A sharp cold snap in early January has driven a surge in demand for boiler spares with freezing temperatures putting heating systems under sustained pressure, according to City Plumbing.
During the first two weeks of the month, City Plumbing recorded a 21% increase in boiler spares sales and a 25% increase in items picked from branch stock compared with the same period last year, reflecting the busy start to the year for plumbing and heating engineers dealing with breakdowns, emergency call-outs and urgent repairs.
Early January 2026 saw low temperatures with snow and prolonged periods of sub-zero conditions as Storm Goretti hit on 8 January.
“Our figures show just how quickly breakdown demand rises when temperatures fall,” said Roz Kane, Managing Director for Spares at City Plumbing. “Engineers are under pressure to get systems back on fast, and delays caused by missing or incorrect spares quickly become the biggest frustration on a job.”
The cold snap also arrived at a time when repair work is already on the rise. City Plumbing’s Taking the Temperature report shows that 80% of installers are now seeing more demand to repair and maintain existing heating systems rather than replace them, while 85% say fast access to spares is more important than ever.
“The Met Office is suggesting further cold weather could arrive later in January and into early February, so this is exactly the time when installers need confidence that the spares they need will be available when they need them,” added Roz. “By keeping branches well stocked and systems running smoothly, we’re making sure engineers can focus on fixing boilers, not chasing spares.”
