What to look for in your central heating insurance policy
By: Eugene Sabri
Submitted: 2009-05-24 23:59:10 | Word Count: 492
If you have a gas boiler and/or central heating system, then it is a good idea to take out an insurance policy on your central heating boiler, so that the cost of any expensive emergency repairs do not have to come out of your own pocket. Pretty much all of the major energy companies have their own insurance plans which they often offer as part of a package deal with your energy supply, but it is necessarily advisable to buy your energy and your insurance together – in fact, it could be a lot cheaper if you shop around on the open market.
Every policy is different, so it’s a good idea to evaluate what you are likely to need before you purchase a policy, as you do not want to find yourself in a situation where your insurance is inadequate, but you don’t want to be paying over the odds either.
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If you have a brand spanking new house with new, reliable heating equipment, then a cheap policy covering the bare essentials will be fine. If you live in an older house, where the plumbing and wiring is a little on the antiquated side, then you might want to take out more comprehensive cover.
Although most heating insurance policies provide a free twenty four hour helpline and emergency callout service, the definition of the word 'emergency' can vary widely between policy providers. For instance, some insurance plans do not consider a lack of hot water to be an emergency, and others do not consider the failure of a central heating system during the summer months to be one either. Check with your policy provider as to their definition of an emergency before purchasing your insurance.
Most plans have an initial no-claims period of around thirty days, in order to prevent people signing up to them after their boiler has broken. Before you buy an insurance policy for your boiler, it is vital to check that the policy in question is valid for your particular type of boiler, or you could be throwing money down the drain. The majority of policies will only cover repairs to boilers under a certain age, and if it is older than this you might have to pay for a safety inspection before you can get it insured.
Even if your old boiler passes these tests, it is unlikely that your insurer will be willing to pay for a replacement in the event that it stops working for good. It might be worth your while, if you have an older boiler, having it upgraded or replaced before you buy any insurance, as this could work out cheaper in the long run, especially given that modern boilers are far more efficient than older ones.
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