Boiler related gas explosions more deadly than a hand grenade

NEW research from Fair Fix, the boiler engineer experts, reveals that there were 270 gas explosions in homes across England in 2021/22, 30% of which resulted in significant human injury or death.

Fair Fix has analysed incidents of fire caused by gas explosions in homes in England since 2015 to understand how frequent such incidents are, how dangerous they can be, and the expected cost of repairing damages caused by gas explosions..

The latest figures show that in 2021/22 there were 270 home fires involving gas explosions across England.

The good news is that this figure is -16% lower than it was in the previous year, and the lowest number of annual incidents since at least 2015.

However, fires involving gas explosions in the home remain an extreme danger and the consequences can be far graver than the serious damage caused to a property and the surrounding area.

In fact, in 2021/22, 29% of fires involving gas explosions resulted in human casualty or fatality.

For example, a 2022 gas leak explosion in a home in Kingstanding, Birmingham, killed 1 person and caused damage to buildings and cars within a blast radius of 35 metres. Police at the scene reported that:- 5 or 6 houses had been damaged in the explosion. It was also found that the boiler in the home was known to be old, dilapidated, and in desperate need of replacement.

The typical gas explosion damage and injury radius ranges between:- 10 to 35 metres. To put this into perspective, a hand grenade has a blast radius of 20 metres, making it less catastrophic than the potential blast caused by a faulty boiler.

The blast power of a gas explosion means that if 1 occurs in the home, it's incredibly good fortune to avoid human injury or fatality. But even in this best case scenario, the price of repairing damage caused to buildings and cars is still going to be substantial.

The cost of rebuilding a damaged home in England varies between 1 Region and another. The average expected price is:- £295,778, but the most expensive Region to rebuild is London where it'll cost an estimated £373,000. In the North East and Yorkshire and Humber, however, the rebuild costs will be an estimated:- £269,000.

Meanwhile, repairing or replacing a damaged car will, on average, cost between:- £12,000; £28,000, while even just replacing damaged windows on the home is expensive, costing up to:- £3,600 per window.

In contrast, the average cost of a new boiler comes in at:- £2,425, making it a no brainer when considering the potential cost you could incur.

Founder of Fair Fix, Tyrone Ekrem, commented:- "Gas explosions can be devastating both in terms of force and consequences, and they're all too often caused or facilitated by old or faulty boilers that have not been properly maintained. The cost of ignoring or delaying a gas safety check or boiler check is simply not worth the risk and it's now easier, more affordable, and more convenient than ever to get your boiler checked and serviced."

he number 2 is the most transacted house number, but the most valuable is far from conventional

THE latest research by national estate agency Yopa has found that while the most common door numbers in property transactions are:- 1 to 10, it's number:- 195 that currently ranks as the most valuable, with an average sold price of:- £340,000 so far this year.

The research by Yopa analysed over:- 260,000 property transactions to have completed across England and Wales so far this year (January to August 2023; latest available).

The research shows that when it comes to our preference between odd and even numbers, there's certainly no influence of imparnumerophobia; or the fear of odd numbers; amongst the nation's homebuyers.

The average sold price of odd-numbered homes actually comes in marginally higher at:- £267,500 versus an average of:- £265,000 for even numbered homes. When it comes to sales volumes, there's a 50/50 split between odd, and even numbered properties.

When it comes to the most frequently sold house numbers, number 2 ranks top. So far this year:- 10,031 homes with the number 2 have been sold across the nation, the most transactions of any house number.

The number 1 comes 2nd, with:- 9,997 sold in 2023, with the rest of the top 10 comprising:- 3 to 10 in ascending order.

However, when it comes to the highest price paid for a particular house number, the top 10 most expensive are far from conventional. With an average sold price of:- £340,000, the number:- 195 is currently the nation's most valuable.

213 sits 2nd in the table, boasting an average sold price of:- £313,500, with the numbers 185 (£302,500), 117 (£300,000) and 173 (£300,000) also boasting an average sold price of £300,000 or more.

Other numbers to make the top 10 most valuable include:- 205 (£297,500), 147 (£296,000), 144 (£296,000), 150 (£295,000) and 190 (£295,000).

CEO of Yopa, Verona Frankish, commented:- "The latest figures show that the nation is pretty much split down the middle when it comes to both the price paid and the volume of sales for both odd and even numbered properties. When breaking the figures down further, the more conventional numbers remain the most common when it comes to the total number of homes sold. This is only to be expected given that they are far more plentiful when it comes to housing stock levels. However, in today's market, it's the far less conventional numbers that are commanding the highest price. It might seem strange that 1 number may be more valuable than another, but they can still be hugely influential to homebuyers and their preference of property. Some may suffer from the fear of odd numbers, while others may make their decision based on sentimental or superstitious influences. It may be that on a certain street, 1 side of either odd or even numbered homes also boast south facing gardens, which can also help boost house price potential. There's a whole host of reasons why your house number may help or hinder your property sale, so it's well worth looking into if you're currently on the market."

If you want to know how this information was sourced, it comes from the Land Registry Price Paid data set for sold prices of homes sold across:- England and Wales, between:- January and August 2023; latest available.