Concerns have been raised by the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council (HHIC), after research revealed one in five homeowners are not servicing their boiler due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
The survey of 2,000 UK homeowners also found that 24% of respondents have not had their boiler serviced in over two years. With the average cost of a boiler replacement coming in at £2,597 according to Which?, many Brits could be leaving themselves at risk of far larger bills than they bargained for.
This comes as the research also revealed the majority of British people are worried about the price of heating this winter. Amid geopolitical tensions and climate concerns affecting the global price of energy, 93.1% of UK households have stated they are worried about the price of their heating this winter. As a result 89% of people will be changing their home heating behaviour in some way to reflect the increasing costs.
Avoiding a service may not only see boilers running less efficiently and costing in bills, it will also run a higher risk repairs and replacement work. This could mean UK homeowners could be facing a greater upfront fee instead of a service charge which averages around £100. Given over half of respondents reported having no breakdown cover plan, it is likely that there will be a sharp rise in boiler replacements as people cut spending.
The research also highlighted that awareness was not the problem, with 90% of respondents aware that you should have an annual service.
Stewart Clements, director of the HHIC, said: “The cost-of-living crisis has been felt widely across the UK, and heating is one of the first expenses people are looking to cut down on. Not only does an annual service of your boiler mitigate larger sums of replacement, but it can also save you money by cutting your energy usage. It is up to the heating industry to demonstrate to UK households that a service is a cost saving measure in the long run, no different to a service we get done annually for a car. When a boiler is serviced, it will run more efficiently, resulting in less energy usage and lower bills come the end of the month.”