Research by Fair Fix, the boiler engineer experts, has revealed that boiler repairs cost homeowners across England an eye-watering £154m each year, with those in London most likely to be hit by a boiler breakdown.
Fair Fix analysed dwellings stock across each region of the nation, looking at what proportion of homes have a boiler, the estimated number of boiler breakdowns seen in a year and what this equates to in terms of the total cost to homeowners. The research shows that of the 25.2m estimated homes across England, 90% are thought to have a boiler – that’s 22.6m properties reliant on their boiler working to heat their home and water. It’s estimated that of these 22.6m boilers, 2.3% will breakdown over the course of the year. This might not sound like many, but it equates to 512,629 homes left high and dry on an annual basis. With the average boiler repair costing £300, that’s an eye-watering £154m spent on boiler maintenance each and every year. Homeowners in London are most likely to be hit by a boiler breakdown. 2.9% of the 3.4m homes with a boiler across the capital are estimated to require a fix over the course of the year, totalling almost 100,000 homes and costing homeowners just shy of £29.4m. 77,000 homes in the South East will find themselves in urgent need of a boiler engineer throughout the year, costing homeowners in the region £23m in the process. In the West Midlands, total annual boiler repair costs sit at £19m due to over 63,000 boilers giving up the ghost, with the North West (£17.5m) and East of England (£16.3m) also sitting within the top five. While it’s estimated that the North East sees the lowest level of boiler breakdowns in a year, some 27,282 homes will still require the help of an engineer, costing almost £8.2m in the process. Founder of Fair Fix, Tyrone Ekrem, commented: “Boiler maintenance may be the last thing on your mind at the moment given the hot weather, but the summer months are actually the best time to check everything is in working order. Demand for engineers is lower which means fewer delays for appointments and it also means you can identify any potential issues before the winter months roll in and you’re left without hot water and heating. In doing so, your boiler will be far better prepared to make the jump between the reduced usage of the summer months and the heightened strain it comes under when the cold weather arrives. Not only will this save you money in the long run, but it will also prevent a considerable amount of inconvenience.”| Table shows the estimated number of homes in each region with a boiler, the estimated number to breakdown on an annual basis and the total cost to homeowners to repair | ||||||||||
| Region | Number of dwellings | Est number of dwellings with a boilers | Est % boiler breakdowns | Est n boiler breakdowns by region | Est total value of boiler repairs* | |||||
| London | 3,752,936 | 3,366,384 | 2.9% | 97,962 | £29,388,529 | |||||
| South East | 4,067,349 | 3,648,412 | 2.1% | 76,981 | £23,094,448 | |||||
| West Midlands region | 2,575,688 | 2,310,392 | 2.8% | 63,536 | £19,060,735 | |||||
| North West | 3,387,264 | 3,038,376 | 1.9% | 58,337 | £17,501,045 | |||||
| East of England | 2,789,745 | 2,502,401 | 2.2% | 54,302 | £16,290,632 | |||||
| South West | 2,655,113 | 2,381,636 | 2.0% | 46,918 | £14,075,471 | |||||
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 2,496,747 | 2,239,582 | 2.0% | 44,120 | £13,235,930 | |||||
| East Midlands | 2,178,742 | 1,954,332 | 2.2% | 43,191 | £12,957,218 | |||||
| North East | 1,256,820 | 1,127,368 | 2.4% | 27,282 | £8,184,688 | |||||
| England | 25,160,404 | 22,568,882 | 2.3% | 512,629 | £153,788,697 | |||||
| Sources | Gov – Live tables on dwelling stock | Gov – English Housing Survey 2020 to 2021: headline report | Boiler Guide | Percentage of boiler breakdowns applied to dwellings stock with a boiler | *Based on the average cost of repairing a boiler of £300 (Checkatrade) x by the number of boilerbreakdowns | |||||
