Listen: don’t be left in the cold

With energy prices set to soar from this Friday 1^st April, more than a third of homeowners will – or already have – switched off their heating earlier than usual this year to save on bills, according to new research published today¹. And, after the cold snap earlier this month, this may have left nearly 8 million households¹ braving the cold at home due to increased money worries.

The new research from Gas Safe Register – the UK’s official registration body for gas engineers and gas businesses – suggests that, as well as switching off earlier than usual, nearly a third (31%) will skip booking their annual gas safety check this year, due to the cost-of-living crisis. This is despite a majority (77%) being aware that regular servicing can help gas appliances run more efficiently, and in turn save money on household bills.

The Gas Safe Register is launching a new national campaign – Switch Off & Check On – to warn homeowners of the false economy and safety implications of not servicing and safety checking their gas boilers, and the benefits of doing so at this time of year before retiring them for the Spring and Summer months.

Ros spoke to Bob Kerr from Gas Safe Register and Will Lang from The Met Office.

Photo by Sies Kranen on Unsplash