WarmZilla has claimed that homeowners opting against an annual boiler service are standing to lose up to £300 in additional energy costs, while potentially putting their lives at risk.
The company has reported a 25% drop in the work so far this year, due to cost-of-living challenges as many people aren’t regarding the maintenance as “an essential outgoing”.
Matthew Powell, WarmZilla’s founder, said that an annual boiler service was vital for both safety and efficiency and added that a deferral could create a false economy with unwanted call outs required in future. In addition, he said that a typical boiler would stand to lose between 5 to 15% in efficiency each year, if not serviced.
For the same month-and-a-half in 2024, 25% less boiler servicing bookings have been made and Matthew has warned of greater headaches in the future as a result.
He said: “We understand why less residents are booking a boiler service as we know that times are hard, but we think it’s a relatively small amount for the added efficiency and peace of mind provided in return.”
According to research conducted for Gas Safety Week by British Gas, approximately 72% of homeowners service their boilers annually. This indicates that nearly 28% of homeowners are neglecting this essential maintenance task.
Matthew claimed that heating bills could be reduced by between £100 to £300 on the basis that an efficient boiler performs up to 15% better than one without regular maintenance and added that many residents were also hesitant to pay for a boiler service because they don’t understand the work that is being carried out.
The cost of a standard gas boiler service from WarmZilla is £90 plus VAT, while a rolling cover plan spreads the cost out to £8.99 per month, it said.
Matthew added: “It does represent good value when you understand the attention to detail that goes into the work, not to mention the fact that skipping regular maintenance can result in decreased boiler efficiency, higher energy bills and an increased risk of breakdowns or safety hazards.”