According to new research by consumer association Which?, 75 per cent of home owners trust central heating engineers. This is great news! Especially considering the fact that the survey revealed that four in 10 (38 per cent) of respondents do not trust builders and roofers when employing them for the first time, making these trades the least trusted for domestic building work and repairs.

The rankings from the Which? Trusted Traders survey revealed that Electricians are the most trusted of the traders, clocking 80 per cent of the vote, with central heating engineers a close second (75 per cent), followed by plumbers (73 per cent).

When asked about their biggest worries when hiring a tradesperson, home owners listed their top concern as the tradesperson not turning up at the agreed time, which was cited by 62 per cent of respondents. Poor workmanship was cited as a foremost concern by 55 per cent of home owners and 46 per cent voiced concern about being ripped off.

So, here’s the question: although we do trust our electricians and plumbers mostly, how can we be secure in the fact that we’ll get the best service possible? Which? has some good ideas about how to hire the best boiler engineer for the job you need done:

• Check that the heating engineer is listed in the Gas Safe Register and also check what type of gas-related work he/she are qualified to undertake before hiring.
• Get at least three quotes – heating engineers should be able to tell you about the price for a call-out. Be aware though, that additional costs depend on the nature of the problem and any parts required. You might also be charged for travel and parking costs.
• Good central heating engineers will usually want to see your system before they give you a quote for anything other than a simple job.
• The best boiler engineers explain what they’ll check, repair or install before they start working and show you what they’ve done afterwards.

And one final tip: keep the paperwork your boiler engineer gives you – you might need this in the event of any future problems, plus most boilers will have a warranty of at least 12 months.
For all your energy-related needs, contact the team at AACooper on 01689 485007 or info@aacooper.co.uk.

Sources: hvpmag.co.uk – “75% of consumers trust central heating engineers, according to Which?”; Trustedtraders.which.co.uk – “How to hire: boiler engineers”