How our calculator works

The heating cover calculator determines the amount you will have to pay to cover your boiler and controls and/or full central heating system against breakdowns. It finds the products that meet your requirements and needs.

Our heating cover comparison service is designed to be able to include regional suppliers.

Heating cover is not available to everyone. There are certain criteria needed in order for customers to be covered by this kind of product. The criteria used on uSwitch.com are:

• Type of property – bedsits and mobile homes are not eligible
• Type of occupancy – are you a home owner or tenant
• Number of bedrooms – this type of product is designed for boilers with a limited residential output. Properties with over seven bedrooms will not be covered
• Commercial properties – heating cover products shown on the uSwitch site are targeted at residential customers only
• Age of boiler – the majority of plans require the boiler to be under a specified age when the cover is taken or will request to inspect the boiler before the product is taken
• Make of boiler – providers have a list of boiler makes that they will cover
• Current heating cover product – if a customer is within a contract, some providers will not permit the sign up to a new product within a certain time period

The products shown in a customer’s results depends on the following criteria:

• Fuel type – products shown depend on the fuel type a customer uses to heat their home
• Boiler type – the three main types of boilers are combination, condensing and conventional. Other heating systems include storage heaters, warm air units and back boilers
• Make of boiler – for some suppliers the make of the boiler will determine how much the product costs and what products are available
• Amount of cover required – depending on whether the customer requires the product to cover just the boiler or the full central heating system will determine what products will be displayed

When calculating the first year cost, our heating cover calculator takes into consideration the following variables:

• Monthly cost – each product will define its cost per month
• Special offers – products can include a special offer to customers signing up and this will be taken into consideration when calculating the first year cost

It is important to read what is included and is not included in your cover. This can be viewed on the results table and in the product pop up.