Britons suffer with heating repair costs

16th March, 2006

A new study shows that UK residents are paying a wholly unnecessary £64 million extra each year for repairs on broken central heating systems.

Figures released by price comparison site uSwitch reveal that the failure to get adequate boiler insurance is forcing residents to pay £470 for even the most common faults, on top of hourly rates that can add up to £76.47.

Maintenance problems have been exacerbated by this year's long cold winter, but in reality boiler breakdowns and heating faults are so common that over two million systems needed repair in 2003.

'Even outside of the winter months, it is a good idea to have your boiler inspected once a year to try and avoid problems before they occur,' said Tim Wolfenden, senior product manager at uSwitch.

'The decision to take out heating cover is often viewed as an unnecessary expense, but when you consider the prospect of being without hot water and heating, or being landed with a bill of up to £470, it becomes incredibly cost effective.'

Consumers can seek to rectify the problem by checking out some of the best available deals in UK home insurance online.

 

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