You don't need me to tell you it's cold outside, or that this area or that so-and had blah-blah inches of snow this week. What you might need me to talk about however is HEATING!

I'm lucky, I have a reliable boiler and a good central heating system. I have however lived in a house with a boiler constructed of stone and flint that was occasionally capable of heating the bottom 4 inches of the radiators whilst maintaining a mean temperature of -3 at the top. A train laden with hanging chains with rocks on the ends couldn't have made more clunks and bangs than this system, and one glorious January, with a house full of weekend guests and a sister full of 'flu, it slipped into a coma and refused to wake up. And that was 10pm on a Saturday night.

So I understand what it feels like to have no hot water or heating for days in the middle of winter.

And this article has a couple of aims:

To please ask the residents of Bromley to check on lonely, elderly or vulnerable people in your area, and make sure they have sufficient warmth and supplies in. It's too easy for vulnerable people living on their own to switch off their heating and 'brave it out' - but it shouldn't have to be that way.

My other point is to reach out to anyone having problems with their central heating systems this winter.

We have two very reliable heating engineer firms listed on our Central Heating Installation & Servicing and Heating Services - PDP Services, and LH Peacock Central Heating Engineers.

Don't suffer with a faulty or temperamental heating system - get some advice from the experts.

Speaking of which, you may or may not be aware that the Government recently announced in its pre-Budget Report that it will off £400 discount incentive for householders replacing their old G-rated boilers with newer more efficient A-class ones or renewable energy systems. For more information on how to find out if your boiler is eligible, and details of how to claim, check out The Energy Saving Trust website.


It might pay to be aware as well that energy suppliers like British Gas and nPower are offering similar schemes matching the Government's boiler scrappage scheme, meaning a potential discount of £800. Not to mention the average saving in heating bills over a year with a more efficient system, or the benefits to the environment by cutting CO2 emissions.


Good luck, and keep warm!


Kim

Thank you for reading thebestof Bromley Blog. If you have something to say about Bromley and what's going on for you, we'd love to hear from you. Come and blog with us: email bromley@thebestof.co.uk

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Kim Frances is a freelance writer and photographer with The Little White Studio.