A guide to gas safety

Your gas appliances should be checked and serviced at least once a year by a qualified engineer. Always get a Gas Safe registered engineer to install, repair and service any gas appliances in your home. If someone is coming round to install, repair, or service a gas appliance, such as a gas boiler or radiator, make sure that you see their Gas Safe Register ID card before you allow them to carry out any work.

Although you may feel awkward about asking them, any qualified engineer will be proud to display their credentials, and you should never let someone who is unqualified work on your appliances, as it is your life, and those of your housemates or family members that is at stake.

These cards take the form of photo ID, and include details of the type of work that they are qualified to carry out, as well as a unique reference number which you can check by phoning the Gas Safe Register or by logging on to their website. Under no circumstances allow anyone to carry out work on the gas appliances in your home until you are absolutely sure of their credentials.

If you are in any doubt about the credentials of your engineer, call 0800 408 5500 and quote the licence number given by your engineer's ID card to check whether their license is genuine. If, after phoning this number and quoting the engineer's reference number, you are still in any doubt as to the legal registration of your engineer, you should report this to the Gas Safe Register via phone or email.

Even if an engineer is Gas Safe Registered, this does not necessarily mean that they are qualified to work on the type of appliance that you have asked them to.

Be sure to check their qualifications, by phoning the Gas Safe Register or by checking their licence number online.

Carbon Monoxide, which can be produced by incorrectly installed or poorly maintained gas appliance, can make you extremely ill or even kill you before you realise it. Make sure that you have installed an audible Carbon monoxide alarm in every room that has a gas appliance in it, and check them regularly.

British Gas can help you to save money on a new boiler now. By replacing your old boiler with an energy efficient condensing boiler, along with heating controls, you could save up to 40% on your bills.