How much do home insurance quotes vary across the country? Quite a lot, it would seem: your postcode can make up to £180 of difference to your premiums, with those living in Bournemouth being the biggest savers when you compare home insurance quotes nationwide.

The seaside resort has two postcode districts in a recent survey of the ten cheapest postcodes to insure in the country, the average premium coming in at just a little over £100. This is a 176% saving compared to the UK’s most expensive postcode district (Harrow’s HA7), where you can expect to pay nearly £300 to cover your home.

In fact, the ten most expensive postcodes in the country to insure all lie in North London; however this is unsurprising due to the area itself being so expensive to buy in the first place, coupled with a mixed bag of crime rates.

What’s also interesting is that there is no ‘cheapest’ region, the ten most affordable districts being spread literally all over the country: Bournemouth comes first, followed by York, then Glasgow, Tidworth, Nottingham, Leicester and Northern Ireland. Every country in Great Britain is represented, Cardiff just sneaking in at number ten.

The overall average home insurance premium is £164.26, but as previously mentioned, depending on where you live, it can vary a huge deal – up to nearly double that. So, what can you do in order to keep your home insurance premiums down? Well, here are a few things to consider:

• Fit five lever mortice locks and consider changing the locks – if your house has previous owners, you don’t know who might have a key.
• Fit smoke alarms and give up smoking – both of these things can decrease your premiums by a noticeable amount.
• Join a neighbourhood watch scheme – this can reduce your premiums by up to 5%.
• Install security lighting and a NACOSS approved alarm – these will also help to slash the cost of your insurance.

Another great way to save money on your home insurance is simply not to have to claim on it. Many insurers will offer a no-claims discount just like they will with car insurance, and a few years of discount built up can really help drive your premium right down.