There is growing concern that elderly people in the UK are not staying warm enough during the harsh winters, as many continue to live without central heating.
According to analysis of the 2021 Census, 66,000 of the 3.1 million older citizens in England and Wales living alone had no central heating in March 2021. This equates to 2.1 per cent of the ageing population.
The area where the greatest proportion lived without central heating was in Barrow in Cumbria.
Director at charity Age UK Caroline Abrahams said the data is of “tremendous concern”, according to Manchester World.
“Older people lacking central heating often find it very difficult to stay warm during the winter months with potentially serious consequences for their health and wellbeing,” she stated.
Ms Abrahams noted that living alone means people are more vulnerable, as they only have their own finances to pay for household bills.
“One person’s income has to stretch further to cover the fixed costs of heating a home,” she commented.
To improve the situation for future winters, Ms Abrahams called on the government to do more to help elderly people living alone in England and Wales.
“Expanding central heating access and providing suitable alternatives to keep older people warm will be absolutely key,” the Age UK representative stated.
Heating bills have soared over the last couple of years, thanks to rising energy costs, making the problem worse for elderly bill payers.
To ease the financial strain, the government introduced the Energy Bills Support Scheme, offering a £400 discount on bills until March 2023.
Additionally, it implemented the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), limiting average household bills to £2,500 per year, so bill payers do not have to worry about their charges escalating every month. This will remain in effect until June this year.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme is also available to those who get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or are on a low income and have high energy costs.
Other support packages include a £300 pensioner Cost of Living payment, and the Winter Fuel Payment. This is available for those born before September 26th 1956 and is between £250 and £600.
A Cold Weather Payment may also help those who are getting certain benefits already when the temperature in the area is forecast to be below zero degrees celsius for 7 days in a row. Those who are eligible will receive £25 for each week of freezing temperatures between November 1st and March 31st.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was quoted as saying: “We know this is a difficult time for families, including older people, which is why we’ve been covering around half of the typical household’s energy bill.”
It has committed £6.6 billion to improving energy efficiency, as this will reduce bills in the long-run.
Getting a new boiler installation in south London is a wise move for all bill payers, no matter their age, as a modern appliance will use less gas and cut costs.