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Cold snap to cost homeowners £343m

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Catherine Deshayes

Brrrrrrr, Blighty - The Met Office is warning of more cold weather to come and it looks like the plunging temperatures will freeze our bank accounts too - new research has revealed that repair bills will exceed £343 million with approximately one million households suffering costly home emergencies as a result of the wintery weather conditions...

The new figures, released by UK home emergency and repair body HomeServe, are likely to send a chill down most people's spines as they grapple with the cold weather and lingering effects of the credit crunch.

Over the next week it is predicted that over 381,000 boilers will break, 213,000 central heating systems will fail and 170,000 pipes will burst.

Many households don't have sufficient funds set aside in case of a household emergency and it is estimated that 81,000 householders will not be able to afford repairs to their properties damaged by the cold.

Jon Florsheim, CEO of HomeServe Membership, said, "The expected cold snap will potentially cause many householders great distress, as a result not only of damage to their properties, but also the financial cost of paying for repairs.

"Householders should take proactive steps to help ensure their property is protected against the cold, ensuring pipes are lagged and boilers regularly serviced. It is crucial that if householders do not have home emergency insurance that they have sufficient funds to pay for repairs, otherwise they could find themselves exposed without heating or hot water," he added.

HomeServe has issued the following advice to help householders keep their home running during the next cold snap.

Leave your central heating on low to maintain warm air circulation around the home

Bleed your radiators to maximise their efficiency

Ensure all pipes are fully lagged and insulated

Use salt to unblock drains and pipes you suspect to be frozen

Shut off water supply to all external garden taps and drain the pipes

Keep the curtains closed to keep warm air escaping through windows

Keep candles and torches at hand in case of power cuts caused by ice & snow

Fit draft excluders on doors, windows & letter boxes

Check out homes for sale across the UK at http://www.themovechannel.co.uk/property/england/

Picture by morguefile