People tuning down their heating to save money during the recent cold snap has led to a surge in burst pipes, according to insurer Aviva PLC (LSE:AV.).
The FTSE 100-listed group reported a 400% uptick in claims over the weekend, many of them related to frozen and burst pipe damage as warmer weather arrived.
Kelly Whittington, Aviva’s property claims director, said: “Sadly the problem seems to have been exacerbated as people try to reduce energy consumption.
“We have seen a number of cases where people have turned off their heating completely because they were not going to be at home, only to find a burst pipe on their return.
“People may not even be aware this has happened until the frozen pipes begin to thaw, so we’d encourage people to be on their guard for any signs of water leaks.”
Aviva’s advice is to lag outside pipes, allow warm air to circulate and leave the heating on at a low level if you are going away for a period of time.
Rocketing energy costs have led to advice from the government and other organisations for people to cut gas and electricity consumption where they can.
Shares in the insurer rose 0.9% to 440.2p.