Over the last year, we’ve been at home more and so our energy use has been on the rise. It’s important, therefore, to try and save energy – and money – where we can.

According to a recent study, the average household in the UK does around 270 wash loads a year and 95% of the energy used by your washing machine is used purely to heat up the water!

We’ve put together some simple tips for you to save money (and the environment) below.

Wash your clothes at 30°

Just by washing your clothes at 30° instead of 40°, you’ll use up to 38% less energy. Not only will you save money on your utility costs but you’ll save energy and therefore help the environment.

Although some materials may need a higher temperature, 30° is the recommended setting for most clothing types (including wool) and if you use the right detergent, can work just as well for other fabrics too.

Fill your washing machine up

Filling up your washing machine helps conserve energy, by limiting your need to do two or three washes instead.

However, it’s important you don’t overload your machine as this will impact the efficiency of the wash and potentially damage your washing machine’s drum. If you can’t place your hand into the top of the machine’s drum, you’ll need to remove some clothing.

Avoid pre-washing where possible

Typically, you’ll use this to tackle stubborn stains, but it can waste litres of hot water each year.

Nowadays however, washing machines and detergents have become advanced enough that pre-wash settings are generally not needed.

Quick wins

• Washing your clothes at a higher speed spin will allow your clothes to be as dry as possible if you’re planning to use your tumble dryer
• If you’re planning to buy a new appliance, you can check the product’s energy rating. Anything above a C is considered to be energy-efficient.

General Maintenance

Keeping your washing machine well maintained will help you save money and energy, as well as prolonging the lifespan of your appliance. It will also help to keep your clothes clean and fresh after every wash, as you’ll prevent the build-up of limescale, mould and detergent.

Find out more about keeping your washing machine clean.

To find out more about our home appliances cover or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and heating insurance, plumbing and drainage insurance and Complete Home Emergency plan contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can also request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a free quote online in minutes.

Having your vital kitchen appliances break down isn’t only inconvenient. Not only do you have to survive without your washing machine, oven or fridge-freezer, but you have to worry about sourcing a repairman or buying a replacement, so it can be costly too!

Having Appliance Cover in place before a fault develops is important so you know you’ll be covered in the event that your kitchen appliance breaks down.

Appliances you can cover

We can cover a wide range of kitchen appliances all on one plan, and if you insure more than one, you’ll get a multi-product discount too:

• Freestanding cooker (we can’t cover Aga/Rayburn or other cast-iron range cookers)
• Cooker, hob or oven
• Hood/Extractor
• Microwave oven
• Dishwasher
• Fridge/Freezer
• Refrigerator
• Freezer
• Washing machine
• Tumble dryer
• Washer/Dryer
• Wine cooler

What cover you get

We can cover your white goods as long as your appliance is under 10 years old. You’ll get cover against mechanical or electrical breakdown along with accidental damage.

If your appliance were to break down, we’ll typically send a trained engineer as quickly as possible at a mutually convenient time to repair your appliance and, if they’re not able to fix it, replace it.

If your appliance is over 5 years old, but under 10 and is unable to be fixed, we’ll make a contribution towards the cost of replacement. This depends on the specific age of your appliance and will be made with vouchers from a retailer chosen by us.

To find out more about our home appliances cover or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and heating insurance, plumbing and drainage insurance and Complete Home Emergency plan contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can also request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a free quote online in minutes.

How this differs from a warranty or home insurance

You’ll find that your home insurance will typically cover your appliances in the event of theft or damage but are unlikely to cover them if they were to break down.

Most new appliances will come with a manufacturer’s warranty and guarantee you repairs and servicing for the first year. However most mechanical, or electrical problems occur outside of the warranty period.

In this instance, if your appliance breaks down, you’ll need to replace it yourself or pay the manufacturer to repair the item. Both can be expensive and leave you out of pocket.

This is where Appliance Cover comes in by covering you for any mechanical or electrical break downs (along with accidental damage) that occur outside of the warranty period.

To find out more about our home appliances cover or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and heating insurance, plumbing and drainage insurance and Complete Home Emergency plan contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can also request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a free quote online in minutes.

No matter the age of your boiler, it’s important to arrange an annual boiler service to make sure it continues to run as expected.

You may also find that an annual boiler service is needed in order to meet the condition of your boiler’s manufacturer’s warranty. At Home Emergency Assist, you can add a boiler service from just £6 a month* to any of our Home Emergency products.

What is a boiler service?

A boiler service helps to ensure your boiler and central heating system stay running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Most boiler services take less than an hour, though this does depend on your specific appliance.

The gas boiler service must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Including a boiler service with your Home Emergency Cover can provide peace of mind that your boiler is working as efficiently and safely as possible.

What happens during a boiler service?

We service all boilers in accordance with Gas Safe regulations and service procedures may vary depending on the particular appliance. A typical service will include:

1. Visual assessment
   The engineer will inspect the boiler, clean and adjust components as needed, looking for signs of damage and identifying any signs of problems that are immediately visible.
2. Controls check
   Your boiler has a number of safety devices and controls which the engineer will test to ensure they’re operating correctly and make sure that the boiler functions are working as expected.
3. Flue and combustion fan check
   The engineer will check the flue (pipe from your boiler to the outside of your house), making sure that there are no obstructions in the flue terminals and that it’s safely fitted.
4. Cleaning
   The engineer will remove, inspect and clean the main burner to make sure it’s fit for purpose and has no noticeable damage.
5. Other checks
   There are lots of things to tick off during a boiler service. These include:
   – Safety device check
   – Gas pressure and heat input verification
   – Operating pressure reset
   – Gas and water seals check
   – Combustion performance test (where possible)
   – Ventilation check
   – Heating controls and energy efficiency
6. Keep a record
   The engineer will make a record of each test and check they carry out, including a record of the boiler pressure. You’ll then be able to keep this information for future inspections or when a problem occurs.
7. Ready the boiler for use
   At the end of your boiler service, the engineer will make sure your boiler is working as expected. Any controls or settings that were changed during the service will be changed back or left so that you can easily adjust the settings yourself.

What happens if a fault is identified?

If any maintenance work or faults are identified, we’ll let you know about any remedial work required. It’s your responsibility to make sure any required fixes are completed and to provide evidence of this, if needed.

Our engineer will follow Gas Industry Safe Situation Procedures where safety issues are identified.

Boiler services are usually carried out between April and September but you can read our blog post on when you should get your boiler serviced and our boiler service terms and conditions for more information.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

Your fridge and freezer are important kitchen appliances and when it breaks down, it can be costly to repair or replace the unit itself along with the food inside.

Making sure you have cover in place before a problem develops is important, so you know you’re covered in the event of a mechanical or electrical breakdown or against accidental damage.

If you have Appliance Cover with Home Emergency Assist, we can help if one of your registered appliances breaks down, however there are some simple fixes you can do yourself before you call an expert.

Fridge not cold enough

There are a couple of things you can do in the event your fridge isn’t as cold as it should be:

• Check the doors are closed properly
• Make sure the door seals are clean and not damaged
• Check that your thermostat hasn’t been knocked and is still at the right temperature
• Ensure you haven’t overfilled your fridge

Food has defrosted

As well as making sure you don’t keep the door for any longer than it needs to be, there are some other checks you can do:

• If the temperature of the room you keep your fridge freezer in is below 10°C, the fridge may not operate and the freezer will defrost
• It sounds obvious, but make sure the power is still on – if it’s been accidentally disconnected, then your food will start to defrost
• Make sure the door seals are clean and not damaged and there’s no debris stopping the door from shutting properly

Fridge Freezer is too cold

We know this sounds like a strange problem to have, but while a little bit of water/ice in your fridge is normal, too much is an indication that there’s a problem. This is often down to the door seal needing to be replaced but if that doesn’t solve the issue, it’s a sign there’s something wrong.

There’s a bad smell

Cleaning your fridge regularly will stop bad smells from happening but putting a small dish of bicarbonate of soda will help to absorb any strong smells.

Keeping the door seals clean will also help. You can wipe down the seals on the fridge using kitchen cleaner or soapy water and use an old toothbrush to get into the hard-to-reach areas.

Unusual noises

You may be used to your fridge freezer humming, but if this suddenly stops, along with a loss of the internal light, you may have lost power. Locating the blown fuse and flicking it back on will usually solve the problem, but you’ll need to call your electricity provider if not.

If there’s no hum, but your light’s still on, it may be the sign of a bigger problem. You can try fixing this by turning the thermostat to its coldest setting, defrosting the fridge or turning it off and on again.

When your fridge makes any noises other than humming, it’s a sign that a part may be on its way out.

To find out more about our home appliances cover or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and heating insurance, plumbing and drainage insurance and Complete Home Emergency plan contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can also request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a free quote online in minutes.

When you take out Home Emergency Insurance or Appliance Cover with Home Emergency Assist, it’s important to ensure you’ve registered your boiler and/or kitchen appliances.

You won’t be able to make a claim until they’re registered, so make sure you do this as soon as possible once you’ve taken out a plan.

• Appliance cover doesn’t start until 28 days after registration
• Boiler cover doesn’t start until 14 days after registration

It’ll only take a few minutes and ensures that your records are up to date in the event of a home emergency or appliance breakdown.

Information we need for registering your boiler

To register your boiler, all we need is your:

• Full name
• Policy reference
• Age of your boiler
• Boiler make
• Boiler model
• Date it was last serviced
• Fuel type (gas, oil or LPG)
• Whether it currently has any faults

Information we need for registering your appliance(s)

To register your appliance(s), we’ll need:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Email address
• Postcode
• How many appliances you’ve chosen to insure
• Appliance type, make and model
• Month/year of purchase (if you don’t remember the exact month, please put January)

If you have the manufacturer’s instruction booklet, you should find the make and model of your appliance. However, if you’ve misplaced it or no longer have it available, you should still be able to find the information you need to register your appliance. Read our guides below:

How to find out your boiler’s age

You can find out how old your boiler is by visiting the boiler database and filling in the make and model of your boiler. You’ll then see the dates that the manufacture of your model started and finished.

If you’re not sure about the make and model of your boiler, you should be able to find the serial number on a visible sticker and if you pull down the front panel at the bottom of the boiler, there’ll usually be a bar code underneath.

On some older models of boiler, the serial number will usually be either on the inside front panel or on top of the boiler itself. You can then type the serial number into Google to find the make and model of your boiler.

To find out more about our home appliances cover or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and heating insurance, plumbing and drainage insurance and Complete Home Emergency plan contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can also request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a free quote online in minutes.

As with all your kitchen appliances, keeping them well-maintained and clean is the best way to ensure they last as long as possible, whilst working at their best.

Getting cover in place before your appliance develops a mechanical or electrical fault ensures that you’re covered should the worst happen. Home Appliance Cover with Home Emergency Assist covers up to 10 of your most important appliances all on one plan.

We’ve put together a handy guide for keeping your oven running as efficiently as possible.

The best way to clean your oven

• Organic oven cleaner: you can use a mixture of water, baking soda and white vinegar to clean the dirt from inside your oven, however, you may need to work a lot harder at scrubbing than with a chemical cleaner. The benefit is that there are no harmful fumes or residue
• Chemical oven cleaner: these are designed to attack dirt which is hard to shift so you’ll need to follow safety guidelines while using these, such as using gloves and eye protection. Once used, it’s best to leave the oven at a high heat for around 20 minutes before use, but follow manufacturer’s instructions

If you have a self-cleaning oven, the internal temperature will be set extremely high to burn any dirt away, reducing it to ash and making it easy for you to clean out with a cloth. A self-cleaning cycle will take a few hours; longer than manual cleaning.

Cleaning oven glass

As above, you can use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to clean your oven door glass.

Alternatively, if you’d rather use a chemical oven cleaner, check the bottle to make sure it’s suitable for use on glass. Some cleaners are too strong and may lead to cracks.

Everyday maintenance

• Clean up after every use, whether it’s the hob or main oven. Removing grease before it becomes embedded will save you time later on
• If possible, bulk cook. Using the oven once to cook multiple meals and freezing them will save on the wear and tear of your appliance as well as money on energy bills
• Open and close the oven door gently and don’t hang anything heavy on the door
• Replace any filters in the cooker hood regularly

Getting cover in place for any of your vital kitchen appliances before a problem occurs is vital. You can cover up to 10 appliances on one plan with our Appliance Cover, now with 25% off until 31 May 2021. Appliance Insurance with Home Emergency Assist covers you against mechanical and electrical breakdown, as well as providing you with accidental damage cover.

To find out more about our home appliances cover or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and heating insurance, plumbing and drainage insurance and Complete Home Emergency plan contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can also request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a free quote online in minutes.

Being able to do basic home maintenance yourself is an important life skill which can save you money in the long term. Outsourcing jobs that you can do yourself can be a big expense.

We’ve put together a list of basic DIY skills you can learn to save yourself time and the inconvenience of having to find a tradesperson.

Basic Plumbing

We’ll all have to deal with plumbing problems at some point. Whether it’s a blocked drain, a leaking tap or a toilet with a faulty flush, these are all common problems and usually easy to fix.

• If your plumbing freezes or springs a leak, you’ll need to be able to shut your water supply off in order to make repairs. Make sure you know how to locate your stopcock in the event of an emergency.
• If your sink has stopped draining (or has become slow to drain), you’re likely to have a blockage somewhere in your waste pipe. Read our step-by-step guide to unblocking your sink.
• Dripping taps aren’t just annoying – they’re bad for the environment (and your wallet) too. It can waste as much as 5,300 litres of water a year. Luckily, we’ve got a handy guide to fixing a leaking tap.
• If your toilet won’t flush, there are things you can try before having to resort to a plumber. Find out more about fixing a faulty flush.

If you don’t have the right tools, you don’t feel confident attempting repairs yourself or the problem hasn’t resolved with a simple fix, you’ll need to call in a plumber. Having Plumbing & Drainage Cover in place before problems develop is important in the event of an emergency and with our Premium Plumbing & Drainage Cover, we’ll also fix non-emergency problems such as dripping taps.

Boiler and Central Heating

It’s important that you don’t attempt to fix your boiler yourself, as this will need to be done by a fully qualified Gas Safety registered engineer, however there are steps you can take yourself to resolve common problems:

• If you find yourself without heating or hot water, there may be a problem with your boiler’s pressure. Follow our step-by-step guide to top up your boiler pressure.
• If boiler pressure isn’t the problem, your boiler’s pilot light may be out. Read our handy guide to reigniting the pilot light. (You may need to get a Gas Safe registered engineer to look at your oiler depending on the issue)
• If your radiators are cold at the top but the bottom is warm, you may have trapped air that needs releasing. In this case, you’ll need to bleed your radiators to improve flow.

If none of the simple fixes above help and you’re without heating and/or hot water, you’ll need to call an engineer. Making sure you have Boiler & Central Heating Cover in place before an emergency occurs is important and with Premium Boiler & Central Heating Cover from Home Emergency Assist, we’ll take care of non-emergency problems too.

Simple DIY

If you’ve just moved into your first home, there are some other basic maintenance tasks you can do yourself. Find out more with our easy-to-follow step-by-step guides below:

• Fit or change a lightbulb
• Install and test your smoke detectors
• Protect your home against pests

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

You never know when a home emergency such as a broken-down boiler or burst pipes might happen, leaving you with the stress of sourcing engineer and with potentially costly repair leaving you out of pocket.

Even if you have Home Emergency Cover in place, there are still steps you can take yourself to prevent a home emergency striking in the first place. We’ve put together a list of things you can do to avoid this happening and to keep your property safe.

Service your boiler

If you’ve ever had a broken boiler, especially during the colder months, you’ll know just how stressful and potentially costly it can be. Having your boiler serviced annually can help spot small issues before they become bigger – and more expensive – problems.

You can add a boiler service to any of our Home Emergency insurance plans from just £6 a month. Find out what a boiler service involves.

Protect your pipes

Burst water pipes are especially common in cold weather due to water freezing and expanding inside your pipes. As the water expands, it can substantial pressure on the pipe, meaning weaker pipes may burst.

If you can, check that none of your pipes are missing insulation before the weather gets colder. Condensate pipes are especially prone to freezing as they often run outside your property. Find out how to thaw a frozen condensate pipe with our handy guide and make sure you know where your stopcock is in the event of a bust pipe, so you can stop the flow of water quickly.

Complete Home Emergency Cover can help protect your plumbing and, if you upgrade to our Premium package, also take care of non-emergency problems like dripping taps too.

Maintain your drains

The best way to look after your drains is to be conscious about the things you’re putting down your bath, shower and sink plug holes or flushing down the toilet. Even things like food down your kitchen sink or hair down your bath/shower plug hole can build up over time and cause blockages. You can read our blog post ‘Top Tips For Looking After Your Drains and Pipes‘ for information on looking after your plumbing system.

Blocked drains are inconvenient and unpleasant to deal with and could result in you having to call out a plumber to deal with the problem.

Our Complete Home Emergency package ensures that in the event of the failure of your plumbing system, that you have help to cover the cost of repairs.

Check outside

You may forget to check the outside of your property, but this is especially important to check before the cold weather sets in.

Make sure you don’t have any missing, broken, or loose roof tiles that could cause internal water damage when the weather turns bad.

It’s also important to check that you don’t have any holes or cracks that could let in water or even pests in search of a warm place to shelter.

Check too that your external locks, doors and windows remain secure and inaccessible to intruders.

By purchasing Complete Home Emergency Insurance, you’ll be covered in the event of any of the above home emergencies (from a list of specified pests if you discover an infestation in your home/building attached to your home).

Take care of your electrics

Overloading your electrical circuits or using faulty electrical devices can be very dangerous and result in a power cut, or in the worst-case scenario, an electrical fire. You should never attempt repairs on faulty electrics yourself, meaning you’ll need to get them checked out by a qualified electrician as soon as possible.

A Complete Home Emergency Cover package can protect you against the failure of at least one complete circuit (that can’t be resolved by resetting your fuse box), meaning you’re not left having to source your own electrician in the event of an emergency/

Home Emergency Assist is an appointed representative of Insure Group Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) giving you additional peace of mind.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

The weather’s warming up, it’s getting lighter and you’re not using your boiler and central heating so often. It’s the perfect time to do some home maintenance to stop problems before they develop.

We’ve put together a handy guide with 5 tips for maintaining some essential parts of your home.

1. Check your boiler

Your boiler has been working hard over winter keeping you and your home warm and even if it seems to have been running smoothly, it’s a good time to make sure there aren’t any problems developing to help avoid potentially costly repair bills later in the year.

• Look for leaks: over the winter months, the cold weather can cause pipes to freeze and expand which can cause them to split over time. Check the seals around the boiler are still in place and that the fittings are still tightly connected.
• Listen for hissing: if your system is making strange noises, it may be caused by boiler kettling. This happens as a result of the build-up of limescale and hard water inside your boiler’s heat exchange.
• Low boiler pressure: always keep an eye on your boiler’s water pressure to ensure everything’s operating smoothly. When the pressure is below 1, your central heating system won’t operate as it should.

Making sure you have Boiler & Central Heating Cover in place before your system develops these problems is crucial, so you know you’ll be covered in the event of an emergency.

2. Bleed your radiators

If the top of your radiator is cold but the bottom is warm, this indicates that trapped air needs releasing to improve flow. Bleeding your radiators ensures that they can reach maximum heat when you next need them.

Follow our handy step-by-step ‘How Do I Bleed My Radiators‘ guide.

3. Test your alarms

The change of season is the ideal time to test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s really important to make sure they’re regularly maintained to ensure they work as effectively as possible. You should test your smoke detector at least once a month, making sure that the batteries are still working.

4. Protect your plumbing

Look after your plumbing and drainage system by ensuring you’re not pouring oil and fats from cooking down your kitchen sink or flushing items that shouldn’t be.

If you suspect a blockage, clean your drains and pipes regularly. You can do this with half a cup of baking soda, followed by a cup of white vinegar and very hot (but not boiling) water; this will help remove blockages quickly without corroding your pipes like some drain chemicals can.

You can also take out Plumbing & Drainage Cover before any problems develop to ensure you’re covered in the event of an emergency.

5. Clean your kitchen appliances

Cleaning your appliances is important to prolonging their lifespan and keeping them working at their best.

For added peace of mind, you can cover up to 10 of your most important kitchen appliances, including your oven, fridge and freezer, washing machine and dishwasher, on one plan to ensure you’re fully protected if your appliance breaks down.

You can read our handy guides for cleaning your dishwasher and cleaning your washing machine for more tips.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

If you’ve ever had your external locks, doors or windows fail or lost your only available key, you know how stressful it can be knowing your home is insecure. You’ll also have to spend time and money finding a locksmith to change your locks and replace your keys.

A recent survey by Moneysupermarket found that nearly 37% of UK homeowners have lost at least one set of keys within their lifetime. This can impact your home’s security and even invalidate your home insurance in some cases. Most home insurers won’t pay out unless there’s forced entry to your property.

Benefits of Home Security insurance

Making sure you have cover in place to protect you against losing your keys and securing your locks can give you the peace of mind that if the worst were to happen, you’ll be able to get back into or protect your property quickly. It also prevents expensive call-out charges, especially if you were to call for a locksmith in the middle of the night or at the weekend.

What does Home Security insurance cover you for?

When you buy Complete Home Emergency Cover with us, you’ll get the benefit of Home Security insurance. There are two parts to the cover:

• You’ll be covered in the event that you experience damage to or failure of any of your external locks, doors or windows that means your main living areas are unsafe and easily accessible to intruders
• If you lose the only available key to your home, one of our trusted, approved engineers will gain access to your property and ensure it’s left secure for you. This means you’re not left waiting for a locksmith to rescue you

Tips to keep your keys safe

On average, we spend 10 minutes a day searching for items we’ve misplaced, keys being the second most common thing we lose. We’ve put together some tips for keeping your keys safe:

• Avoid leaving spare keys in hidden places (such as under your doormat). It’s not as safe as you think
• Separate your keys out rather than having them all on one bunch
• Leave a spare with a family member or a trusted neighbour
• Keep your keys out of sight when you’re at home and don’t leave them near doors/windows

Home Emergency Assist is an appointed representative of Insure Group Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), giving you additional peace of mind.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.