To find out if your gas annual service is due, you can wait for us to let you know, or check online.

1. log in or register, this will open in a new window
2. if your annual service is due it will be displayed in the 'annual service visit' section of 'your account' page

You can book your gas annual service from one month before its due date.If, when you look online, there's no option to book your annual service that's because it's not yet due. Don't worry though, we'll contact you to let you know when it's due.

Don't have an online account? 
We'll let you know when your gas annual service is due by contacting you up to 3 months before (by phone) and then we'll send you reminders by post, email or text message. Alternatively you can contact us on 
0800 294 9678.*

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

The length of a gas annual service, plumbing or electrical maintenance inspection will vary and depend on:

• what's included in your HomeCare® agreement
• the age, size and condition of your appliances or products
• if any repairs or additional work is needed

If you book your annual gas service online you can choose a 2-hour appointment window. If you book over the phone you can only choose an AM or PM appointment.

There are different expert engineers for each of your products - gas, plumbing, electrical wiring and kitchen appliances. Unfortunately, we're not able to guarantee that these engineers will be available to attend at the same time or on the same day.

The inspections are by request. If you are a HomeCare® customer and have a contract that includes an inspection, please call us on 
0800 294 9678.*

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes

Troubleshooting checklist

There could be a number of reasons why your central heating or hot water isn't working. You can fix several problems yourself, avoiding a callout and - if you're a HomeCare® customer - possibly saving you money. Try these tips first:

• check the gas, electrical and water supplies to the appliance are turned on. It's surprising how easily they can get accidentally switched off
• check the thermostat is turned up and the clock timer is on
• some boilers have a pressure gauge showing system water pressure, this usually needs to be at around 1 bar, read more about system pressure
• got a system with a permanent pilot light? Check that it hasn't gone out - this is a very common problem with older appliances
• try putting your heating on maximum for a short while to see if you can get it back into action
• have the clocks gone forward or back? Your clock programmer might just need adjusting to the right time
• has there been a power cut recently? Your heating clock programmer may have returned to its factory settings when the power came back on. Test the central heating by setting it to come on in 15 minutes time - if that works, simply re-enter your preferred settings
• do you have a customer-operated reset switch (not one that needs you to remove any casing)? These are usually found on the front of modern boilers: check your user manual to see if it needs resetting
• try turning the electrical supply to the boiler off and on - the switch is usually near the boiler or in the airing cupboard. This might reset your boiler and resolve the problem
• could you have frozen pipes? In periods of long, cold weather, the condensate pipe of your boiler can freeze. See my pipes have frozen
• are other gas appliances affected? If so the problem is bigger and you need to Book a callout

For open vented system boilers 
(You have this type of boiler if it has a small black tank. You'll usually find these in the loft.)

Has the ball valve float in the feed and expansion cistern got stuck?
(this is usually a small plastic or steel tank situated in the loft)

If so, when your water system falls to a certain point, system water can't circulate. If you can safely and easily get into and move around your loft, check to see if the ball valve is stuck (usually indicated by no or low water in the cistern). Gently move the ball float valve arm to free it - do not use force. This may solve the problem.

For sealed system boilers or combination boilers 
(You have this type of boiler if it doesn't have a cistern that looks like a smaller version of your cold water cistern.)

• has the system pressure dropped? This is sometimes caused by water leaks, and can stop the boiler from working properly: 
  
  

  1. check the pressure gauge - this should be set at 1 bar. A red indicator needle sometimes shows the position set when the boiler was installed.

  2. look in your user manual to see if you can re-pressurise the boiler yourself - you can also find instructions on the rear of the control panel. But if your boiler panel needs tools to remove it, do NOT touch it: Book a callout instead.

Plumbing and Drainage appointments , call us on 0800 294 9650* to change your appointment time/date.

All other breakdown appointments.

To change the time/date of your breakdown appointment:

1. go to 'log in or register', this will open in a new window
2. select your 'Maintenance & Repair account'
3. scroll down to your 'Appointment Diary'
4. click the + symbol, as shown below
5. change your appointment date or time

Alternatively, if you prefer you can call us to change the date or time of 
your appointment on 0845 950 0400.*

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

Do you think your boiler is too old or not energy efficient enough? An energy-efficient boiler can cut your bills by up to £225 a year^.

We can help you decide if your boiler needs replacing by looking at:

• its make and model
• whether it suits your property

For an energy efficiency rating for your boiler, just fill out our 
simple checklist or call us on 0800 072 8629.*

As a guide, boilers rated A are the most efficient and those rated G or below are among the least efficient. At British Gas, we only install A-rated boilers.

Boiler upgrade offers

From money off installation to free boiler and central heating care, we update our offers for new boilers regularly. Check out our latest offers on new boilers.

Need a boiler quote? Arrange a consultation to get a quote for your new boiler by calling us on 0800 009 4450*.

^Source Energy Saving Trust (September 2010)

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

Smell gas? Call the Gas Emergency Services on 0800 111 999.

If you think you could have a gas leak you'll need to turn off the gas supply at the meter

How to turn off your gas supply

1. find the gas Emergency Control Valve. This is often outside in a meter box. If not, look under the stairs, under the kitchen sink and in the garage
2. turn the Emergency Control Valve's handle a quarter turn so the lever is at 90 degrees to the Emergency Control Valve's body

Next steps:

1. open all windows and doors
2. don't turn electrical switches on or off - including your TV, computer, oven, etc
3. put out any naked lights (flames), eg your hob or candles. Don't smoke, strike matches or do anything that could cause ignition
4. open any electric doors or gates manually

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas and exposure to it can be fatal. It's produced when products containing carbon, typically fossil fuels, are burnt without enough oxygen.

To prevent this, boilers and central heating systems need regular servicing. A carbon monoxide detector - although not an alternative to regular servicing - will monitor the area it's fitted in and provide an early warning if something is wrong.

Find out more about carbon monoxide.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a highly poisonous and sometimes deadly gas, produced when fuels such as coal, wood, oil or natural gas are burned without sufficient air. It's often emitted by appliances which haven't been properly installed or maintained, so always ask a Gas Safe registered engineer to install and service your gas appliance. CO is odourless, tasteless and invisible, so its difficult to detect.

The symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning can be similar to flu. If you suspect Carbon Monoxide poisoning you may suffer from:

1. check your trip-switch(s) or fuse(s) to see if there is a fault with your wiring or an appliance. If all your appliances are affected see 2) below
2. check if your neighbours are affected. If so, it's possible the power is off in your local area so please contact your local electricity network operator - they should be able to give further guidance and say roughly how long the power will be off for
3. turn off appliances, but keep one light on so that you know when the power comes back on
4. if it's just your home affected and you have Home Electrical Care, please call us on 0800 980 6004*. If you don't have cover with us, we can provide one-off repairs, call 0800 000 999*

If you have a Pay as you go meter, see our advice for Pay As You Go Energy™ customers , without electricity.

Safety advice if you are without electricity:

• don't use your gas cooker to heat your home - they are not designed for this purpose and this can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
• be careful with other forms of heating and lighting, such as paraffin heaters and candles

For more advice on problems you may be able to fix yourself, see theBritish Gas Electricity Troubleshooter.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

Your agreement price is calculated based on a number of factors. In order to make our pricing policy fair to all our customers, the amount we charge for your HomeCare® cover could be affected by:

• the make and model of your boiler
• the age of your boiler
• how often it has broken down in the last two years
• how expensive it is to repair.
• where you live

If you have HomeCare 300™ your total charge or discount will also be influenced by any callout history for your 'Plumbing and Drains' during the last two years.

If you have HomeCare 400™ your total charge or discount will also be influenced by any callout history for your plumbing and drains and/or home electrics during the last two years.

If you pay a fixed fee per completed repair with our Flexi™ range of products your total charge or discount may also be influenced by any callout history during the last two years.

Your agreement price is based on a number of factors and is not exclusively calculated on the number of times that you have called us out to fix your boiler, central heating system, plumbing and drains or fixed home electrics.

Other factors such as your boiler age and type, your breakdown history over the last 2 years and other market and commercial factors are also taken into account. So even if you are lucky enough not to have needed to call us in the last year, you may still see a difference in this year's agreement price compared to last year.

Find out more about HomeCare® pricing

Research has shown that there is a clear relationship between breakdown history and the likelihood of further breakdown. However, you may have been unlucky and had to call on our services more in the last year than you have ever had to previously. That's why we consider your breakdown history over a longer period of time to balance out any peaks or troughs and to make sure a fair price is calculated for the next year of your agreement.

This calculation may apply to all our HomeCare® products, including standalone Plumbing Care™, Plumbing & Drains Care™ and Home Electrical Care™. It may also apply to customers who pay a fixed fee per completed repair with our Flexi™ range of products.

When you join us as a new customer, the limited information we have about you and your circumstances means that we have to estimate your joining price. However, as our relationship with you grows, we learn more about you, your boiler and central heating system, and our prices sometimes adjust to reflect this.

This adjustment may apply to all our HomeCare® products, including standalone Plumbing Care™, Plumbing & Drains Care™ and Home Electrical Care™. It may also apply to customers who pay a fixed fee per completed repair with our Flexi™ range of products.

We're removing the No Usage Bonus as customer feedback shows it doesn't benefit you as it should.

Instead, the HomeCare® discount or charge calculation rewards you based on a number of different factors, including the extent to which you've used our services over the last 2 years.

Your agreement price is calculated based on a number of factors, and could be affected by factors such as:

• where you live
• your previous repair history (how often you have called us out in the last 2 years

These factors reflect your personal circumstances and situation and could vary year on year. Like every business our prices are related to our costs, and we try to make our pricing policy fairer to all our customers.

We have a number of different insurance and service options that are designed to fit all requirements and budgets whilst still knowing that repairs are covered.

Our Maintenance and Repair section shows you the different options available to you so you can review and, if required, change your agreement to one more suited to you.

Just because plumbing, drains and electrics are old it doesn't necessarily mean that they will be expensive to maintain. If you do have old or troublesome plumbing, drains or electrics, you can have the peace of mind that comes with having experts on hand to resolve any problems. However, you may wish to consider installing replacement plumbing, drains and electrics, or look at other options to reduce your costs.

Our Help and Advice section could provide you with the information you are after, or try contacting our customer services on 0845 072 8629*

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

There are a number of ways we can help you improve your central heating's efficiency and help save you money on your bills. For more information, look at our Central Heating Improvements section, speak to one of our engineers during your Annual Service visit, or try contacting our customer services on 0845 072 8629*

We have a number of different insurance and service options that are designed to fit all requirements and budgets, whilst offering the peace of mind that many breakdowns and expensive boiler repairs are covered.

The Maintenance and Repair section of our Website shows you the different options available to you so that you can review, and if required, change your agreement to one more suited to you.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

To find out how much you're paying:

• check a recent HomeCare® letter from us (eg your welcome, renewal or account change confirmation letter)
• check your bank statement if you pay by Direct Debit

You can see what type of HomeCare® you have if you log in to your online account. To check what's covered, select 'view account' on your Maintenance & Repair account and then scroll down to see the HomeCare® guide or your terms and conditions.

Don't have an online account yet? Get your Homecare®agreement number from one of our letters and register now.

We class a breakdown callout as every time you contact us to request one of our engineers to visit your home to resolve a problem. Each breakdown will be classed as one call out, regardless of the number of visits it takes us to get you up and running again.

A callout relates to all our HomeCare® products, including standalone Plumbing Care™, Plumbing & Drains Care™ and Home Electrical Care™. It may also apply to customers who pay a fixed fee per completed repair with our Flexi™ range of products.

We do our best to resolve problems on the first callout, but sometimes you need to call us out again. If you're calling about the original problem which is not fixed, we will not class this as an additional callout.

If we have to send another engineer:
Our engineers are carefully selected to make sure their skills are appropriate for your problem. Sometimes a second opinion or an engineer with more specialist skills is required. This is classed as part of the same problem, and is not an additional callout.

As well as to repairs under HomeCare®, this also applies to repairs under standalone Plumbing Care™, Plumbing & Drains Care™ and Home Electrical Care™. It also applies to customers on our Flexi™ range of products who pay a fixed fee per completed repair.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

You have unlimited callouts each agreement year included with your agreement price. If you have one of our HomeCare® agreements, you can call our free helpline which is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days of the 
year - in the event of a breakdown.

However, the amount of times you call us out over the previous two years is one of the many factors that will be taken into account when calculating your price for your agreement renewal price.

Whenever we install a boiler, we guarantee all parts and labour for a period of time. Any additional guarantee we offer does not affect your statutory rights. We honour our guarantee by giving installation customers free HomeCare® for one year. Any callouts you have in your free year's HomeCare® will not be taken into account. This means that you will not have any increase in price for a full two years from the date your installation was completed.

The renewal price that you get, one year after your free year of HomeCare® comes to an end, will reflect any callouts that you've had.

If your HomeCare® agreement price has increased, it will be due to other factors as MagnaClean® and PowerFlush™ should both improve the efficiency of your central heating system. In fact, having a PowerFlush® or installing MagnaClean® could indirectly bring your price down by reducing the likelihood of you needing to call us out for a breakdown.

Your HomeCare® price is calculated based on a number of factors such as your boiler type and breakdown history and this is more likely to be the reason for any increase.

Find out more about HomeCare® pricing