With hundreds of thousands of householders all bracing themselves for the inevitable hiked up gas and electricity prices this winter, many will be considering taking extra precautions to ensure their heating system does not falter in the colder weather.

But research from Defaqto has revealed that some of the home emergency policies available on the market are falling short of homeowners' expectations, with many of them varying in what they have to offer.

Some 307 home emergency products are now on the market, but almost a quarter of them do not offer any kind of central heating cover as standard - and just one per cent would include it as an optional extra.

Similarly, some 15 per cent of the policies looked at by Defaqto do not provide protection against boiler breakdown as standard, while only 17 per cent offer annual boiler servicing as a core part of the policy.

Anna-Marie Duthie, insight support analyst for general insurance at the organisation, commented: "What is abundantly clear is that within the current home emergency market a very wide range of benefits are available, via an assortment of different providers which can be purchased at an array of premiums."

She noted that some will see this in a positive light, making consumer choice king, but in reality it could mean consumers selecting products without realising what their range of options are.

"Although the cost of any insurance is always going to be an important factor, the features and benefits offered by a policy should always be the main consideration. In reality, someone will only ever find out how good their insurance policy is when they need to make a claim," Ms Duthie added.

Householders who want to cut down on their bills might also be interested in switching their old lights for energy efficient LED light bulbs, as these have been proven to reduce electricity usage and therefore save money.