As we near the end of February, talk in the House Beautiful office about frozen pipes and power cuts has given way to discussions on when the lawn will need its first cut and which spring breaks offer best value. But now the extreme winter weather is more or less over for another year, it’s a good time to review your energy arrangements and plan any upgrades or changes – before it becomes an emergency.

When my 83-year-old mum moved from a country cottage into her compact flat in Sussex more than three years ago, two of the main considerations were that it should be easy to heat and low maintenance. After paying high oil prices for her fuel deliveries in her last home she was keen to reduce heating bills, as well as avoid the hassle of ordering a new delivery when stocks were low.

'My new boiler is extremely efficient and my gas standing order is in credit as I use even less than I had anticipated,' she explains. Mum’s boiler is a British Gas model and, for a few pounds a month, she also has a call-out guarantee with no extra costs incurred if anything should go wrong.

'The men on the phone are always extremely helpful. Once there was a problem with a blocked valve - they came out straightaway and told me what to do if it ever happened again. It did happen again, I did as they said and it worked!'

We were so impressed by the free useful advice! Has a workman ever saved you a call-out fee by giving you a simple fix?