Despite the best predictions of weathermen that we are going to get worse winters than we have had for many years, many people still do not prepare their home properly for the worst of the winter weather.
This is underlined by a survey which reveals that only one third of households in the UK have had their boiler serviced in the past year; a complacency for two thirds of households who are failing to appreciate just how hard a boiler has to work when the weather turns extremely cold.
In addition, around a third of people have delayed putting on their central heating in a bid to keep their heating bills low, says a leading insurance firm.
The problem with delaying this heat switch on is that it could lead to serious problems such as frozen burst pipes when the temperatures drop.
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Take out cover to protect your boiler
This could mean that householders face quite large repair bills when they could help avoid this by simply taking out a HomePlan. This is a method of protecting a home’s boiler and heating system and is growing in popularity.
HomePlans work by charging a modest sum every month for a package of benefits which are priceless in bad winter and which will a boiler or heating system break down being quickly repaired.
There are a range of packages that householders can take out when it comes to a HomePlan, depending on their circumstances, but the biggest benefit of all is that they bring peace of mind.
Because unlike householders without such a plan, they’ll have to make one phone call to their HomePlan provider in order to get a heating engineer out promptly to fix the problem they may be having with their boiler or heating system.
One of the best and better-known names in the market is CORGI HomePlan. A visit to the CORGI HomePlan website reveals a list of very impressive testimonials.
It’s probably because we are getting increasingly worse winters that people are looking at packages to help protect them should the worst occur.
Apart from sending out a heating engineer to repair or replace a boiler, the HomePlan packages also include all parts and labour, unlimited callouts and the full amount of a claim.
Other providers may charge an excess or even limit the number of callouts or restrict the maximum amount they are prepared to pay-out for a claim.
Be prepared for winter weather
So with weather forecasters predicting another harsh winter ahead for the UK, it is a surprise that so many people are failing to prepare for the deteriorating conditions even though around 12% of households have suffered damage of some sort in the last five years from bad weather.
There are some simple things that every householder can do to help prevent their problems such as lagging pipes, though only 20% of householders do this.
However, most HomePlans will accommodate the servicing of a boiler, generally when the weather is better and heating engineers are not so busy on emergency callouts, to help ensure that a boiler will do what is expected of it to generate heat and hot water in cold weather.
We have already seen the devastation that the severe gales have brought to the country and the preparations that people have to make to avoid damage to their property.
With the Arctic chill set to increase, it’s hard to believe that last year, 23% of people had to struggle with frozen pipes and boiler failure was a distressing episode for 18% of UK homes.
That meant that many people were facing an unexpected repair bill for their boiler or heating system, which saw the average cost of repairs for damage caused last winter at £1,635 which is a hefty bill for most of us.