It is recommended that you get your boiler serviced once a year to ensure that it won’t break down over the winter months and that it is as energy efficient as possible.

However, if something goes wrong and your boiler does develop a fault when you need it the most are you covered to get this fixed quickly?

That is when boiler insurance cover can come into its own as it gives homeowners peace of mind that their central heating system can be repaired quickly without having to phone around local companies to get quotes and then schedule the boiler to be fixed. But many people consider boiler insurance as a waste of money as it could be something that is never needed. These people feel it is better to run the risk and if a breakdown occurs they will pay for it out of their savings. Also, with the credit crunch hitting family spending and budgets the thought of paying for additional insurance cover that may not be required can seem uneconomical.

The main benefits of boiler insurance cover is that it firstly covers all your call-out charges, labour and parts, so is comprehensive in this manner. Secondly, the policies will often cover the annual servicing fees as well as providing safety checks. Thirdly, there are policies which can pay towards the cost of boiler replacement if the boiler is beyond repair.

However, there are also disadvantages of boiler cover. The main one is that you could take out the cover and never use it and therefore could spend a lot of money that could be utilised elsewhere. Also, with ad hoc servicing and repair it is understandable why individuals decide just to pay out rather than taking out a policy as it is estimated that the average cost of a service is £70 and a repair to a boiler is £200.

At the end of the day, the decision as whether to take out boiler insurance cover or just rely on ad hoc boiler servicing is a personal one that is swayed by the households’ personal finances. It needs to be a balance between whether it is felt that ad hoc boiler servicing is enough or if the boiler is old and prone to breakdown whether it needs some more robust cover. It is therefore up to you to assess the risk of the boiler breaking down and to make a judgement as to what is the best option.

There is no doubt that if you need to get your boiler fixed or replaced it will cost a large sum of money so paying a small amount each month won’t hit your pocket for one lump sum. However, insurance cover can be expensive as there are varying degrees of cover that can be taken out. For example, just covering the boiler and controls will be a lot cheaper than insuring the whole central heating system. Also, the make, model and age of your boiler will affect the monthly price that needs to be paid. And you will also need to find what the policy covers and whether a replacement boiler if required is part of the plan. If not, you could still be paying out.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

After the extremely cold winters that have been experienced over the past few years preparing for a cold winter has never been so important. The top ten tips for getting your home ready for the winter months are suggested as follows.

Tip 1 – Check your boiler and central heating system

In the quieter summer months you should have had your boiler serviced. It is important to have an annual service to ensure that the boiler is still working and is as energy efficient as possible. If your boiler breaks down in the winter months it will be harder to get it fixed or replaced as boiler tradesman are much more in demand. Therefore, before the winter arrives make sure you have had your boiler checked.

Tip 2 – Make sure that your home is fully insulated

Insulation is important as it not only ensures that heat is retained within your home but also means you will experience savings on your energy bill. There are a number of recommended options for insulating your home including insulating the roof, the cavity walls, water pipes and the hot water tank.

Tip 3 – Inspect and fix any problems with the roof

You should check your roof before the winter months arrive and if there are any issues these need to be fixed before the weather changes for the worse. Homeowners should therefore check to see whether there are any signs of damage or if there are any loose tiles that need urgent attention. It is best to get the problems fixed sooner rather than when the harsh weather conditions arrive.

Tip 4 – Ensure that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working

It is important to regularly check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Over the winter months windows in your home will be closed and if your boiler had a carbon monoxide leak the chances of poisoning are greatly increased. Therefore, ensure your early warning devices are working correctly to protect yourself and your family is crucial.

Tip 5 – Prepare the exterior of the house

The exterior of your property needs to be prepared for the cold months. These includes fixing any gaps and cracks around pipes so frozen water getting in can’t freeze and expand the gaps further and checking the external condition of walls and windows to ensure no gaps that will let in cold air are present.

Tip 6 – Check for draughts

Heat is lost through any draughts in your home so it is important to identify where draughts exist in your property and cover them. The most common places that should be checked and made draught proof are window and door frames as well as letterboxes and gaps in the floor boards.

Tip 7 – Turn on the heating

Before the cold snap appears you should test your heating and make sure all the controls such as the programmer/timer and thermostats are working correctly.

Tip 8 – Put an emergency pack together for your household

It is felt that putting together a home emergency pack is a good idea. This pack will contain items such as candles, torches and fuses as well as useful emergency numbers such as your insurance company. Therefore, if a power cut occurs you are fully prepared.

Tip 9 – Renew or purchase home insurance

Having a robust home insurance policy is essential over the winter months so make sure your insurance is up-to-date. If you have carried out any work on your property over the summer it will be important to check with your insurer that these changes haven’t nullified or changed your insurance policy.

Tip 10 – Ensure you are on the right energy tariff and with the right energy supplier

You should periodically review your energy supplier and the type of tariff that you are on. Consider how your household uses energy and whether this usage trend is likely to continue for the next year. You should contact different suppliers and see what tariffs they can offer you. Remember, you are in a strong position as they will want your business and want to compete with your existing supplier. Therefore, do research and make sure you are on the right deal.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

The end of summer is fast approaching and with September experiencing some last minute sunshine you will still be enjoying the break you are having from heating your home over the summer months.

However, during the summer period you should have been thinking ahead to the winter months and getting your boiler and central heating system serviced and if necessary repaired or replaced over this quiet period.

This is because summer is the best time to get the condition of your boiler checked-out by a qualified tradesman and there are many reasons why.

Firstly, if your boiler does have a problem then it can be fixed on your own time and the repair doesn’t become an emergency as if it arose over the winter months. Having this flexibility of time would just not be a factor in winter months.

Secondly, the price may be cheaper in the summer as the engineer and their resources will not be so pressed and booked up. Many companies offer households incentive schemes in the summer months to replace their boilers as they find that their engineers are less busy over this period. Currently, British Gas is running a £400 boiler scrappage scheme on selected new boilers. This means that households who are with British Gas can get a quote to trade-in their old boiler to a newer more energy efficient Worcester boiler and save £400. The only proviso is that the quote and installation needs to take place by the 2nd October 2011.

Finally, if you have to replace your boiler completely, by doing it in the summer months it will mean that you won’t experience any loss of heating as it won’t be on anyway. This would be a real problem in the cold winter months. Also, by replacing a boiler over the summer months it will start saving you money as soon as you need to use it as the newer boiler will be much more energy efficient. This will mean that when your first energy bill of the winter months arrives, though it will be more than your summer consumption it will be less than you have experienced in the past.

If you haven’t had your boiler serviced yet this year or you know that it needs repairs or possibly replacing then it is recommended that you should look to do this as soon as possible. There is still time to book this in before the busy winter period starts and don’t forget to look out for boiler scrappage schemes to help you financially. Make sure you aren’t left in the cold this winter by getting your boiler serviced, repaired or replaced today.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

British Gas HomeCare is an insurance scheme that aims to give households cover on their central heating, gas appliances and electrics by providing maintenance when unexpected incidents arise.

Households can choose a HomeCare plan for them and the amount of coverage they want in their home. There are currently four plans available which range from £13 to £27 per month dependent on the type of cover required and the additional options selected. British Gas HomeCare plans currently covers boiler and controls, central heating, plumbing, drains and home electrics.

The main feature of the plans is maintenance and repairs as well as accidental damage cover and the allowance of unlimited callouts per contractual year.

Obviously, the greater the price of the plan that you choose the more additional features you get and the more home emergency problems you are covered against. For example, the cheapest policy at £13 per month only covers boiler and control repairs whereas the £27 per month policy will cover against repairs to your central heating boiler, controls, radiators, pipework and your hot water system as well as repairs to your internal hot and cold water supply pipes, internal waste pipes and non-shared external drains.

The plans ensure that you are covered 24/7 and give you access to over 7000 qualified gas registered engineers as well as 500 highly skilled electricians. Therefore, this type of protection can ensure peace of mind for any household. However, as with any type of insurance cover you should make sure you are aware of the key exclusions within the policy documentation to ensure you are being covered exactly for what you require and expect.

So is this type of cover any good and is it worthwhile paying for British Gas’s HomeCare service?

From doing some research it appears the British Gas HomeCare service has received some bad press and complaints regarding the standard of service that has been received by policyholders. However, this is balanced out by the number of positive comments regarding the service. Many of the negative reviews tend to come from households who have older central heating systems and it is therefore harder for companies such as British Gas to support these boilers as getting parts if maintenance is required becomes harder or impossible. Therefore, in these situations British Gas will have no choice but not to support the boiler any more. It would therefore be worthwhile considering the age of your boiler when you take out such a policy and gain an understanding from the policy holding company as to how long the boiler will be supported for, so you aren’t in for any nasty shocks.

It is however generally regarded that these types of policies are a good deal as they can offer households peace of mind. If you don’t have a policy in place then you will either need to fix the problem yourself or find a local tradesman to come and fix the problem. Both of these options can cause unnecessary stress and hassle.

At least with a policy such as HomeCare you will know that you have access to qualified professionals and experts as well as a knowledgeable customer service team or help centre that are there specifically to answer any concerns or questions that you may have.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

In the past the majority of UK homes would have had their hot water supplied by an open vent boiler.

This type of boiler relies on the household having two water tanks in the loft and a hot water storage cylinder in the airing cupboard. The principle of the boiler is to provide hot water and central heating using a heat only boiler and cold water using the cold water tank located in the loft.

The main advantage of these types of boiler systems is that they allow you to have access to hot water all over your house at once. Therefore, you can have taps running as well as radiators being heated and you shouldn’t experience any drop in water pressure even though they are working simultaneously. The systems can also be very economical in relation to their running costs due to the fast response nature of the hot water being pumped around the system.

Also, if your home already uses an open vent system boiler and it needs to be replaced or updated, installation costs will be low because the upgrade should only require a replacement of the boiler with a newer and more efficient model. This therefore means greater convenience for the household as installing a replacement boiler is easier and quicker than installing another type of boiler system.

However, there are some disadvantages associated with this type of boiler. Many people see the space requirements needed by the water tanks in the loft and the hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard as inconvenient and a waste of space. There is also the fact that once you have used all the hot water in the water tank that you will need to reheat the water by using an immersion switch and this will take time for hot water to become available again. Also, if you want to install this type of boiler in a house that previously didn’t have this system it will be expensive as the plumbing costs associated are higher due to the greater complexity of installation.

With the recent growth in installation of combination boilers within households it has felt like the open vent system boiler was being pushed out the market, especially as combination boilers have been promoted as the most energy efficient and most practical boiler solution for the future. However, with the advancements in technology there is still a place for open vent system boilers as these systems have been made are much more energy efficient than they were in the past.

It should be noted that open vent system boilers can also be green because they work well when powered by renewable energy sources such as solar panels; and it is felt that the control systems on open vent boilers used in conjunction with how renewable energy is set-up happens to be more accurate and therefore more cost efficient.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain