Winter does not start in December. It starts on the first cold morning when someone turns the heating on and finds out whether it works.
That first cold morning is the moment worth preparing for, and there is a reason to do it in the next few weeks rather than the next few months.
Ofgem publishes the energy price cap for 1 October to 31 December by 26 August, and the previous change was a 13 per cent rise from 1 July. Engineers get busy the week the temperature drops. Everything below is easier, and usually cheaper, in September than in November.
Here is what we think you should check before it’s too late:
1. Book the boiler service before the rush
A safety check confirms your boiler is safe. A service is what catches the fault you have not noticed yet.
Gas Safe Register recommends that any gas appliance has an annual safety check and service unless the manufacturer’s guidelines say otherwise. The difference between the two is important. A safety check confirms the appliance is burning correctly and its safety devices work. A service includes that, plus deeper tests such as analysing the combustion gases and inspecting seals and the heat exchanger. For gas heating, that is where problems get found early.
- Check your engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. Every registered engineer carries one.
- If you are on means tested benefits, ask your energy supplier whether you qualify for a free gas appliance check.
2. Turn the heating on now and walk round the radiators
Ten minutes in September tells you most of what you need to know. Put the central heating on for half an hour and check every radiator by hand. What you feel tells you what the system needs.
- Cold at the top, warm at the bottom. Trapped air. Bleeding the radiator fixes it.
- Cold at the bottom, warm at the top. Sludge sitting in the radiator. That needs a flush, not a bleed.
- Cold all over while everything else is hot. Often a stuck valve.
- Some rooms too hot, others never warm. The system needs balancing.
None of these are emergencies in September. All of them are in winter.
3. Make your central heating thermostat do the thinking
The cheapest item on this list, and the one most often skipped.
The Energy Saving Trust advises setting a room thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most people is between 18°C and 21°C. It calculates that turning a thermostat down by one degree, from 22°C to 21°C, saves around £120 a year in Great Britain, based on fuel prices as of January 2024 for a typical gas heated three bedroom semi-detached house.
4. Frost-proof the pipework before the first freeze
A frozen condensate pipe is the most common reason a working boiler stops in a cold snap.
Most modern boilers are condensing boilers, which means they produce waste water that leaves through a condensate pipe. Where that pipe runs outside, it can freeze once the temperature drops below zero, and the boiler shuts down to protect itself. On Baxi appliances that shows as fault code E133 or E28.
Insulating the condensate pipe is the single best prevention. Baxi also suggests keeping the house above 16°C, including overnight, during a cold spell. For a permanent fix, a Gas Safe registered installer can reroute the pipe indoors, fit a wider insulated pipe, or add trace heating that switches on when the temperature falls.
5. Decide on cover before you need it
The straight version. Boiler and central heating cover earns its place if a surprise repair bill would hurt, if the boiler has some years on it, or if you want one number to ring at 11pm on a Sunday. Less so if it is new, under guarantee, and you have money set aside.
Our HeatCare plans run £12 to £32 a month, from an annual service up to breakdown cover, radiators and controls, then internal plumbing. More than 3,000 homes are on one.
