A broken down boiler costs on average £344 to fix but many people don’t realise their home insurance policy will cover the repair costs.

The comparison site analysed 429 home insurance policies and found 77% offered home emergency cover.

This type of cover gives customers access to a 24-hour helpline which provides a call out service for emergency repairs by local tradesmen at an agreed call out charge.

A fifth included the cover automatically.

An emergency is defined as a sudden, unforeseen situation which if not dealt with quickly would leave your home unsafe, and includes boiler breakdown.

Cover will only apply to boilers that have been inspected or serviced within the past 12 months.

Ben Wilson from Gocompare.com said: “Anyone who has experienced the breakdown of their central heating system in the depths of winter knows how miserable it is and how difficult and expensive it can be to arrange emergency repairs. What people may not realise is that valuable help may be available under their home insurance.

“However, insurance only provides a financial safety-net for unforeseen events and policies typically exclude cover for problems which are a result of systems not being properly maintained. So we strongly recommend that people have their central heating systems checked on an annual basis. This will help ensure that it is running safely and efficiently.”