It means the heating season will soon be upon us, although if the experience of the last few years is anything to go by, the date for switching on the central heating is getting later and later.

It’s no coincidence that Gas Safety Week is this time of year and our industry takes safety seriously, I don’t need to tell you that. Our industry is also ambitious. It wants to do more and rightly so. That’s why we are calling for mandatory annual servicing of all heating appliances.

And I don’t just mean a gas safety check, obligatory in the rented sector now, I mean a full service. Let’s make sure our appliances, boilers, fires, cookers, heat pumps are all operating as efficiently as possible.

In calling for mandatory servicing, we want to make sure the private housing sector gets an annual safety check plus the confidence that their system is running at its optimum. The service, like a car MOT, could also offer “advice” on what else consumers can do to reduce their bills. It might be as simple as lowering the flow temperature of the boiler, to fitting new smart controls. For the rented sector, especially the private rented sector where fuel poverty is most endemic, checking that the heating system is efficient not just safe, has to be the way forward. Bill savings to tenants from reduced energy usage is good for them and the carbon savings that go with it, good for the planet.

There is also another benefit. Identifying when an appliance is coming to the end of its life is far preferable to just waiting until it stops working. Whether we are replacing an appliance on a like-for-like basis, or supporting a shift to a new technology, planning when this takes place is cheaper and less disruptive than being forced to make a change. Annual servicing helps identify that ‘sweet-spot.’ Maximising the life of an old appliance before buying a new one.

Industry has identified what progress looks like. Now it’s over to government to see whether they want to embrace this way forward or just stick with the bare minimum.