Why there's still work to do on educating the public about plumbing and heating

A new survey amongst has revealed that, although the heating industry has been trying hard to educate the public on certain aspects of their heating systems, there's still a long way to go in raising their awareness on all kinds of issues. The worrying results show that we are still at the very beginning of the process in teaching people about gas safety, maintenance of their systems and a range of other heating related issues. Although this is frustrating, it should perhaps not be surprising, particularly in light of another recent survey that showed 80% of 25 - 34 year olds would call out a plumber to fix a dripping tap! (That survey also revealed 30% of men in the same age group still rely on their mum to iron their shirts!) All we can do in our industry is to keep plugging away and making a noise about the importance of central heating, how it's maintained and who's working on it, by continuing to make a fuss in the media about it. Plumbers, who have daily contact with the public, also have a responsibility to explain things clearly and use each visit as a way to gently educate their customers, rather than simple turning up to a job with minimal interaction. This will not only help to keep householders better informed but will also display a higher level of customer service, reflecting well on our industry. Below are those survey results in full courtesy of Worcester, Bosch Group: • 48% would not ask a heating engineer for their Gas Safe Id before allowing them to work on a gas appliance. • 33% not even aware their should ask for ID before allowing the engineer to start. • 19% didn't ask because the installer had been referred by a friend. • 12% were be too embarrassed to ask. • 11% felt the installer looked genuine. • 15% wouldn't ask if their heating broke down in winter. • 12% wouldn't ask if they had trouble trying to get hold of a heating engineer. • 10% had never had their boiler serviced. • 46% had skipped an annual boiler maintenance appointment. • 80% thought that annual boiler servicing should be made a legal requirement. Article by Benjamin Clarke RELATED ARTICLES • The quest to stop illegal gas fitters with the Gas Safe Register 15th Jan 2015  • The importance of annual heating system maintenance 7th Jul 2015  • Encouraging the replacement of old, inefficient boilers 22nd Jun 2016   

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