Britain's Biggest Winter 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.

What to Do If Your Boiler Breaks Down

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.

How to Reduce Your Energy Bills

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!

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