Since the day after Christmas, Boxing Day in much of the rest of the world, New York has had at least one snow storm every single week. We experienced 60 year record low temperatures this week, so my boiler has been working overtime trying to keep the house warm. The boiler is a good 15 years old, and I’m hoping that it doesn’t die from me pushing it to maximum capacity this year. Unlike me, Britons have been braced to expect a boiler breakdown emergency every few years by alarm sounding experts.
A report in the UK Daily Mail outlined how many modern boilers are far less reliable than many older models – and can also be much more expensive to fix. The article pointed the finger of blame firmly at the previous Labour government, explaining that it was made illegal in 2005 to install anything other than a condensing boiler. Although these new kits are much greener than older models and can really help to cut household carbon emissions, they can also be much less reliable.
According to Daily Mail columnist Michael Hanlon, many plumbers believe that these types of boilers are a “multi-billion pound con-tricks” as they can often break down within three to six years of being installed. That seems like an awfully short period of time before having to replace an expensive part of your home.
If you haven’t got boiler insurance in place, a heating howler could turn out to be very costly. According to experts, it can often be cheaper to replace the whole boiler rather than buy new parts for it – which could potentially leave you with a bill for thousands of dollars. For this reason, many households are likely to have a tough decision to make this year if they’re running their home with an old and inefficient boiler.
On the one hand, at a time when fuel bills are at an all-time high and household budgets are being stretched, running a tired old boiler which struggles to heat the home can put a serious strain on the purse strings. On the other, replacing the old model with a new one can be a big cost to consider up front and the savings may not be seen for many years to come – or could be wiped out if experts’ predictions about mass breakdowns prove to be correct.
Whatever path you decide to take with your boiler, having home emergency insurance which covers your boiler is a really smart move that will ensure you home stays on track throughout the year. Should you be unlucky enough to suffer a boiler breakdown, with this type of insurance in place you can enjoy the peace of mind that a fully qualified Gas Safe registered tradesman is on the way to fix the problem.
Buying a new boiler may seem like a minefield in the wake of recent reports – investing in boiler insurance is one way to get on a sure footing whatever the age of your heating system…and praying that your boiler makes it through a record cold winter might help.
This post was sponsored by HomeServe.