Christmas is just around the corner, and an estimated one in three households are expected to travel elsewhere between December 24 and 26, rather than staying at home.

As well as avoiding the expense of hosting guests, those who are heading elsewhere may also be looking forward to reducing their energy consumption over this period and seeing lower energy bills.

While it may be tempting to turn off your heating completely, experts recommend you don’t do this, especially if temperatures outside are set to drop below freezing in your area.

Otherwise, you could return home to a rather nasty and expensive surprise – a burst pipe.

Stephen Hankinson, energy expert at Electric Radiators Direct, explains: “Burst pipes are typically caused by low temperatures that can lead to the water within your pipes freezing and then expanding.

“A burst water pipe is usually pretty obvious, with large amounts of water pouring out and potentially flooding your home. Naturally, it’s something you will really want to avoid!

“According to Checkatrade, repairing a burst water pipe is usually a relatively straightforward job, which will take a couple of hours, but it can be expensive to do.

“The repair job typically costs around £330, but you may have to pay an emergency plumber call out fee on top (with it being Christmas) which averages £112 per hour.

“With this in mind, realistically you’re looking at a bill of at least £550 to fix this problem, and that doesn’t include replacement flooring if this is damaged too.

“In contrast, heating your home on a ‘tick-over’ schedule is likely to cost you a much more reasonable £3.80 per day.”

Stephen added: “Scheduling your heating is a big energy (and cost) saver in general, but it can really help you avoid the threat of burst pipes over Christmas.

“If you’re heading away over the festive period, and you can see that temperatures are set to drop to around or below freezing, then you do need some sort of ‘tick over’ heating schedule in place.

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“In most homes with adequate insulation, two hours of heating is enough to avoid a major issue. It’s often considered best to schedule your heating to come on for one hour at around 7pm, and again at 7am. This should help avoid pipes freezing during the coldest times of day (usually overnight), while still minimising energy usage to keep your bills down. 

“You also don’t need to be heating your home to 22° if it’s empty. You can realistically drop the thermostat to 15 or 16°. This may mean your boiler shuts off before the end of those two scheduled heating hours, saving you even more money. Even at 15°, the water in your pipes should avoid freezing.

“Setting a schedule like this will typically cost you around £3.80 a day (not including standing charges), which is massive difference to the potential £550 you could pay out if you have a burst pipe.

“On a tick over schedule, it will of course be chilly when you get back though, so keep this in mind and plan for your heating to turn on while you’re travelling back so it feels nice and cosy on your return.”

Checkatrade recommends that if you do return home to a burst pipe, you should immediately shut off the water supply to prevent further flooding and minimise the amount of damage caused.

Next, they advise that you call a plumber to assess the damage and provide a cost for repair.

If the leak is under control and the repair isn’t urgent, they also advise that you compare costs from a few different plumbers to ensure you’re getting the best price and quality of work.