20% of pensioners struggle to pay energy bills
August 10, 2008
According to a recent survey 20% of pensioner are struggling so much with payments on energy bills that they spend the winter period in just one room in order to try and reduce their heating bills. The survey was carried out by Help the Aged, and shows that fuel poverty is still rife amongst the elderly despite energy usage costs being slashed by energy providers earlier this year.
The survey showed that around two million elderly people wear their outdoor clothes inside the house to try and keep warm without increasing their energy costs. Over two million elderly people turn off the heating despite the cold weather and around one million cut back on their food shopping to try and save money in other areas. Anna Pearson, from the British Gas Help the Aged Partnership, stated: “The government is literally gambling with people’s lives.”
According to figures around 25,000 elderly people die every year from winter illnesses that could have been prevented. Over two million elderly citizens use just one part of the house during the colder months to try and keep down energy costs, according to the survey results. Help the Aged is now urging the government to invest in advisory services for pensioners that are unsure about claiming benefits to help with costs such as these.
June Whitfield, who is involved in the campaign, stated: “Through an ongoing commitment to helping older people in the winter, we have learned that with the right benefits advice and support older people do receive the benefits they are entitled to.” The charity claims that this year alone billions of pounds worth of benefits that were available for the elderly have not been claimed.
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