Boiler insurance can be a tricky subject. First, you need to find out if you even need to be covered in the first place, then you need to find out if another policy might already be covering you. Even if you do discover you need a policy, you still need to check to make sure your boiler can even be covered at all, and figure out exactly what package and insurer to sign up for. This quick guide so help solve some of those basic problems in finding good boiler insurance.

Boiler insurance isn’t really something many of us think about that often. Firstly because a lot of people make the assumption that it’s covered in their home insurance – which isn’t always the case - and secondly because many people live in rented accommodation and therefore don’t need to worry themselves about the state of that properties boiler or heating system. For those that aren’t covered through other insurance or through not owning a house though, boiler insurance is a very real thing that needs to be considered, especially as prices to fix a broken boiler have skyrocketed in the last five years, especially in London.

There are many different places where you can look for boiler insurance, and the best deals are found by shopping around and finding the ideal package for your system and needs. While this could very well be your own energy supplier, there’s plenty of independent boiler insurance companies out there as well, and their specialization can sometimes help them give you a cheaper offer. The best place to start looking is online, where you can find quotes and information within minutes rather than having to wait around on the phone for hours trying to compare packages that might not even have the same features.

Boiler insurance isn’t always about what company to go for, but about what it is you need. There are plenty of different decisions to make. The most crucial is setting out exactly what you want to insure. Boiler insurance ranges from simple ‘boiler only’ care packages to full insurance cover that even protects against home wiring faults and more. How much you actually want to protect is up to you, and the more comprehensive deals can be pretty expensive and are generally only worth it for people with older systems who prefer to have a greater piece of mind that they won’t be paying out a huge sum of money at once if an emergency occurs.

Other things to consider include exactly what a boiler company considers an emergency. Hot water access isn’t always considered an emergency at any time of the year, while a few companies will consider it an emergency during the colder months but not during the summer. Along similar lines, it’s worth checking to see if there’s 24/7 access to an emergency callout service every day of the year and finding out exactly how long before an emergency call will be answered. After all, if you’re trying to get cover for an emergency situation, you’re going to want to make sure you’re on the same page as your insurance provider about what the definition of an emergency might be!

You also need to make sure that your boiler itself can be insured at all. Boilers over a decade old are difficult to ensure due to the likelihood of them breaking down, and even boilers half that age may still need a full inspection before you’ll get cover for them. If your boiler is still going after 15 years, cover will be almost impossible to find, and you should seriously consider replacing your boiler at this point anyway, considering the amount of money you would save overall with a more energy efficient and modern heating system in the long term.