‘One-quarter of homes don’t get their boilers serviced’

Over one-quarter of Brits do not have their heating system serviced regularly, new research from Worcester Bosch has found.

In the run-up to Gas Safety Week 2017, Worcester Bosch looked into the habits of homeowners across the country, and found that 27 per cent of Brits are not getting their boilers serviced at least once a year.

For those who do invest in servicing, a worrying 34 per cent fail to ask their engineer to show their Gas Safe ID card.

The research also highlighted that many don’t check their safety alarms either. Many homeowners said they check their smoke alarms at least once a year, but over one-third (36 per cent) of those who have a CO alarm don’t test it regularly.

Martyn Bridges, director of Technical Communication and Product Management, says: “When it comes to driving our cars, we wouldn’t risk not getting our brakes and lights checked once a year. Yet the nation seemingly doesn’t have quite the same attitude when it comes to heating appliances.

“By not carrying out these simple checks, homeowners can easily compromise the safety of their boiler and, in the worst case, this could result in the appliance breaking down at a time when it’s needed most.

“When you couple this with the fact that people across the country are still failing to regularly test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, it’s worrying to think of the risk that people are putting themselves, and their families, in.”

The figures also highlighted some of the key considerations that those looking to get on the property ladder should keep in mind, as 24 per cent of buyers say they don’t check the history of the boiler when purchasing a new property.

Martyn adds: “Initiatives such as Gas Safety Week have proven to be a great way to educate homeowners on the dangers they face by remaining indifferent when it comes to annual servicing. By helping to change their mind-set on this topic, this provides heating engineers with the opportunity to ensure the safety and efficiency of a heating system.”