A survey published by Carillion Energy Services suggests that around 25 per cent of British households failed to regularly service their boilers.
The survey adds that the potential waste – expressed in economic terms – of neglecting an annual service could be as high as £400 million. Whilst the annual service is necessary for checking the safety of boilers, it can also help to ensure efficient operation. Inefficient boilers can add hundreds of pounds to central heating bills every year.
Vince Barry, the Marketing Manager of Carillion Energy Services Heating, said: “To keep a boiler operating at maximum efficiency you really need to have it serviced once a year. Most manufacturers recommend this and in fact it’s a requirement for most warranties.
“The danger is that with everyone’s personal budget so stretched at the moment people will delay, or even avoid, having their boiler serviced at all and it really isn’t a good idea”.There is arguably no better time than the summer to have boilers serviced, as this gives households a degree of comfort ahead of the winter. If a service is delayed for a significant period of time or ignored altogether, problems may arise during the coldest months – and at a time when Gas Safe engineers are at their busiest.
Not only can a boiler service or repair in winter cost more, but it can also take longer to arrange. Households can avoid this problem by enjoying discounted rates and convenient scheduling during the summer.
Aside from faults, boilers can also run inefficiently at considerable cost to the homeowner. An energy inefficient boiler can add around £225 per annum to heating bills, so it is in the best interests of households to ensure that inefficient boilers are either serviced or replaced with energy efficient models.
As fuel poverty becomes a greater concern for households throughout the UK, it is inevitable that homeowners will begin to pay greater attention to the servicing of gas boilers. Likewise, tenants ought to request that energy inefficient boilers be replaced by landlords under the ‘green deal’ scheme, which is expected to come into force next year.
Carillion Energy Services have failed twice to keep an appointment to service my boiler.
If you take the advice on this page dont use Carillion to carry out the work, they are completely and utterly useless.
Carillion boiler repair have now missed two consecutive call out appointments to repair my boiler with no call to say the engineer would not be arriving . had no hot water for the best part of a week ..
Useless company that make service appointments and don’t bother to turn up or let you know why. They are quick to take your money for the annual service contract though.
Don’t use them.