It’s more than halfway through the year 2020, and the seasons are changing. We’re heading closer to winter, and some of us may not have our annual service insurance policies in place. Perhaps most importantly is that we need to make sure that we have our annual boiler service policies in place.
Modern boilers are often problematic and break easily. Therefore if we want peace of mind, we will have to make sure we have some type of boiler insurance. There are many providers of boiler cover policies, and you can always choose to go with any of the local energy providers. We will look at and check boiler cover costs and everything relevant to boilers in this article.
When is it Necessary to Service Your Boiler?
You will have to service your boiler every year. If you choose to skip the annual service, you will be putting yourself and others at risk. Additionally, servicing your boiler annually will ensure that you don’t have to buy a new boiler every few years. Gas safety is incredibly important, so you cannot service your boiler on your own. You will need to employ the services of someone who knows how to conduct boiler repairs and who is well versed in all kinds of boilers, including gas boilers.
There are costs involved with a boiler service, and you can expect a gas safe registered engineer who is registered in England to charge you upwards of 150 pounds according to moneysupermarket.com. Although this may seem pricey, at the end of the day, you are guaranteeing your safety. You are also eliminating the risk of you getting carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty boiler. However, should you want to go a better alternative route, you should consider getting home insurance or boiler insurance cover to give you peace of mind.
How Do Boiler Covers Work?
Many people will wake up in their home to the news that their boiler has broken at some point. Often you will identify this problem when you go to switch on the hot water, and there isn’t any. This news is unwanted, but we can avoid the usual hassles involved if we ensure that we have a boiler cover in place.
Each boiler cover policy is different and, as such, has different terms in place. Regardless of this, we must make sure to include a boiler cover costing in our budgets as, in the long run, boiler covers save us money. So what exactly is boiler cover and how does it work?
Boiler covers are a specific type of insurance policy. You would want to get this type of insurance cover to cover the costs involving gas safety engineers’ call outs. Additionally, you need to know that a boiler cover, in most cases, will cover the cost of boiler repairs, annual boiler service fees, and parts and labour costs. With boiler cover policies, you can usually choose to pay a once-off fee for annual cover. Otherwise, you can make payments in monthly installments.
Pricing Of Boiler Covers
Before you get a boiler cover, you need to compare different boiler cover prices to make the best choice. According to theguardian.com, the cheapest boiler cover plan is 8 pounds a month. Remember that the cheapest plan doesn’t always mean it is the best plan to go with. With the cheaper monthly boiler cover plans, you are usually charged excess fees upwards of 95 pounds. Additionally, these cheaper policies won’t cover a claim where the problem is sludge build-up or limescale damage.
Prices vary significantly from one cover to the next, so you will have to shop around. Finding a boiler cover provider is easy, as many companies offer this service. Remember that, like other insurance such as car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and travel insurance, you can keep switching between them to capitalize on introductory deals. Please use the website uswitch.com which will help guide you to find the best deal for boilers.
What are the Best Boiler Cover Options Available?
Luckily, there are many boiler cover options available that you can sign up for before a boiler breakdown occurs, and problems abound. Namely, there are three options we will check out so that you can see which one is the best choice for you.
Option One: Boiler Only Cover
The first option available is the boiler only cover option. Usually, this would only include your boiler breakdown repair and not any parts or travel and labor costs. You will also have to cover the cost if the engineer’s needs to buy a new boiler and install it. It’s vital and well worth your time to read all the terms in your boiler cover plan. Otherwise, you could face financial problems where you may need to take out credit cards or personal loans to get it operational again.
Option Two: Boiler and Heating Cover
The second available option is the boiler cover insurance plans that come with the central heating cover. The cost of these types of insurance varies from provider to provider. A boiler and central heating cover will allow for a boiler’s repair and any repairs that would need to be made to a boiler central heating system.
This type of insurance coverage is best if you want a policy that is the middle ground. Problems with your radiator pipes will also be covered under a boiler central heating cover policy. Take note that as with every boiler policy, you must read the terms conditions as should you want to make a claim, there will be an additional cost as these types of plans are not all-inclusive.
Option Three: Home Emergency Insurance Cover
Our third option is home emergency insurance cover. If you’re looking for an all-inclusive home insurance cover, you can find a provider relatively easily. A home insurance policy covers more than just heating cover and a boilers’ central heating system. It will also cover your home for water damage and pest infestations.
Be aware that most policies, including the home emergency cover policies, won’t cover a boiler much older than 15 years old. As soon as your boiler passes the 15-year mark, consider replacing it as it may become a hazard to your life.
Are There any Exclusions with Boiler Cover Insurance?
We now know that you predominantly have three options when it comes to cover for your boiler. Let us check what is often excluded. We know that most services are excluded when we use basic breakdown options. However, what is excluded from the more comprehensive insurance cover?
Exclusions Associated with Home Emergency Cover
- After a boiler has reached a certain age, you will not be able to cover or make a claim for it. Only with a select few comprehensive home emergency cover plans will there be an option for you to still do services.
- If we compare a home emergency cover policy with the other policies available, you will most likely see that they don’t cover repairs on obscure boiler models. Additionally, some insurances won’t even conduct a boiler repair if older than seven years old.
- Should you want to get a boiler and central heating cover or a boiler repair plan for commercial business or a business bed and breakfast, you won’t be able to.
- If your heating system is currently broken and you have a home emergency insurance cover or a basic boiler and heating breakdown cover insurance plan in place, you won’t be able to claim in the first two to four weeks. Some plans will, however, offer free call outs during this period.
- It would be worth your time to remember that most boiler cover insurance plans or contracts will have limits. There are limits for how much you can claim and the amount of money you can get in a year. Read your contract so that you’re aware of what the claim limits are and can avoid future confusion and problems from arising.
- Most comprehensive home emergency insurance policies will cover the cost of a new boiler should your current one become too old to function. You won’t have to buy a new boiler with your own money as it should be free. However, you need to ensure again that you read up on this and consult any available guides.
Would You be Able to Get Financial Assistance to Help Pay for the Boiler Services?
You don’t need to worry too excessively about maxing out your credit cards when you don’t have money to pay for old broken boilers. Nor do you have to rush to the bank to take out a loan. There is help available to help you get a potentially free boiler when you are in desperate need. Take care to read up on any guides or information booklets thoroughly. These will often showcase tips on attaining a free boiler when yours has become too old to function.
There are currently various schemes in place to help assist people. Many energy companies such as EDF, British Gas, and nPower’s energy trust scheme offer financial assistance. This they offer to those people who can prove they need it. There are even money back schemes in England that you can apply for. The British government has various other schemes available. The cold weather payment and winter fuel payment schemes can assist you if your boiler is broken.
What Else Should You Know Regarding Boiler Cover?
- Signing up for boiler insurance is quick and easy. Many of the boiler business options available to you have a privacy policy in place on their websites. So you will know that your credit card’s information and personal information are safe.
- It is worth knowing that many of the boiler energy providers offer easy account set up. When you sign up, you will often find excellent price options if you select an annual payment option.
- There are many top insurance energy businesses that you can choose to go with. Additionally, as an added help, there are even calculator websites available online. These can help you work out the best boiler option for you. Should you want to find out more information on a business before signing up with them, go to the business contact us page. There you will find their email or telephone number. You then can contact them directly and ask any questions that you may have.
- Most importantly, you need to identify if you are buying a service contract or an insurance policy. You must note that the financial conduct authority does not regulate service contracts. An insurance policy is authorised and regulated by the financial authorities. It is safer for you to go with this as a service contract usually always has in there agreements all rights reserved. Therefore they ultimately have the final say regarding your boiler issues and can deny your claims and disputes.
Final Thoughts
There is no fixed boiler cost for every person. The price varies based on the features and services that you need. There are many providers of boiler cover policies, and you can always choose to go with any of the local energy providers. In this post, we tried to look at and check boiler cover costs and everything relevant to boilers. We hope this was helpful for you to determine the overall cost for your next boiler cover.
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