Central Heating
Central heating is a necessary part of daily life on this cold island. We depend on our boilers to keep the radiators warm, and the hot water steaming from the taps. 50plus offers customers peace-of-mind insurance for their boilers and their heating systems.
Remember: home insurance doesn't cover boilers
Your central heating boiler is an appliance - just like your washing machine or dishwasher. It is covered on your home insurance against a fire or any external damage to it, but its workings and parts are not. If it breaks down, you have to pay to fix it.
Boilers need replacing more often than they used to
Traditional old-fashioned boilers with simple components have been replaced by modern high-efficiency boilers with lots of parts. You save money on fuel because modern boilers are more economical, but there are more parts to go wrong. You need a qualified boiler engineer to locate and repair the fault – his time costs money and the part he replaces will cost you money.
How your heating system works
conventional system: the boiler heats the water which is pumped around your radiators and also piped through your hot water cylinder – but not into it, as the heating system water contains chemicals that are kept separate from your bath water. The heat transfers from the hot water in the pipe running through the cylinder to the water in the cylinder.
combination system: your bath water is heated in the boiler when you turn on the bath tap (or other hot water taps).
heating components:
- the boiler - everything in the casing
- the water circulating pump – sends water round the radiators after heating
- the motorised valve - directs hot water to your radiators if you want heat or just to your hot water cylinder
- the time clock/programmer - used to set the times when you want the heating and/or water to warm up
- the fire safety valve - shuts off the gas or oil your boiler burns if your house catches fire
Heating insurance
We insure the heating components against failure
| boiler type |
premium | with system cover |
| conventional gas boiler |
£81 | £103 |
| combination gas boiler |
£123 | £145 |
| conventional oil boiler |
£91 | £127 |
| combination oil boiler |
£113 |
£149 |
Each claim can be for up to £2,000 and we don't limit the number of claims per year. You remain covered even if your boiler breaks down more than once.
What is not covered:
The parts that are not covered are:
- the hot water cylinder - the tank in your airing cupboard
- the cold water storage tank - usually the big tank in the loft
- the boiler casing - we don't pay for bumps and scratches
This insurance is a parts breakdown insurance which pays for the repair or replacement of parts that have broken down. The parts we don't cover are not part of your heating system – they are part of the hot water supply to your house
For more information about heating insurance call us on our UK lo-call number – 08458 737375 – during normal office hours 9 to 5 and we will be pleased to talk to you and send you our product leaflet.
