It’s important you get your house prepared, before the winter months roll around again. This means ensuring your boiler is working to the best of its abilities, with minimal risk that it could fail you during a cold period. As well as arranging for your boiler to be serviced annually, you should also look into boiler cover.
This safety net is there to protect you should something go wrong and in this article, we’ve taken a closer look at what it is, what type of cover you can get and how to find the best deal.
What is boiler cover?
Boiler cover is an additional service you pay for, usually on a monthly basis. It’s like a type of insurance designed specifically for your boiler and means that should your boiler break down you can call out someone to assess the problem and fix it. You can add boiler cover to your monthly bill from your energy provider but we recommend shopping around to find the best deal first.
Why should I get boiler cover?
Paying a small amount each month for boiler cover reduces financial risk in the future. It means if your boiler breaks down and the repairs are covered as part of your cover, this means you won’t need to find the money to foot the bill. It can save a lot of stress later, should something go wrong when you need your boiler and heating the most.
What types of boiler cover are available?
You’ll find a variety of types of boiler cover available from a range of providers, typically these include:
1. Standard boiler cover
This only covers your boiler’s mechanisms and controls and ensures these will be fixed if it breaks down, nothing else. If the engineer discovers that the damage or fault isn’t the boiler, then you will need to find another way to cover the cost of getting it fixed.
You should be able to get help 24/7 via a call centre, who will arrange for an engineer to come out to you. Some standard boiler cover products also include an annual service but it’s worth checking this before you sign up.
2. Boiler cover plus central heating cover
This cover offers a little extra protection and means if your pipes or radiators are causing issues, these will be fixed as part of your cover. Radiators, the flue and pumps will be protected under this.
3. Boiler cover plus central heating, plumbing and wiring
As part of this cover, as well as your all-important boiler you’ll also be protected when it comes to repairs for wiring issues and other plumbing problems related to your heating system.
4. Home emergency
This cover means that should your home become inhabitable due to your boiler or heating system breaking, for example, you may have a gas leak or a burst pipe, then any repair work is paid for by this. However, it’s important to bear in mind that what one provider considers an emergency, may differ from another. Therefore, it’s important you check the documents and confirmation of what is included carefully.
What you need to know before you take on boiler cover
- You may already have it with your home insurance policy – Check your policy documents before you start shopping around.
- If you rent, you don’t need to worry about boiler cover – Only homeowners should consider having boiler cover. Ensuring you have a working, serviceable boiler in your rented home is the responsibility of the landlord.
- You don’t have to take on boiler cover provided by your energy supplier – You’re not obligated to take on boiler cover directly from them, this means you can get it cheaper elsewhere.
- You should check if your property can be insured – Some properties, such as mobile homes and bedsits, can’t be protected by boiler cover.
- If your boiler is particularly old, it may not be covered – Some insurers are less inclined to provide cover for boilers that they believe will require fixing more often.
- You won’t be able to claim for an initial period – This is usually between 14 and 30 days and if something goes wrong in this time, you can’t make a claim through your boiler cover. These limitations are put in place to prevent people from setting up boiler cover on the that something has gone wrong or broken.
- There will be a charge per callout – This is typically around £100, so be sure to account for this. The rest of the work should be covered by the cover you take out.
Where to find the best boiler and central heating cover
When it comes to finding the best boiler cover, it’s important that you do your research and shop around. Here, we’ve listed some of the best places to look for boiler cover:
- uSwitch – Simply input your postcode and the site will bring up a range of insurers that offer boiler cover. Prices start from around £5 per month.
- Energyhelpline – Similar to uSwitch this site looks at a range of boiler cover suppliers to find one that suits you.
What to look for in boiler cover
Not all boiler cover is made equal. Here are a few things you can get as part of your cover, look out for them to get a better deal.
- Unlimited callouts
- Parts and labour included
- 24/7 support helpline
- Unlimited claims
- Money towards a new boiler
Are there any alternatives to boiler cover?
You could look into self-insuring. This involves saving a small amount of money each month that can be put aside for an emergency such as a boiler breakdown. This means you can call your preferred plumber should something go wrong and have the money available to pay them on the day.
You could also consider buying and having a new boiler installed if yours is getting old. This will significantly reduce the need for callouts and lower the cost of your boiler cover. But on average, a new boiler can cost from £500 to £2,500, plus labour to fit it, so do look into if you qualify for a boiler grant. This can help you cover the cost of this expensive investment.
How to reduce your need to claim for boiler repairs
If you have a relatively new boiler and you like to reduce the likelihood of needing to claim on your boiler cover then follow these tips to keep your boiling running smoothly.
Have it serviced every year
A boiler service ensures everything is ticking along as it should be and can pick up issues before they become worse and cause a larger problem.
Test it throughout the year
It’s very easy to forget about our heating systems throughout the year, as the warmer weather means we don’t need to use them. Put the heating on once or twice in the summer for an hour or so, just to ensure it clicks on and works properly. You don’t want to go to turn on your heating on the first cold day of the year to find it simply doesn’t work.
Check the pressure regularly
You should be able to see your boiler’s pressure gauge on the front of the model. If this drops very low or rises high then it’s a good idea to have it checked by a professional before a more serious issue arises.
Boiler cover can be really helpful in one of those emergency breakdown situations, it’s definitely something to look into if you own your home and your boiler is perhaps a little old. Consider the tips above and whether it’s right for you.
