It sounds almost too obvious to say, but there’s an undeniable seasonal link between homeowner interest in boiler cover and it being cold outside.
This can be evidenced by a number of factors, including the trends of internet searches for boiler and heating cover and repair related terms, the number of people who buy and switch their annual cover policies and last but certainly not least, the volume of breakdowns versus the warmer months of the year.
The 2020/21 winter hasn’t been an exception – and there’s not many subjects you can say that about given how Coronavirus has impacted everything we do day-to-day – but with more people being at home due to Covid-19 restrictions, lockdowns and the schools being closed, breakdowns were at their highest in comparison to the last few years as people have had to keep their heating on for much longer than usual. Because of that, boilers have had to work harder than ever, some didn’t make it and many of us are still to receive the dreaded resulting energy bill… Fingers crossed, even if you have a smart meter to try and help out…
At long last though, it’s starting to feel like Spring is in the air and with restrictions loosening bit by bit, we’ll all be able to spend more and more time outside with friends and family. That’s all great news, but because of that, it’s easy to forget about the white box on the wall that’s kept you warm all winter, even if it has played up a bit (or a lot) – but our advice is not to get complacent about it, or ignore it for the next few months. Instead, show it some TLC!
Even in the warmer months boilers are still working hard to provide hot water (and let’s face it, we’re in Scotland so there’s good chance we’ll be turning the heating back on from time to time too!) and even though it may not feel like much of a problem, it will still be an inconvenience if there isn’t any because your boiler breaks down. Believe it or not, about a third of all breakdowns do happen through Spring and Summer, with each of them potentially costing anywhere between £150 and £500 to get repaired, If you don’t have cover.
As well as that, from an efficiency and safety perspective it’s also a great idea to get your boiler serviced when you’re coming out of winter because of how hard it’s worked over the last few months. A well serviced boiler can save money on your energy bill, and it’ll also keep you and your household safe from any potential Carbon Monoxide poisoning too. Think of it as a Spring Clean!
Still not convinced it’s worth getting covered in Spring? OK. So how about if that boiler service was free, saving you anywhere between £70 and £100 depending on where you look and how does it for you? At O’Neil Care, all of our boiler and heating cover policies include a boiler service at no extra cost, and in every year you’re a customer with us too – unlike some providers out there who include it in year one, then you pay extra every year after that.
If you’re still undecided even after that, there are a couple of other things to consider too. Firstly, our policies are also 12 months duration, meaning that if you buy in Spring, you’ll have your boiler serviced and covered right through until Spring 2021 so you’ll not need to think about it again all the way through next winter (don’t worry, whilst we love Christmas, we’re the same as you and are happy NOT to talk about that just now and enjoy the Spring and Summer in the meantime!).
And one last thing, going back to the cost of heating your home. With O’Neil Care, we also provide our customers with offers on Smart Heating Controls, meaning that you can manage how, where and when you heat your home much easier too.
It’s really easy to get access to these benefits too. You can sign-up to one of our very competitively priced products at www.oneilcare.com (well, by competitive we mean much cheaper than the main national suppliers, being honest about it) and provide peace of mind that the costs of labour and parts to repair your boiler are also included in the price, with Gas Safe Registered Engineers available 24/7/365 – whether it’s an issue with your heating, hot water or both.
