Households risk safety by not getting boiler serviced

This year's energy price rises have left consumers worried over winter bills and taking unnecessary risks with their health, warns uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.

The 42% hike in energy prices has left the average household facing an annual energy bill of £1,293 - up by £381 from £912 since the start of the year. This has added £4.3 billion in total to household bills - and consumers will be bearing the brunt this winter, as household energy usage increases to combat the cold.

As a result, almost half of households (49%) decided to delay switching on their heating this winter to try to limit the impact and almost six in ten households (59%) are also turning their heating down. This means that over 15 million households may be turning the thermostat down this winter because of cost concerns.

More worryingly, the research shows that some consumers are prepared to gamble with both their safety and their finances in an attempt to save the pennies. Only a third (36%) of households currently have some form of emergency heating cover in place to help them pay any unexpected repair bills. As many as 1.3 million households (5%) may have actually cancelled the cover they did have in place because of shrinking household funds. But, with nearly one in three boilers breaking down within six years of being installed and with it currently costing around £1,200 to replace four key boiler parts, consumers run the risk of losing more money than they gain by scrimping on cover.

But this isn't the only risk - 42% of households are also ignoring current industry safety advice to get their boiler checked once a year to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. One in ten - almost three million households - have never had their boiler serviced, while the same number again have only ever had their boiler looked at when it's gone wrong. According to the CORGI Carbon Monoxide Report, there were 21 fatalities and 125 injuries caused by gas related carbon monoxide poisoning between April 2007 and March, 2008. Recommended counter measures include an annual gas safety check and installing a carbon monoxide alarm.

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch.com, says: "With household budgets stretched to the limit, making a quick saving can seem very tempting. For most people sensible cutbacks, such as delaying switching the heating on and turning the temperature down slightly, will help save money without any serious side effects. However, not having an annual gas safety check could have some very serious consequences for both your health and your finances.

"Boiler cover can cost as little as £5.99 a month and some policies also offer a free annual gas safety check as part of the scheme, so you can get real peace of mind for very little cost. Getting a yearly gas safety check as part of your cover also means that you will get an annual prompt to get a service booked in. You don't have to take this cover from your energy provider and there are plenty of deals available so you can find the best level of cover and price for you. But at the very least, please don't take a chance on your family's safety - make sure you get into the habit of having an annual gas safety check so that your boiler is given a clean bill of health."