Woken up at half six again this morning by our boiler roaring like a dragon as it kicks off for the day, I’m aware it’s probably in need of a service. Rattling, rumbling and a variety of sounds just  like an aeroplane taking off are a sure sign all isn’t well on the heating front.

Six years ago we spent nearly three weeks – in freezing cold, windy new year weather – with no heating because our old boiler packed up. I still remember vividly how dreadful it was. The immersion heater still worked, thankfully, so we had hot water. But it was no fun getting out of a hot bath or shower into a freezing cold bathroom. We had a couple of plug-in oil radiators too, which kept the living room reasonably warm, but the rest of the house… oh, it was just awful. Even the cats, who are pretty well insulated with fur, insisted on sleeping on our bed for shared warmth and we didn’t have the heart to move them.

It’s an experience neither of us will ever forget. And which sent me straight online looking for good heating and boiler insurance.

Now, instead of having to wait ’til a heating engineer can fit us in and freezing for weeks on end, our insurance policy includes a free annual boiler service to keep it running freely and efficiently. And if things go totally dog-shaped we can get it mended within 24 hours. Phew.

We’ve learned a few very valuable lessons from the experience:

  • when you take note of how your heating usually sounds you can spot when it starts to go wrong and act before it’s too late
  • boiler and heating insurance is a really good idea. Ours costs £17 a month – a bargain under the circumstances
  • replacement boilers are hideously, frighteningly expensive so it’s best to have an annual service to keep your existing one in good order. We had to shell out £2,300 we could ill afford at the time and we don’t want to be faced with an unexpected bill like that again!
  • a well-maintained boiler and heating system uses much less energy than a well maintained system, so saves money
  • a good, reliable plumber and heating engineer is like gold dust. If you find one marry him, kidnap him, bribe him to move in next door or at the very least strike up a friendship so you can call him in for emergencies
  • when you use your radiator key to get rid of air trapped in your radiators, they run better and your bills are lower