Three In Four Elderly People Admit They Were Cold In Their Own Homes In January
New research for the Charity Age UK has revealed that 3 in 4 (75% – equivalent to 9.1 million) aged 66 and over said that their homes were colder than they would like them to be some, most of or all of the time.
For those pensioners on low to modest household incomes of £20,000 or less, a massive one in three (35%) said their home was too cold most or all of the time.
A similar proportion of older private renters, 1 in 3 (34% ), also said their home was cold most or all of the time.
On the day Age UK delivered its 650,056 strong Save the Winter Fuel Payment for struggling pensioners petition to No.10 Downing Street, the findings for the Charity highlighted the significant pressures being felt by many pensioners this winter. Two in five (41%) pensioners said that they had recently had to cut back on heating or powering their home – equivalent to 5 million.
Nearly half (48%) of people aged 66+ revealed they were worried about being able to heat their homes when they wanted to, and 44% told Age UK they’re worried about the impact of energy prices on their health – noticeably higher than last year (January 2024) when 1 in 3 (33%) said they were worried about this.
As part of its campaign, Age UK launched a nationwide petition calling for the Government to halt their proposed change to the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) and think again. The Charity strongly opposed the cut to the WFP and repeatedly warned that at least 2.5 million older people would struggle without it and wouldn’t be able to afford to stay adequately warm in their homes.
Age UK’s Save the Winter Fuel Payment for struggling pensioners petition has captured hundreds of thousands of people’s views and experiences and shows the depth of feeling among the older population about the policy change.
New research for the Charity Age UK shows that there is broad public support for policy changes to help older people to stay warm. Eighty-five per cent (85%) agreed that pensioners with a disability should get the Winter Fuel Payment and 72% thought that the Government should provide additional funding to households on lower incomes so they can gain access to household energy efficiency improvements.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:
“This is the first January since the Government decided to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) and it is a national scandal that so many older people are saying they are cold in their own homes, some, most or all of the time. The position of those on lower incomes is worse still, with one in three saying they are cold at home most or all of the time. Rising energy prices are an important reason for this, but there’s no doubt that the changes to eligibility for Winter Fuel Payment are also contributing, both directly and also through sapping the confidence of many older people to run their heating when it’s bitterly cold, for fear of an unaffordable bill.”
“Today we will present Age UK’s #SaveWinterFuelPayment petition to No 10, backed by 650,056 people. Our petition shows the strength of support behind our Winter Fuel Payment campaign and we hope the Government will listen and commit to further action so we don’t see a repeat of this fiasco next year.”
“We cannot and we must not go through this all over again next winter. Energy prices continue to rise and struggling older people must be better protected now and in the years to come. The Government must ensure that older people are able to be sufficiently warm through the colder months – something that clearly isn’t the case for millions at the moment.”
“There are several ways for it to do this: it could re-instate the Winter Fuel Payment for older people who receive a wider range of benefits than just Pension Credit; it could reform and significantly extend eligibility for the Warm Home Discount; it could bring in a social tariff to give people on low incomes or those with high costs due to disability a guaranteed discounted energy deal; or it could pursue a combination of these kinds of measures.”
“Doing nothing would however be completely unacceptable in the face of the evidence we are presenting today. Government spokespeople continue to assert that poor pensioners are being protected but that is simply not credible when there are still 700,000 pensioner households who are eligible for Pension Credit but not receiving it, according to the latest Government statistics, and when you consider the human reality behind the statistics we are releasing today.
“This winter has shown beyond any doubt that older people on low incomes and in vulnerable circumstances need more support with high energy prices that are expected to remain high for years to come, and the Government must respond.”
The Charity is calling on the Government to:
- Extend eligibility for the WFP to other pensioner benefits, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Attendance Allowance (and other disability benefits) and Carer’s Allowance.
- Adopt a sustained and strategic approach to tackle the persistently low take-up of Pension Credit and other pensioner benefits.
Implement an energy social tariff which provides a unit-based discount to those with low-incomes, disabilities and for carers. It should also facilitate the continued funding of independent energy advice and support services. - Bring forward the Warm Homes Plan as soon as possible, and ensuring those living in cold, damp and mouldy homes are prioritised for support.
