensure you test non-electric heaters for gas or carbon monoxide leaks, and ensure all electric heating appliances are dust-free and have undamaged cables and plugs. Heaters use more energy than standard appliances so check they are plugged straight into a wall socket to avoid overloading double adaptors.
Double Check electric blankets are in good working order and install timers to ensure they’re not accidentally left on.
Outside the House
Check roofs and gutters to ensure they are well-maintained and clear of debris and leaf litter. A list of local tradies to help you to do this is here.
Trim overhanging branches and remove dead or dying trees to reduce the likelihood of damage during storms. Check with Lane Cove Council their rules around pruning trees. Information on tree pruning is here.
What Does Daylight Saving Ending Do To Your Sleep?
According to the Sleep Help Foundation:
“Thanks to that extra hour, “falling back” isn’t nearly as disruptive to our bodies as putting the clocks forward at the beginning of daylight saving. The body’s circadian rhythm, our built-in timeclock, operates on a slightly longer than 24-hour cycle (see Body Clock). This means that being able to extend our day, through going to bed a bit later in the evening, is much easier than it is to shorten our day.
While it can take up to a week to feel back to normal after the beginning of Daylight Saving Time in October, in April it usually only takes one night.”
Sleep in on Sunday as you have an extra hour as you turn back your clocks.
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