But in Scotland regulations are tighter – see 'What do the smoke alarm and heat alarm law changes in Scotland mean for me', below.

It goes without saying that every home should have a smoke alarm. You never know when you might need it, and it might save your life. Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk.

Purchase Smoke Alarms

If you buy a battery-powered smoke alarm (rather than a mains-powered one), you'll need to decide whether you want one with a replaceable 9V battery, or sealed fixed-life battery The regulations state that all homes will need a smoke alarm to be installed in the most used room, which is likely to be the living room in most homes. And an interlinked heat alarm will need to be needed in the kitchen.

Heat Alarms: They detect the increase in temperature from a fire and are insensitive to smoke. They can therefore be installed in kitchens. They only cover a relatively small area of a room, so potentially several heat alarms need to be installed in a large kitchen. Pros: Can suit dustier areas, such as lofts, the area near your bathroom or rooms where people smoke. Regular beeps or chirps are a sign that the battery needs to be replaced. More frequent beeps or chirps – around one every 30 seconds – are likely to be a sign that the alarm has reached the end of its life and signals the time to buy a new one.Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your freezer.

All of the major manufacturers (Aico, FireAngel and Kidde) make smoke and heat alarms that will work in combination with one another and we have tested pairs of smoke and heat alarms from each of them.As of February 2022, the Nest protect smoke and CO alarm no longer meet the requirements of the new Scottish alarm laws. This is because, while it can be linked to other Nest alarms, it has no way of detecting heat rises or of being linked to another heat alarm.