7 Steps to Prepare Heating Systems for Winter This Summer
When it’s 25°C outside, your heating system is likely the last thing on your list. However, for facilities managers and building owners, summer is the ideal time to act. With systems offline and buildings quieter, you have a clear window to:
- Complete essential maintenance
- Schedule compliance checks
- Make upgrades without disruption
It’s also a chance to stay ahead of safety regulations, from Gas Safe renewals to OFTEC inspections and Legionella testing. According to the Health and Safety Executive, failure to maintain safe heating standards under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 can result in legal penalties or operational risk.
Proactive summer maintenance is essential for reliable winter heating. If you manage a care home, school, hotel or commercial site, planning helps prevent unexpected issues. Schools take advantage of holiday breaks. Care homes prepare for CQC inspections. Hotels provide guests with uninterrupted comfort. Early servicing helps avoid breakdowns in winter, lowers long-term costs, and ensures compliance.
Here’s how to prepare your commercial heating system for winter while it’s offline this summer.
1. Book a Full System Inspection
When heating systems are idle during the warmer months, issues can remain hidden. Unfortunately, these problems can then lead to breakdowns when demand is at its highest. A complete system inspection is the first and most crucial step in preparing for colder weather.
We’ll examine your setup end-to-end, including:
- Boiler pressure and combustion
- Circulating pumps and expansion vessels
- Pipework condition and potential corrosion
Summer offers the best chance for planned maintenance. With fewer occupants and less heating needed, it’s an ideal time to carry out work. This proactive approach finds worn components, tiny leaks, or inefficiencies. Catching these problems early can save you from expensive repairs or heating breakdowns in winter. It’s worth noting that annual checks are a requirement under many manufacturer warranties. Therefore, skipping them could void coverage when you need it most.
2. Clean Boilers & Pipework
Over time, heating systems naturally accumulate debris. Sludge, scale, and rust can form in pipes and heat exchangers. This buildup lowers heat output and causes boilers to work harder than they should. Summer is the perfect season for chemical flushing, magnet filtration, or mechanical methods. This way, daily operations won’t be affected.
Benefits include:
- Better heat distribution across radiators
- Reduced strain on pumps and valves
- Improved flow and lower energy bills
The Carbon Trust states that regular servicing and cleaning can see immediate energy savings of 10%. It can also lead to better boiler efficiency and a longer lifespan for the equipment.
3. Test Heating Controls & Thermostats
A functioning boiler won’t help much if the controls aren’t working correctly. Faulty thermostats, outdated programmers, and misconfigured smart meters can waste energy. They can also make occupants uncomfortable and cause compliance failures.
Our engineers will:
- Check all thermostats and timers for calibration and responsiveness
- Inspect smart systems for faults or outdated firmware
- Recommend upgrades where beneficial (e.g. smart zoning or remote access)
This is also a good time to review energy schedules and settings. For example, your heating might still run outside of occupancy hours. Additionally, zoning may not be configured appropriately for the current use of your building. One of the easiest ways to increase energy efficiency is by upgrading heating controls. You can do this without changing major system components.
4. Check Radiators & Heat Emitters
Radiators, convectors and underfloor heating loops are often overlooked during system checks. However, they’re critical to keeping your space warm, evenly heated, and energy-efficient. Summer offers the perfect opportunity to conduct low-disruption inspections and minor repairs.
Here’s an insight into what we look for:
- Cold spots caused by trapped air or sludge
- Rust, corrosion or pinhole leaks
- Loose valves or unbalanced heat distribution
We’ll bleed the radiators, verify that all emitters are functioning efficiently, and adjust the system as necessary. Taking these small steps can significantly reduce complaints about changes in room temperature. They also make overall comfort better during the colder months. Buildings with vulnerable occupants, such as care homes or nurseries, face risks from uneven heat. This can lead to compliance issues and health concerns. Regular emitter checks help mitigate these issues before winter sets in.
5. Assess Energy Efficiency
Inefficient heating systems waste energy, increase bills and raise the risk of breakdowns. In many cases, performance issues arise from minor faults that span the entire system rather than the boiler alone. Regular checks can help identify and resolve these early.
Our engineers will assess:
- Boiler age and condition
- Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) and zoning
- Pump performance and settings
- Insulation of pipework in exposed areas
- BMS (Building Management System) configurations, if present
In summer, you can explore improvements without the pressure of downtime. You can make low-cost tweaks, such as replacing TRVs, or consider larger upgrades, like swapping to condensing boilers.
In 2025, non-domestic gas consumption in the UK rose by 4.2% year-on-year, according to the latest ONS Energy Trends report. This was reportedly due to outdated equipment in older buildings. Modernisation and preventative maintenance are key to reversing this trend.
6. Review Compliance & Safety Certificates
Heating compliance is a legal requirement for many commercial sites. Yet, it’s common to find expired Gas Safe certificates, overdue OFTEC inspections and missed Legionella reviews. These issues often only come up during audits or urgent repairs.
Summer gives you the breathing space to:
- Review and renew Gas Safe and OFTEC certifications
- Conduct or update Legionella risk assessments
- Resolve any flagged issues before the winter audit periods
This is crucial for regulated sectors such as healthcare, education, and hospitality. In these areas, inspections can occur unexpectedly. If heating safety standards under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 are not met, be prepared. It can lead to enforcement action, fines, or closure. However, summer maintenance ensures you’re ahead, not catching up.
7. Plan for Emergency Cover
No matter how well your system runs, emergencies can still happen. When they do, having a planned maintenance contract already in place makes all the difference.
Our clients benefit from:
- 24/7 access to qualified engineers
- Priority callouts during peak periods
- Fixed costs and service-level guarantees
Setting up a maintenance contract during summer helps avoid delays when winter demand increases. For busy sites like schools, hotels and care homes, guaranteed emergency response is a necessity. It ensures faster support and reduced downtime in the event of issues.
Speak to Asbury Heating Today
While your heating system may be inactive now, winter will test its reliability. The quieter summer period offers the best opportunity to prepare. Now is the perfect time to complete inspections, update compliance documents, and address minor issues. After all, your building is quieter, and engineers are more available.
We support commercial sites in Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire. Our planned maintenance minimises downtime, keeps costs in check, and ensures compliance. If you need a one-off inspection or a full maintenance contract, our team is ready to help you prepare for the colder months ahead.
Call 01202 745189 or contact us online to book your summer service or request a no-obligation quote.
