In recognition of National Preparedness Month, sponsored by FEMA, HomeServe USA (HomeServe), a leading provider of home emergency repair service plans, is encouraging Americans to be prepared for everyday household emergencies. Nearly half (49 percent) of Americans have experienced a home emergency breakdown in the past year, according to HomeServe’s latest survey, and many are not prepared to handle the financial burden these emergencies can cause. Twenty percent of Americans reported they had no emergency savings.

To determine how Americans protect themselves and their homes in case of an emergency, HomeServe commissioned Harris Poll to conduct an online survey in August 2014 among 2,029 U.S. adults aged 18 and older.

The most common home emergency breakdown reported in the survey was a blocked and/or overflowing sink or toilet, experienced by 22 percent of Americans, followed by repair or replacement of heating or air conditioning systems (18 percent) and leaking water pipes (10 percent). Other commonly cited home emergencies included needing a water heater repair or replacement (9 percent), having a faulty electrical circuit, switch or outlet (8 percent) or having an exterior water line or sewer line leak, break or burst pipe (8 percent).

Many Americans are looking for ways to protect their homes and their finances from these types of home emergency repairs, which are not traditionally covered by the typical homeowners’ insurance policy. According to the survey, one out of four (25 percent) Americans has purchased a protection service plan that covers the cost of replacement or repairs to their home systems and appliances.

“Home emergency repairs can cost between several hundred and several thousand dollars, an expense many Americans don’t budget for and can’t afford,” said Tom Rusin, CEO of HomeServe USA. “A lot of homeowners mistakenly believe their homeowners insurance covers these types of repairs and are caught completely off guard when they are faced with this type of expense. Taking out an affordable service repair plan helps homeowners protect themselves from the unexpected expense and inconvenience of home emergency repairs.”

Emergency preparedness in the home

Although some Americans may struggle to prepare financially for a home emergency, a vast majority (97 percent) keep some emergency supplies on hand. Flashlights (91 percent), batteries (85 percent), matches/lighters (80 percent), candles (79 percent) and nonperishable food (76 percent) are the top five items that Americans keep in their homes in case of emergency. Other commonly held emergency supplies include first aid kits (70 percent), medication (65 percent) and bottled water (58 percent). Just under a fifth (17 percent) have a generator, or back-up energy source, should the power fail.

The survey also found that among those Americans who are responsible for the major home infrastructure systems in their home – for example the heating or air conditioning units – a majority (51 percent) ensure they are serviced or tuned up once a year to prepare for extreme weather. On the opposite end of the spectrum, slightly more than a fifth (22 percent), of those who are responsible for their major home infrastructure systems, say they service their units every four years or less often, if ever.

“In the spirit of National Preparedness Month, we want to encourage homeowners to think not only about preparedness for major disasters, but also for emergencies on a smaller scale, right in your home, that can still have a big impact. Regularly servicing your home systems, like HVAC, in advance of cold weather can help keep your family safe and warm,” said Rusin. HomeServe looks forward to sharing more emergency preparedness-related news and tips on www.homeserveusa.com and via their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/homeserveusa.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between August 26th and 28th, 2014 among 2,029 adults (aged 18 and over) by Harris Poll on behalf of HomeServe via its Quick Query omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, the words “margin of error” are avoided as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About HomeServe

HomeServe USA Corp (HomeServe) is an independent provider of home emergency repair service plans. For over a decade, the company has protected homeowners against the expense and inconvenience of water, sewer, electrical, HVAC and other home emergencies by providing affordable coverage and quality service. HomeServe, a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business, serves over 1.6 million homeowners in the US and Canada and dedicates itself to being a customer-focused company providing best-in-class emergency repair plans through leading utility partners and directly to consumers. For more information about HomeServe, please go to www.homeserveusa.com, follow us on www.twitter.com/homeserveusa and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homeserveusa.