Going away over Christmas? Time to get re-acquainted with the boiler controls!

Halloween and Bonfire Night are a distant memory and here at Gas Training and Assessment, we're very much in the festive spirit. And like many others, we're working out what we're doing over the Christmas period. Stay at home or visit family? Cook the turkey or go out? Battle the crowds or go online?

Christmas is a time when families and friends get together. If you live some distance away, you may be planning on staying away for a few nights. You may have even booked a holiday abroad to escape the cold.

When it comes closer to Christmas, you'll be deciding what to pack and how on earth you're going to get all the presents in the car. But what about what you're leaving behind? Will you simply turn everything off and close the door?

Are you 100% sure that you know what you'll come back to?

It's unlikely that we'll get snow over Christmas. It last snowed on Christmas Day in the UK in 2010 – apparently 83% of stations recorded snow on the ground. However, if one solitary snowflake falls in the 24 hours of Christmas Day, the Met Office will define it as a White Christmas! That Dickensian Christmas scene of widespread snow on Christmas Day has actually only happened four times in the last half century. In reality we are much more likely to see snow between January and March.

There is, however, a decent chance of very cold temperatures. So if you are planning on going away for a few days over the festive period, it is strongly advised that you get reacquainted with your boiler timer. After all, frozen water pipes are not only highly inconvenient, but also expensive to repair.

It doesn't take much to set your controls so that the heating stays on at a low level to heat your home. It won't cost you much – certainly far less than trying to repair water pipes if they have frozen whilst you've been away. In fact, did you know that many insurance policies require a minimum temperature of 13ºC to maintain cover in cold weather?

Other things to consider this Christmas

Have you had your boiler serviced? It really is important to do this every year. Elvis Presley sang about a 'Blue Christmas' but we're fairly sure he wasn't speaking literally!

By having your boiler serviced annually, you will enjoy better energy efficiency, a warmer home and lower heating bills. Secondly, you are safeguarding your family from harm. A poorly maintained boiler can lead to potentially deadly carbon monoxide leaking into your home.

A qualified and experienced Gas Safe engineer can check and service your boiler in a matter of hours and the price of the work is nothing in comparison to the price you could otherwise pay in terms of your family's safety.

Bleed those radiators! You will be putting your heating on much more now. Clunking noises, radiators that only heat up at the bottom... it's all very annoying and only needs a radiator key and bowl to set right.

And if you are going on holiday this Christmas, it would be worth taking a CO alarm with you. Sadly, despite stringent health and safety laws, there are always going to be companies and landlords who don't maintain their holiday homes' boilers and gas appliances in the way they should. A CO alarm will provide you with total peace of mind and costs only a few pounds.

So whatever you are doing this Christmas, just a few little things will help to safeguard your home while you're celebrating.