More than three quarters of all homeowners and private renters who know what Carbon Monoxide is, say advice from a fully-qualified tradesperson is important when it comes to buying an alarm, a survey by YouGov for Honeywell has found.
The survey of 2,915 homeowners and private renters in England and Wales discovered that 76% of those who know what Carbon Monoxide is, said that advice from a gas engineer, plumber or other professional would be important to them when choosing which alarm to fit. A similar percentage of those without alarms in their homes (76%) said they would be likely to buy an alarm from a servicing engineer who offered to fit it for a reasonable fee.
Faced with many cheap and unreliable imports, householders also overwhelmingly stressed the need for high quality, with 88% of those who know what Carbon Monoxide is saying that whether an alarm had a Kitemark or certification to European standards would be important to their decision of which to buy.
“Plumbers, gas-fitters and similar professionals clearly have a major role to play in protecting the public by fitting reliable alarms,” said Tim Jack, Honeywell’s Business Development Leader for Carbon Monoxide alarms. “Unfortunately there are many low-quality products on the market and this is why the use of alarms accredited with the safety Kitemark should be standard.”
The survey showed that only 47% of homeowners and private renters who know what Carbon Monoxide is have a CO alarm and 23% neither have Carbon Monoxide alarms nor ensure regular servicing of domestic appliances that can emit the gas.
Overall, only 49% of respondents living in private homes have regular servicing of the fuel-powered appliances in their household, despite 88% saying that the statement “I can/ could tell from the smell if there is a Carbon Monoxide leak in a fuel-powered appliance in my household” is false.
Barry Sheerman, MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group, campaigning for Carbon Monoxide alarms to be a mandatory requirement in UK homes, said: “Carbon Monoxide poisoning is a great danger and thousands of people are treated for it every year. The number of homes with alarms may be higher in this survey than industry expectations as it does not include public sector and social housing. This survey shows trade professionals hold the key to preventing tragic deaths through fitting accredited Carbon Monoxide alarms and annual servicing of appliances.”
