Britain's Biggest Winter Worries

The UK is most stressed during the winter, and issues related to heating are some of the most common worries.

A study conducted by Firstbeat revealed that Brits are most stressed during November and December and least stressed during August. No surprise with the weather in this country!

Whilst much of this stress comes from meeting and chasing end of year deadlines, the cold, the dark and spending money on Christmas, have been found that nearly 30% of our winter worries are about our heating.

Research from Viva Manchester found exactly what makes us the most stressed during winter and compiled a list of our biggest concerns.

Top 25 Winter Stresses:

1. Being without heating and/or hot water
2. Paying more for energy bills
3. Battling winter illnesses e.g. cold and flu
4. Getting up when it’s dark outside
5. Falling on ice
6. Winter Blues – e.g. Seasonal Affective Disorder caused by darker days
7. Burst pipes
8. Constantly feeling cold
9. Worrying about being able to afford the cost of winter energy bills
10. Not being able to repair my boiler and having to purchase a new one
11. Cold hands/feet
12. Not having enough to pay for a significant home emergency over winter – such as replacing a boiler, burst pipes, roof repair
13. Getting snowed in
14. Putting on weight
15. General Christmas Day stress
16. Roof/gutter problems and repairs
17. Not having enough money saved for Christmas
18. The car breaking down
19. My heating not being up to the task of keeping my home warm
20. Doing less exercise
21. Public transport delays
22. Worrying my car will break down
23. Worrying about break-ins
24. Christmas party season
25. Spending more on health and pharmacy products – i.e. cold and flu remedies, vitamins, lip balm

Of these 25 worries, 7 of them are related to the heating of our homes. One in ten were concerned about their heating not being up to the task of keeping their homes warm, which is unsurprising as 45% of us have experienced their boiler breaking down during winter, at an average cost of £940.

However, despite the average cost of covering home emergencies being £1,278, almost half of property owners don’t have anything set aside, with a third saying they wouldn’t be able to afford a new boiler system if their current one broke down.

Being ripped off for repairs is one of the largest sources of stress for two thirds of homeowners, with one in six claiming they overpaid on emergency repairs in the past because they weren’t aware of prices.

An average of £383 per home was spent on home repairs in 2018, but almost a quarter said they wouldn’t have the money to do the same again in 2019.

If your boiler breaks down this winter, there’s no need to panic. At iHeat we provide an online service that offers a fixed boiler quote and next day installation. Not to mention, we also offer a great range of finance plans, so no matter how unprepared you are for a broken boiler emergency, you can still afford to replace your broken boiler.

We also have helpful boiler advice on our blog on topics such as how to get your boiler ready in time for winter, how to bleed a radiator and what to do if your boiler loses pressure.

For a fixed quote on a new Which? Best Boiler, fill in your homes' details here and we'll do the work for you!