Electricity must be treated with caution and you should not attempt any electrical maintenance unless you are completely sure you know what you are doing. If you have any doubts at all, call an electrician. Remember, electrical accidents can be fatal.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) recommends that you get your home’s wiring checked out at least once every five years by an approved contractor – that’s one who is a member of either NICEIC or ECA.

If you move into a new property, you should get the electrics examined immediately for any problems.

To avoid accidents, do not use appliances, such as kettles or irons, with worn or damaged leads. And keep all electrical appliances out of the bathroom – especially if you’re having a bath.

If any appliance appears faulty, ROSPA advises that you stop using it and have it checked out at once by a qualified electrician. If you have Churchill Home Insurance, we will provide you with a free 24-hour emergency helpline to call. This will put you in touch with a trained operator who can contact a reputable and skilled electrician on your behalf. 

While the helpline service is free, you will have to pay the charges of the electrician called out to help you.

Other warning signs that your home’s electrics need examining by an electrician include hot plugs and sockets, fuses that blow for no obvious reason, flickering lights, and scorch marks on sockets or plugs. 

Another tip to protect your home electrics is to avoid overloading electrical sockets. This is doubly important as an overloaded socket can be a potential fire hazard.

It is generally recommended that if you use a multi-plug adaptor, you should make sure it is fitted with a fuse and has a kite mark from the British Electrotechnical Approvals Board (BEAB). Also, never use more than one adaptor in each socket, and avoid using adapters or extension leads for power-hungry devices such as tumble dryers.

If you get into trouble with your electrics while doing a spot of DIY – perhaps you accidentally drill into a cable and all the lights go out – then your Churchill Home Insurance will cover you as long as you have added Accidental Damage Cover to your policy.