Winter is a potential minefield for insurance claims

With evenings getting darker earlier, and the weather getting chillier, damage caused by heating appliances, fires and burglaries have the potential to increase premiums significantly, says Darren Black, home insurance expert at Confused.com.

Heating appliances: a drop in temperature often means that people will be dusting off their winter warmers, such as electric fires, blankets and blow heaters. However, as they will not have been used for months, it is important to give them an initial safety check, focusing on frayed leads, cracked fuses and dust in the elements. While electric appliances may be safe to use, it is important that they are not left on for prolonged periods, and imperative that they are not placed too near combustible material such as potpourri!

Fireplace fires: it is important not too get too carried away with the romanticised ideal of a roaring log fire, as flying sparks could result in damage to nearby carpets, and even to the entire house. Fireguards are a good preventative measure in such instances. In addition, chimneys which have not been cleaned for a while could be at risk from chimney fires, due to the flames catching the accumulated creosote in the flue. This could cause the chimney stack to overheat, expand and crack your walls, as well as causing fire damage.

Central heating systems: it is of paramount importance to have your boiler serviced, if it hasn't been in use for a few months - the excessive cooling and heating can cause your boiler to malfunction, or even to explode. Excessive cold also affects plumbing systems; burst radiators being responsible for hundreds of claims every year.

Darren Black, head of home insurance, comments: "Dusty electric heaters, roaring fires and boilers which haven't been turned on for most of the summer heighten the risk of claiming on your home insurance, during the winter. We are also seeing the evenings getting darker earlier, which provides the perfect concealment for opportunistic burglars. In addition to being increasingly vigilant over the next couple of months, having the right home insurance is an integral part of securing peace of mind. Confused.com customers could save an average of £193 per year on home insurance policies, which demonstrates the importance of shopping around."