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Are Electric Radiators Expensive To Run?

Just like many home additions, the running costs of electric radiators varies largely on a number of factors. Great number of electric radiators typically comes with an in built thermostat which is designed to turn itself off automatically when not in use in order to save energy.

However the energy provider’s set electricity charge tariff will also have a great influence on an electric radiator’s running cost. Let’s take a look at the running costs of an electric radiator!

A 600 Watt electric radiator ( on a standard electricity tariff) will usually have a running cost ranging between 4 to 6 pence each hour. However you should also take note that this scenario might change in situations whereby the electric radiator is not calling for heat the full 60 minutes of each hour. And this is more likely to be the situation as the thermostat is programmed in such a way that enables it to turn itself off immediately there’s an achievement of your required room temperature level - usually within 10 minutes from the time it was switched on. As a result of this, the running cost per hour of electric radiators will be greatly reduced to just about 1 to 2 pence.

It’s also important to note that enhancing the insulation of your home can go a long way to add to the heat retention value of each room. Consequently, the duration at which the electric radiator calls more heating will be significantly reduced, which in turn, implies a lower electricity bill.

Another key factor that can play a huge role in saving on your heating bills is the programming as well as usage of your electric radiators. Every radiator comes with an independent digital thermostat with a number of 24/7 programming options to help achieve maximum efficiency. When the radiator is properly set according to your lifestyle, you can save as much as 50 percent on your heating bills.

If your property is not connected to a gas main, oil boilers are a great alternative to gas boilers and more efficient than LPG alternatives. They can also be paired well with renewable sources. However, if your property is connected to the gas mains, there is generally no reason to switch to an oil boiler, as you will need to have oil delivered to an extra storage tank.

Re-pressurising your boiler means that you allow more water to enter system via the filling loop. It can be easy to re-pressurise your boiler yourself. Always check your manual, but there are some simple steps you can take to restore pressure to your boiler:

• Switch off your boiler and let it cool completely

• Make sure both ends of your filling loop are attached

• Open both valves to allow cold water into the system – you’ll hear it start to move

• Look out for your pressure gauge to show 1.5 bar

• Close both valves

• Switch your boiler back on

• Undo both ends of your filling loop and remove it. Remember some water might come out, so be ready to catch some spillage!

Does Home Insurance Cover Boiler Repairs?

When winter comes, your boiler is most likely to be one of the most used appliances in your home. It keeps operating for several hours to ensure your house remains warm and conducive and then during those cold evenings, it supplies the much needed hot water to guarantee a restive night. But with so much usage and many moving parts, you’d naturally expect your boiler to breakdown at some point especially if it’s 7 years old or above. So what’s the next line of action when it happens, leaving your radiators off and water cold? With the likely high boiler repair cost, it’s only logical to consider whether your boiler repairs is covered by your home insurance.

In almost all situations, the standard home insurance will not provide coverage for the cost of repairing or replacing a broken boiler. Being fully aware that boiler breakdowns are mostly caused by a lack or not so regular maintenance practices or servicing, most home insurance providers will exclude it from this from their offerings. In fact, a home insurance is more likely to provide coverage for the damage that has happened as a result of a broken appliance. For instance, the damage caused as a result of gas, oil or water leaking from a boiler are more likely to be paid for by the home insurance providers, but they’ll not pay for the repair or replacement of the broken boiler itself.

If you need our home insurance to cover your boiler repair, then you might just be able to get an extra insurance cover from your provider that includes a broken boiler repair. You can consult them to determine if this is possible as well as the cost to be paid per month. This will normally cost about £5 to £10 per month, but it gives you a peace of mind knowing you’re covered if your boiler happens to breakdown.

If you get the right size boiler for your home and you get it serviced regularly, your boiler could last up to 15 years. It may even last longer than this, but you’ll find that your boiler begins to become less efficient as it gets older. Also, as technology improves, a boiler older than 15 years may not be the most efficient one on the market.

How Much Does A Boiler Repair Cost?

An annual service for your boiler might not seem important and may be easy to postpone to another day, but when it happens to breakdown due to lack of adequate attention, this can be quite painful and also costly.

Before you start thinking about the cost of repairing your boiler, the first thing you’ll need to confirm is whether or not your boiler is still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. You’d be amazed some warranties can last for as long as 12 years, if yours is still on then you can save yourself a huge amount of of money on your boiler repair. As a result, it’s always crucial to keep the details of your warranty somewhere safe, so you can read them from time to time. You never can tell when the rainy day will come!

Most boiler warranties will require your to get your boiler serviced on an annual basis by a licensed and qualified technician. The cost of an annual boiler service is affected by the time of the year you wish to get it done. When boilers are less useful during the summer months, an annual service is usually relatively cheap when compared to the cold months. Around this period, a boiler service will normally cost within the range of £100 to £150, however for a more accurate quote it’s advisable to contact a couple of professionals and compare their quotes.

The cost of getting a boiler repaired will be affected by a couple of factors including your boiler’s make, the age of the boiler as well as your location and how urgent you need it done. If you have a dead boiler, the cost will typically range from £96 to £348 and a boiler displaying a fault code will cost within the range of £90 to £275. Generally, repairing a boiler will cost within the range of £90 to £400 based on the several factors stated above.

If you’re building a connected home, a smart thermostat allows you to change the temperature in your home. And not only do several smart thermostats come with touch screens and a user friendly interface, but they’re also compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and other voice controlled personal assistants. So how does a smart thermostat work? Let’s have a look!

Generally, smart thermostats are connected to the home’s Heating and/or Air Con system via C wire (common wire). Homes that lacks a C wire (especially older homes) will have to install one first before getting a smart thermostat. The C wire is a crucial element in the installation process as it works mainly to wire your smart thermostats into the Boiler system without tampering with the wiring for the other appliances in the house.

The smart thermostats comes with some special temperature setting which you can access by connecting them to your home’s WiFi. These include:

• Mobile Control

Most smart thermostats are specially designed to enable users to control the temperature of their home from the comfort of their couch or car via their unique mobile apps. This feature is just perfect if you particularly like getting the perfect temperature in your home without having to get out of bed.

• Humidity Controls

Although, the humidity of your home can not really be adjusted with a smart thermostat but you can always stay on top of it by monitoring it or setting an alarm on your phone to go off when the humidity changes.

• Geofencing Feature

With a smart thermostat, you can choose the particular times of the day you want it in action. This feature enables you to go on impromptu travels without having to worry about your energy bills - some smart thermostats come with the geotracking feature which determines when you’ve left the house and adjusts the temperature of the home accordingly with your energy usage in mind.

Biomass boilers can be designed to work with other kinds of heating. The most common of these is solar thermal. This is a popular renewable energy pairing. Solar thermal heating will meet your hot water needs during the summer while a biomass boiler can operate as a backup during the winter when solar thermal panels do not perform as well.