Lomilomi

Gone are the days of popping into a branch or picking up a telephone - now the only way to shop for home insurance is in the comfort of your Myquoteinsurance chair.

Research conducted by Global Reviews has revealed that homeowners now prefer to shop online for home insurance with a little over half (53 per cent) using individual websites, 41 per cent using search engines and 29 per cent utilizing a price comparison website.

Of these methods, using a price comparison website received the most positive reviews - over a fifth believing that was the most useful method of shopping for quotes, compared with 19 per cent who prefer individual websites and seven per cent who believe using the phone is the best.

The vast majority of home insurance companies offer their best deals exclusively to new customers online. For example, Barclays has a 10 per cent discount for online shoppers, Birmingham Midshires runs a 75 cashback deal and a 19 per cent online discount and Bradford & Quote Insurance claims you can save as much as 23 per cent by shopping online.

While the savings to be made through individual providers are impressive, consumers looking for the best deals should compare all their options using a home insurance comparison website. These websites compare dozens of quotes from a range of providers in minutes giving Quote Insurance an overview of what's available.

To save further, homeowners should not stop at simply picking up the most favourable quote. Improving the security of your home, with double glazing and alarms, moving to a non-flood risk area and planting trees away from the property to avoid subsidence claims can help you save.

For cheap home insurance shop online every year - do not accept renewal quotes as home insurance companies offer their best deals to new customers.