Don’t get ripped off with boiler breakdowns
05/10/2007
October is the month when plumbers all over the country rub their hands with glee. It’s when the nation turns on its boilers – and an awful lot of them go phut (or gurgle, plink or even no noise at all!).
Nearly one in three boilers break down within six years of being installed and repairs could leave you facing massive bills. Remember it’s not just the parts that bump up the cost; the average hourly rate of a plumber can rise dramatically depending on where you live – from around £20 an hour in the North to a whacking £76 in London.
These are the average costs to get your heating or hot water back:
Main heat exchanger £468.55
Cylinder £405.69
Main printed circuit board (electronics) £223.49
Fan £214.76
Radiator £201.44
So who shoulders the cost? 30% of people needn’t worry too much what the costs are as they are covered by their insurance policy. But that still means 70% of us aren’t. Yet protection from nasty repair bills is available from just £9 a month.
Having decided it might be a good idea to insure, the next question is: with whom? This, as you might expect, can be something of a minefield as policies vary enormously in what they will cover- and how much they charge.
And no, you really DON’T have to go with your gas provider who may (or may not) offer the best deal.
Heating cover offers a range of protection from covering your boiler and controls, radiators and thermostats. Some even offer an annual service.
Prices and levels of cover vary not just from provider to provider, but even across products from the same provider. Product availability is also dependent on where you live. That makes it important to compare a range of products before you buy to make sure you have the cover you need.
The quick way to get the best deal is through a comparative website like uSwitch: all they need is your details to cross compare every provider and give you the range of options to choose from. Their website is linked below.
And you might like to consider seeing if your current energy provider is really delivering the best deal: switching can save anything up to several hundred pounds a year. More on uSwitch’s energy comparators on the second link below.