Home owners have been advised that taking out additional insurance may not be top of the priority list in these recession declared times, but consumers are being seriously urged to consider taking out boiler breakdown to avoid a potentially frosty winter.

With a boiler breaking down every 20 seconds across the UK and with many conventional home insurance covers not including boiler repair as an option, additional cover may well be needed for those with cosy central heating.

Jon Florsheim, director of Home-Serve, a stand-alone provider of boiler insurance, says: 'Once a household has had a home emergency, such as a boiler breakdown in the middle of winter, and they've claimed successfully, they no longer view the insurance as a luxury.'

David Kuo, financial expert at money website fool.co.uk, says: 'Consider building a contingency fund instead of shelling out for expensive cover, but remember to get your appliances regularly checked by an approved engineer.