After the snow, ice, wind and freezing temperatures of the past couple of winters, it seems that extremely cold snaps are becoming an increasingly frequent feature of UK weather – and with these storms comes damage to our homes and property.

According to the Association of British Insurers, bad weather insurance claims increased by 290% immediately following the Beast from the East in February and March last year [2018].

“The cold weather at the start of last year [2018] saw claims for burst pipes jump from £4m to £197m quarter-on-quarter, suggesting people are unprepared for the impact of extreme weather.” – Association of British Insurers

• In total, £1.25 billion was paid by insurers under domestic and commercial property insurance policies – the highest quarterly figure for two years
• Insurance pay-outs to homeowners and businesses for storm, flood and burst pipe damage jumped to £361million, a massive 290% rise on the £93 million paid in the previous quarter. Some 86,000 claims were handled, compared to 29,000 in the previous quarter
• £194 million was paid to help homeowners cope with the misery of burst pipes. This was the highest amount ever paid in a single quarter and compared to only £4 million paid out in quarter 4, 2017.
• On commercial insurance, weather damage and escape of water claims also rose, up to £188 million, compared to £107 million in the previous quarter.
  (Statistics taken from.abi.org.uk)

Every winter 100,000s of boilers in the UK stop working because of freezing outside temperatures. The Frost Sentry device is designed to prevent your condensate pipe from freezing by automatically warming the inside of the pipe as soon as the air temperature falls below 2.5 °C, ensuring you continue to have a fully-functioning heating and hot water system at a time when you need it most.