npower reveals that a quarter of UK boilers face retirement

npower has revealed that up to a quarter of British homeowners are at risk of their boiler breaking down, as recent research reveals that as many as six million systems across the country face retirement.

The study by npower hometeam 50 suggests that 23% of UK boilers are at least a decade old, even though the average lifespan of a boiler is estimated to be just 12 years*. This means that despite the success of last year’s government boiler scrappage scheme which saw thousands of homeowners replace their old systems with new A-rated, energy efficient ones, around six million** boilers across the nation could still be nearing the end of their life.

Half of all British boilers are also expected to be more than five years old, making them more susceptible to a costly boiler breakdown.

Scotland was shown to have the youngest boilers, with just one in five over 10 years old, whilst Wales and the East Midlands are most at risk from ageing boilers, with 26% owning their boiler for over a decade.

Richard Cotton, head of sales for npower hometeam, commented: "An ageing boiler is a risk for any household, particularly as it is often the most expensive item in the home to replace whilst breakdowns can be costly to repair. Yet research suggests that 59% of homeowners do not have any sort of boiler care, leaving them with no fallback should their system pack up this winter.

"With boilers being overworked after a cold Christmas, these new figures are a reminder to homeowners that they shouldn’t wait until their boiler breaks down to do anything about it.

“You can buy yourself peace of mind should you need a boiler repair, with npower’s hometeam 50 boiler care, just as you would do with your other household possessions.”

hometeam 50 is available for both boiler care and central heating care, both working under the same principle - if the customer doesn’t call out npower’s hometeam to work on their boiler or central heating during the 12 month care plan, npower will automatically return 50% of the annual cost on their one year anniversary.

hometeam 50 also includes an annual boiler service, usually worth £74, meaning customers will get the reassurance of care for 12 months and a service and could still receive their 50% cash back if they don’t call out npower during that year.

Notes to editors:
* www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Heating-and-hot-water.

** This figure is based on the Office for National Statistics’ 2011 household projections for Great Britain - www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7678.

About npower:
npower is one of the UK’s largest electricity suppliers and has 6.6 million customer accounts across the UK.

npower sponsors The Football League.

npower has been awarded platinum status in Business in the Community’s CR Index and is one of twenty-nine companies to have achieved the CommunityMark since its launch. All CommunityMark achievers have been recognised for demonstrating excellence in their holistic and strategic approach to community investment.

PR Contact:
Nicholas McHugh
npower press office
npower
Oak House
Bridgwater Road
Worcester
WR4 9FP
0845 070 2807
www.npower.com

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