Extreme cold and snow can mean power cuts for some us. It’s a good idea to plan ahead for this with a few essentials kept in a safe place. One of the most important items should be a torch. We've got a wide range of torches and lighting options to help you out in an emergency. The Draper Expert CREE 1W LED Waterproof Torch is great torch to keep handy, it delivers a 60 lumen strong white 50M beam of light. Its robust ABS plastic, IP66 case provides waterproof and shock-proofing capabilities too, making it an incredibly durable torch for any situation. If you're worried about losing power for longer periods, you could consider investing in a generator. Here's our guide to choosing the right generator for your home or work site.

Snowed In

Try and avoid travelling by car where you can. Ensure you’ve prepared your car and tyres for cold conditions (check out our winter motoring guide here).

If you have to travel, keeping a few essentials in the car could make a big difference if snow does descend. The Draper Tools Folding Steel Shovel is ideal for the boot of the car. Made with a carbon steel serrated blade and a tubular steel handle, it’s powder coated to prevent corrosion and folds away into a handy compact pouch. It’s also a good idea to have a warm jacket and blanket in your car at all times as well as torch and your breakdown provider’s details stored in your phone.

If driving really is unavoidable, here’s a few tips to help you:

• Make sure your exhaust pipe isn’t obscured by snow when you start the car
• Try to get as much snow as possible off the roof so that it doesn’t end up on the windscreen when you start driving and obscure your vision
• If you’re struggling to pull away even after digging out the snow around your tyres, try putting a piece of cardboard under your wheels to help them grip

Be prepared for battery issues

Cold conditions can mean an increase in car battery problems. Whether you end up getting cold waiting for your breakdown provider to arrive or you end up being late for work or a Christmas get together, there’s never a good time for a flat battery. Thankfully, there is an easy way to boost your battery and get the car going again. Helping to prevent battery problems and bring low batteries back to life is the Draper 6/12V Intelligent Battery Charger. It’s ideal for standard car and motorcycle batteries. It features high- tech microprocessor-controlled charging and offers an efficient charge rate specific for 6 and 12v batteries. Other useful features include polarity inversion protection and thermal overload protection.

To keep your batteries in tip top condition year round, the Draper range of Smart Battery Chargers and Maintainers are a great investment for any car owner. They’re ideal for winter and can even be used in temperatures as low as -20°C.

Keeping Warm in Cold Conditions

Maybe you’re working from home and are feeling the chill at your desk during winter or there are just certain areas of the house that seem chillier than others. A portable space heater can really make a difference, helping you stay warm and cosy. And choosing a PTC heater is an energy efficient option for the home or office. These could really save the day should your boiler or central heating ever break down and you have a while to wait until it can be fixed. 

Here to help

Should you need any advice on any of the Draper essentials for poor weather, please feel free to contact us . We hope you stay safe and stay warm - here's hoping for better weather soon.