The cost-of-living crisis is affecting many homes and families within the UK - inflation is at a high of 10.1%, and there is no denying that times are incredibly tough. Gas and electric bills in the UK have seen a huge increase, with most people paying around £1570 more per year to fuel their homes. With households majorly limiting their gas and electric usage, there's a possibility that best practices for safety surrounding these utilities could be put on the back burner. But why? 

The Gas Safe Register has released that a third of homes do not have yearly gas safety checks due to the cost-of-living crisis. According to Checkatrade.com, the average cost of a gas appliance check is around £80. For many, this is a huge expense that can seemingly be avoided. It's a difficult situation wherein people are attempting to scrape back costs by sacrificing safety. Clare Nasir, Meteorologist and TV weather presenter stated: 

'While planning to turn off your heating for the months ahead, it's imperative that homeowners are prioritising gas safety in their homes and ensuring they do not skip their annual gas safety checks. Although homeowners, understandably so, are concerned about the increased cost of living - there are real risks to health, wealth and safety linked to not servicing and safety checking their gas appliances and boilers.' 

When Should I Have My Boiler Serviced? 

Ideally, you should have your boiler serviced annually to ensure that it's working at peak efficiency, and to weed out any maintenance issues that could cause a risk to your safety. 

A gas engineer will check the condition of the boiler, along with the flue and chimney, as well as checking the pressure and temperature settings. Most importantly, a gas engineer will check for any leaks, blocked vents or signs of erosion or corrosion to identify any carbon monoxide risks.

Why Should I Have My Boiler Serviced?

A boiler service is an extremely important preventative measure - whilst it costs money upfront, you could easily incur the price of a service, and more, through repair issues down the line if you choose to not have it done. There are many benefits to having your boiler serviced, which make it worth the upfront cost:

1. It keeps your boiler working efficiently 
2. It will help you to avoid high costs of repairs in the future
3. It maintains the safety of your boiler
4. It ensures that your manufacturer's warranty remains valid

What Will Happen If I Don't Service My Boiler? 

By neglecting your boiler and failing to get it serviced, your home can become a very dangerous place extremely quickly. In the worst case scenario, a faulty boiler could cause a small explosion and reap damage to your property, alongside causing serious injury to any inhabitants.

In summer this year, a house in Birmingham had an explosion due to a gas leak from internal piping within the boiler, ending the life of one woman.

Not only that, but you could also be at high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning which is potentially fatal.

At Access Training, we train our Gas Engineers to the highest possible standard for your safety

We believe in quality trade education that lasts, for the peace of mind of our students and any customers that they work for in the future. For more resources regarding Gas Safety, take a look at our resources below. 

Gas Safety Tips    Why Do Gas Engineers Have to be Gas Safe Registered?

Organising a big home renovation project can be a really exciting thing, especially if you're already a DIY enthusiast. However it's also easy to get carried away and overestimate things, leaving you a bit stuck when it comes to actually carrying the work out. With that in mind, here is a selection of handy tips to avoid frustration and make sure you get it all right the first time.

Be realistic with your budget:

Before you start any of the work or gathering the tools and materials, it's wise to set an overall budget for your project. Try to account for everything as accurately as possible, that way you won't see that ballpark figure going up and up as the work goes on. One thing to always keep in mind is encountering unexpected issues along the way, so it might be a good idea to set aside some excess funds just in case of an emergency. Knowing your budget also makes sure you aren't getting in way too over your head either.

Don't skimp on the cost:

This might seem a little contradictory to the above, but the point here is to not settle for the cheapest materials on the market. Odds are these are the ones that won't stand the test of time, and you could find yourself having to do the work all over again sooner than you might think. Know the average price of the materials, what the best ones are to use and do a job that will be the best it possibly can.

Prepare the work properly:

For example, if you're painting a room, don't skip taping the surfaces you don't want to paint. Don't just assume you'll be 100% accurate the first time, because odds are you'll end up with paint splashes where you don't want them.

Make sure your measurements are accurate:

Avoid having unnecessary waste material, as not only is it a waste but it means you also may end up having to go out and buy more material when you didn't need it in the first place. There could even be worse repercussions to inaccurate measurements - imagine having custom kitchen cabinets made, only to find they're the wrong size when they arrive. Times like these the best advice is always "measure twice, cut once".

Use the right tools for the job:

If you're missing a tool needed for the job, don't try and improvise with a different, potentially unsuitable one. Either buy one or rent/borrow it, because not doing so goes hand in hand with our last bit of advice...

Safety ALWAYS comes first:

Even when keeping everything else in mind, this should always be your number one priority? Is your work really worth the risk of serious injury. Protection such as safety goggles, gloves and (in some cases) a hard hat should be a given, but if at ANY point you feel like you're out of your depth stop what you are doing and get a trained professional to complete the work. Even the best DIYers know their limits.

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If you have a home reburbishment in mind but lack to the skills to carry it out, or alternatively are looking into property development as a potential career path but lack the qualifications to make it happen - Access Training Academies are here to help! Offering training in various trades including electric, plumbing, gas, tiling, plastering, carpentry, brickwork and painting & decorating, you can attain the perfect skillset to cover any job properly. To find out more about our multi-skills courses and talk to one of our sales advisers, give Access a call on 0800 345 7492.