As temperatures plummet in the UK this week, central heating systems across the country are working overtime to keep people warm. But for an alarming number of households the cold winter months means more financial misery.

Glow-worm – one of the UK’s leading boiler manufacturers – recognises the financial strain turning up the heating poses,  particularly for the most vulnerable members of society, and is offering some good to help tackle high energy bills this winter.

Cranking up the heating during the cold winter months uses the largest proportion of energy most households will use throughout the entire year, so it stands to reason that to get the best out of your hard-working boiler is needs to working to optimum performance.

“Accurately sizing a new or replacement boiler is very important.  But it’s also very important for homeowners to ensure their whole heating system is working as efficiently as possible,” explains Glow-worm’s Commercial Director, Pippa Wibberley.

“This may mean new or replacement radiators, controls, under floor heating or even investment in renewable technology,” she added.

An efficiently running system means not only will you not be wasting energy, but you won’t be wasting money either, which will help to reduce your fuel bills.

To get the most from your central heating system, Glow-worm has a few top tips, which includes:

• Programme your heating system to operate when you need it most – it’s the most efficient way to heat your home – rather than leaving it on low all day.

• Utilise systems with intelligent controls to set your heating and hot water, such as Glow-worm’s Climapro₂ wireless programmable room thermostat, which can be used as part of a heating system containing a cylinder.

•  Consider installing thermostatic radiator valves.  And if you’re not using a room, save energy – and money – by turning off the radiator valve.

• Treat your central heating system to an annual maintenance check by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

• And last but not least, remember to get your boiler serviced regularly by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

For more information about Glow-worm’s products visit www.glow-wormheating.co.uk

According to the latest Boiler Guide press release, reinstating the Boiler Scrappage Scheme in England will help homeowners cut their fuel bills.

Boiler Guide is backing the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) who are calling on the Government to reinstate the boiler scrappage scheme in England, which last year saw more than 118,000 old and energy inefficient boilers scrapped in favour of new A-rated energy efficient models.

The incentive proved a runaway success last year, encouraging 61% of homeowners to replace their old boiler as a direct result of the scheme, enabling them to make their homes more energy efficient, saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

Of the boilers replaced, 51% of them were over 25 years old and with energy bills at an all-time high, the need to become more energy efficient is growing in awareness amongst homeowners. Reintroducing the boiler scrappage scheme would be a productive way to help householders in their battle to save money as energy bills continue to rise.

Swapping an old inefficient boiler for a new boiler will help homeowners to save an average of £290 annually on their central heating bills. But there are many advantages to the boiler scrappage scheme, not least:

• It provides a financial incentive, encouraging homeowners to trade in their old boilers for newer energy efficient models
• Installing a new energy efficient boiler will save energy and reduce energy bills
• It will help to achieve cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
• The scheme raises money for the Treasury
• It helps to protect jobs and encourage growth in the UK’s domestic heating and hot water industry

David Holmes, founder of Boiler Guide says: “Saving energy means saving money and one very effective way to do that is to replace your old energy-sapping boiler for a brand new energy efficient model.

“Unfortunately during these increasing tough economic times, many homeowners simply cannot afford the initial upfront costs needed to install a new boiler. And that’s why schemes like this are worth their weight in gold.

“The merits of the boiler scrappage scheme have already been proven and given that the scheme continues to run successfully in Scotland, it’s high time the scheme was reinstated in England.”

As the UK’s leading online resource of boiler and central heating installers, whether your boiler needs repairing or if you’re looking to install a brand new boiler, Boiler Guide is the go to place to help you source boiler quotes from recommended installers and heating engineers.

For more industry news and views, or to find an engineer in your area visit www.boilerguide.co.uk

According to TV presenter George Clarke many UK homes are still without insulation.

Architect and TV presenter George Clarke has expressed that many of the UK’s existing housing stock is still without insulation, despite the Government’s ambition to improve energy efficiency in homes.

In a bid to address this concern, Mr Clarke explained that the more affordable ways of cutting carbon emissions from a property are also the easiest. Measures could include cavity wall insulation and loft insulation, which according to the Energy Saving Trust can save around £145 a year on central heating bills.

Mr Clarke also noted the lack of double glazing in homes as well as the benefits of replacing old boilers that are more than 10-years-old. Commenting on this, the expert said: “It’s unbelievably inefficient; it’s coming to the end of its efficient lifespan, so you’re spending all of this money on gas, and you’re only getting 40 or 50 per cent efficiency from your boiler. That’s just ridiculous.”

E.ON’s Sustainable Energy business has commenced work on a low-carbon heating system at a site in Ceredigion, Wales, which does not have access to mains gas.

In partnership with Tai Ceredigion Housing Association, the E.ON Sustainable Energy project expects to save local residents almost £4,000 per year in total. The initiative should also result in annual carbon savings of more than 67 tonnes, which is more or less the same as removing 35 cars from the roads.

Instead of installing traditional gas central heating boilers, engineers working on the project will fit models that integrate with ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) in each of the 41 domestic properties. The first installations are expected to be finished before the end of this month.

To further improve carbon savings, E.ON Sustainable Energy will install solar photovoltaic panels on the properties, which are designed to produce electricity for the homes. Whilst beneficial to the environment, GSHPs and solar panels offer substantial financial savings for residents. Prior to the Tai Ceredigion project, E.ON Sustainable Energy installed solar hot water systems in 15 homes in Pntrhydygroes.

Head of microgeneration at E.ON’s Sustainable Energy business, Thomas Buss, said: “As these properties are off mains gas, the majority are inefficient to heat and residents are currently relying on either coal fires or old storage heaters to stay warm. This new system will bring them more affordable and sustainable energy, bringing carbon emissions down by over half and, importantly for residents, saving around a third on annual energy bills.”

Director of property services at Tai Ceredigion, Llyr Edwards, added: “Our objective as the local not-for-profit housing association is to bring all of the 2,229 properties in Ceredigion up to the Welsh Quality Housing Standard. This low carbon heating project is a key part of a £40m investment programme in the region and will bring much needed improvement to tenants’ homes, as well as giving a boost to the economic future of communities within Ceredigion.”

Households in various parts of the UK can avail of GSHPs, which extract heat from the ground to provide central heating and hot water throughout the home. Coupled with solar electricity, GSHPs offer significant financial and environmental savings.

With stories of carbon monoxide poisoning hitting the media hard in recent weeks British Gas has stepped up its work to raise awareness about the dangers of the ‘silent killer’.

Energy UK’s carbon monoxide awareness campaign Be Alarmed! is being backed by the energy supplier British Gas to make more people aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels containing carbon (like gas, oil, coal and wood) burn without enough air. And as it’s odourless, tasteless and invisible, it’s difficult to detect.

In order to keep safe, homeowners, businesses etc are being reminded of how important it is to keep heating appliances regularly maintained by a professional. It is also advised to have an audible CO alarm in properties as this can detect even the smallest amount of carbon monoxide before the levels become dangerous.

In fact, it was just such an alarm that saved singer Charlotte Church and her young family from a carbon monoxide danger earlier this month. The singer had an alarm installed in her home on her grandfather’s advice after suffering headaches and almost as soon as the work was done, the reason for her headaches became clear – a faulty boiler.

Steve Giblin, director of health, safety and environment for British Gas, said: “Raising awareness of carbon monoxide and highlighting the importance of ensuring appliances are regularly maintained is one of the ways we look after our customers’ worlds.

“That’s why it’s important to remember that when it comes to maintenance, it’s better to be safe than sorry and install an audible carbon monoxide alarm.”

Research by Be Alarmed! shows almost two thirds (65 per cent) of people in the UK could be at risk from carbon monoxide because they do not have an audible carbon monoxide alarm.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.co-bealarmed.co.uk

A partnership has been struck between British Gas and Sainsbury’s to help promote electricity and gas packages.

The full details of the deal are not yet known, but Sainsbury’s will be working with British Gas to offer its customers an array of products and services, including insulation, solar panels, boiler repairs and home energy assessments.

British Gas already provides a number of maintenance and repairs services for its customers as part of the British Gas HomeCare product. Something which may have attracted Sainsbury’s to work with them.

The retail giant will be ending its current deal with EDF Energy in February in exchange for the new agreement with British Gas, which will commence next month.

A statement published on the Sainsbury’s Energy website reads: “With effect from February 8, 2011 the partnership between Sainsbury’s Energy and EDF Energy will come to an end, after which all existing Sainsbury’s Energy customers will continue to be customers of EDF Energy.”

Specific details will be made public on February 9, as part of an official announcement by Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King.

In the UK, condensing gas central heating boilers are considered both reliable and energy efficient. Whilst modern condensing boilers can be described accurately in such terms, customers ought to be aware that the latest generations of condensing boiler are not infallible – a point made painfully aware to thousands of householders over Britain’s most recent cold snap.

As temperatures plunged to around -20C in some parts of the UK over the Christmas period, British Gas engineers were called out to fix ailing boilers on an unprecedented scale. British Gas has claimed that its engineers fixed around 100,000 boilers in the six-day period leading to Christmas Eve, by which time the so-called ‘Big Freeze’ had abated.

According to Charlie Mullins, of Pimlico Plumbers, modern condensing boilers are generally efficient and reliable but a plastic pipe used to expel waste water is prone to freezing. Usually situated on an external wall, the pipe carries water produced by the condensation process into drains. Owing to its physical properties and external location, the pipe can freeze in extreme weather conditions, causing the condensing boiler to stall.

Mr Mullins said: “We’ve seen a hell of a lot of this sort of thing this winter and lots of people don’t seem to know much about it. With older boilers you might expect a problem in the cold weather, but when people have spent a lot of money on a new boiler it’s a nasty surprise.”

Mr Mullins added: “There has been more of this, though of course there are more condensing boilers around now. I’m not sure anyone expected to see temperatures like this two years in a row.”

The founder of Pimlico Plumbers stressed that milder winters were probably responsible for fitters paying little attention to how and where such pipes were installed.

Mr Mullins concluded: “Frozen pipes are something you used to see a lot when I was still out and about in the 1970s. But in recent years, particularly in London, it wasn’t so much of a problem. For a modern plumber fitting a boiler it might not be something they think about – whether the pipe is in an exposed spot and likely to freeze.”

British Gas has wheeled out its latest offer today – the Next Day Emergency Boiler Installation commitment.

British Gas, which already offers packages on new boilers and central heating installations, boiler services and repairs and a HomeCare service for the maintenance of your boiler, has now thrown in this new service to its raft of existing offers and incentives.

Through the service, if an existing British Gas customer is without heat or hot water and calls British Gas before 1pm, a Heating Sales Advisor will visit the home that day and could install a new boiler the following day.

And the best news is, the service will be free of charge.

The move by British Gas comes at an appropriate time with winter set to kick in and boiler-related issues set to kick off, as per tradition at this time of year.

The service will ensure any British Gas customer won’t be without heating or hot water for any prolonged period of time, and offers a fast turnaround service during a period when households are heavily reliant on their boilers.

Anyone looking to scoop up discounted deals on British Gas’ HomeCare service will have to move swiftly with the summer sale due to end on October 4.

The UK’s leading gas and electricity supplier has been offering up to 15 per cent off HomeCare packages before the start of the winter months.

The four different grades of package – from HomeCare 100 to HomeCare 400 – are all being offered at reduced rates with varying levels of cover for each.

HomeCare 100, which offers cover for your boiler and controls, is currently available at a reduced month price of £11.65 instead of £13, and HomeCare 200 – covering the cost of the full central heating system – has been discounted to £14.37 from £17. And the two packages inclusive of wider cover including plumbing and drains and home electrics, have both been cut.

However, all these deals will terminate on October 4 before the arrival of the big freeze and a larger volume of boiler issues making central heating cover a

Even the most basic of the four packages includes an annual service, unlimited call-outs per contract year, covers the cost of parts and labour and allows you access to the 24/7 customer breakdown line.

British Gas has over 7,000 highly qualified Gas Safe Registered engineers in its HomeCare workforce and invests £30m a year to train engineers at various academies throughout their career.

You don’t have to hold any current contract with British Gas or have a British Gas boiler to be entitled to join HomeCare scheme, meaning it’s available to everyone.

Click here to find out more.

With Christmas just around the corner it’s a good time to start thinking about boiler breakdown cover, with engineers becoming busier in the colder months it’s all the more important to have a boiler service contract on hand to ensure you and your family are covered in the event of an emergency boiler or central heating breakdown.

Boiler service contracts range in cover from just your boiler up to and including drains, plumbing, central heating pipes & radiators and also electrical care. British Gas HomeCare offer all of these via their boiler insurance product right up to British Gas HomeCare 400 which covers every aspect of  your homes utilities, what’s more until the 31st December they’re giving away 1 month free – it’s very rare for British Gas to provide discounts or vouchers on the HomeCare product so make sure you sign-up before the offer expires.