HomeServe Puts the Spotlight On Festive Light Safety

Every year, thousands of people put themselves and their families at risk simply by putting up their Christmas lights, according to the UK home repair and maintenance experts HomeServe. In a study involving more than 20 Midlands homes, HomeServe electricians discovered that around half of them risked their lives by not following installation instructions.

To help keep every UK home safe this Christmas, HomeServe has released a set of guidelines for homeowners looking to add a little Christmas sparkle to their homes this winter.
1. Don't place lights near gas or electric heaters, candles, fireplaces, or other sources of heat or flame.
2. Never puncture wires with nails or staples and never hang lights on sharp objects or hooks.
3. Ensure bulbs don't touch the power supply cord or other electrical wiring.
4. Never leave lights unattended and be sure to turn them off before leaving the home or going to bed for the night.
5. Keep lights out of the reach of children.
6. Never close doors or windows on electrical cords.
7. Ensure bulbs and cords are kept clear of cloth, paper, or other materials.
8. Replace dead bulbs as soon as possible with replacements of the same voltage and wattage to prevent overheating.
9. Unplug the lights prior to installation or maintenance.
10. Never string together more than the recommended number of light sets together to prevent overloading electrical wiring. If the number is not stated in the instructions, three sets are generally seen as being acceptable.

Homeowners worried about the installation of their Christmas light displays can contact HomeServe's electricians. They will inspect the displays and install them for customers, if necessary.

"Christmas lights are becoming more popular every year and the displays keep getting more elaborate. After inspecting 20 light displays, we found many of the homeowners failed to take the proper safety precautions. We hope our new Christmas light service will keep homeowners safe and give them some peace of mind. They'll be the safest and most festive on the street," explained HomeServe Membership's CEO, Jon Florsheim.

About HomeServe's 'Jobs Around the Home' Service

The 'jobs around the home' service offered by HomeServe gives homeowners access to qualified tradespeople who are able to perform hundreds of different jobs around the home. The company provides homeowners with complete transparency and provides them with a quoted price, upfront, prior to the start of any work. Emergency response times are less than two hours for many jobs. Non-emergency jobs are booked when it's convenient for the homeowners. Most work comes with a 12-month guarantee, so homeowners never have to worry.

HomeServe looks after all major household emergencies and important repairs. The new service offered by the company takes care of several household jobs including plumbing and boiler repairs as well as pest control, washing machine repairs and aerial installations.

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About HomeServe

Every minute a HomeServe engineer comes to the rescue of a British household.

With over 2,700 directly employed and sub-contracted engineers, HomeServe is a national emergency home repair service backed by a 24 hour claims handling and repair network

HomeServe's new tradesmen service provides households with access to vetted tradesmen who are qualified to carry out hundreds of different jobs around the home

HomeServe tradesmen are guaranteed to turn up on time, to hold the necessary qualifications to do the job at hand, to provide a price before they start the job and will even guarantee their work for a 12 month period afterwards.

HomeServe also offers insurance cover for plumbing, drains, electrical wiring and gas central heating. It has over 7.2 million policy members in the UK and a further 2.4 million in the USA, France and Spain.