Heating problems cause homeowner “misery”

Almost a third of winter "home emergencies" involve a breakdown of the central heating system, esure said today.

The insurer used five years of claims data over the course of its new research, released today – and issued a warning over the potential costs of these heating failures.

According to esure, heating engineers commonly charge from £45 to £70 for call-outs alone, with the total repair bill potentially much higher.

These costs would be coupled with higher heating bills this winter, with two separate rounds of price increases having been imposed by all of the UK''s "big six" firms over the past 12 months.

Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at esure home insurance, said: "Winter is the worst time for a home emergency. If your heating or plumbing does fail, it can be miserable and expensive [to] get professional help at short notice.

"With the onset of colder winter weather, this is the time for homeowners to put preventive measures in place early to help avoid potential disasters."