Got an issue with your heating or hot water? 

Here are some simple things to try to get it back up and running.

• Check the gas, electric and water supply is turned on. Your gas and electricity meters will either be in the kitchen, in the hallway or outside in a cupboard or meter box. Your water meter may be outside your home near your stop tap or inside under your kitchen sink. 
• Check you have credit. If you are on a pre-payment meter, an easy way to check this is to check if your gas cooker is working. 
• Check your room thermostat (if you have one) is turned up and the clock timer is on, turn the dial up or press the ‘up’ button to see if this then brings your heating on. Watch the film below to see how to work your thermostat.
• Check your boiler pressure gauge (if you have one) is around 1 bar, you should find it on the front panel of your boiler.  Watch the film below to see how to fix low pressure. 
• Check the boiler timer is set to the right time. 
• See if you can reset your boiler. To do this check your user manual or Google the make and model of your boiler - they usually have some simple videos to follow. 
• Ensure the boiler has power, the switch should be near the boiler. Try turning it off then on again.
• If it's been very cold, check your Condensate Pipe hasn't frozen. You can normally find the white plastic pipe on the outside wall of where your boiler is. 
• If you have a sealed or combination boiler, see if the system pressure has dropped and stopped working. This is sometimes caused by water leaks or if you have recently bled or refitted radiators after decorating.
• Check that any thermostatic radiator valves – on the radiators themselves - are turned on. These are numbered, the higher the number, the warmer the temperature.

If this doesn't fix it, please contact us so that we can get it back up and running for you. 

Storage heaters 

Some homes are heated by storage heaters. They work differently to radiators and it’s important to run them correctly to get the best value for money. 

• In colder months you will need more heat, so turn the input control up to maximum.
• In warmer months you will need less heat, so turn the input control down.
• If you are at home in the day, turn the output control to low.
• If you go out in the day, turn the output to the lowest setting.
• When you are at home in the evening, turn the output up if you need more heat.
• Before you go to bed turn the output down to the lowest setting.

Storage heaters use electricity overnight, when it’s cheaper to store heat, before releasing it back the following day to heat the home. The Economy 7 electricity tariff is therefore usually the most cost-effective energy tariff to choose if you have storage heaters. 

Most storage heaters have two controls at the top of the heater which are usually concealed under a flap. 

How much heat is stored at night is controlled by the input control. How much heat is given out is controlled by the output control. 

Storage heater safety 

To ensure your safety: 

• Make sure there’s a gap of at least 15cm between the top of your storage heater and any curtains.
• Keep the heater and air grilles clear of any obstruction – covering them can cause a fire hazard.
• Dry clothes on a washing line or airer. Drying them on the heater is a fire risk and can also cause condensation.