With Winter Fuel Payments scrapped, millions of pensioners will be worried today, about the months ahead.
If you’re concerned about the announcements this week and want to know how to prepare for the upcoming winter, now is the time to chat to a RES Energy Advisor.
We asked Sarah Parry from RES how this will affect families,
“The Chancellors announcement will be distressing for many pensioners, who won’t qualify under the new criteria, but who will still need help to pay their bills. With millions of pensioners set to be affected, we will endeavour to support and advise in any way we can, utilising our partnerships to signpost struggling homes to any available support.”
Winter Fuel Payments Eligibility Changes
Winter fuel payments have been available to everyone above state pension age, which is currently 66 for both men and women.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said,
“From this year onwards, the Government will continue to provide winter fuel payments worth £200 for households receiving pension credit, or £300 for households in receipt of pension credit with someone over the age of 80.”
This will reduce the number of people receiving winter fuel payments from over 11 million to around 1.5 million people, which is expected to give a saving of £1.4 billion this financial year.
What can pensioners do to make their homes warmer?
This update could make it a lot harder for pensioners to be able to live in a warm home, especially those who have inefficient insulation or heating systems in their homes. Upgrading a home’s amount of insulation is a good start to creating a warmer and more liveable home environment, from cavity wall insulation to loft insulation. Upgrading a boiler could also have a big impact, especially when combined with insulation installation.
RES recently helped a wonderful elderly couple with improving their homes energy efficiency measures, take a look at Dennis’ Story.
All of these home improvements may sound costly, but luckily there are funding options available, including the ECO 4 scheme for pensioners.
How to reduce pensioners energy bills quickly
There are also other ways to help reduce energy bills for pensions from quick wins to more energy efficient habits that help to add up savings over time.
Draught proofing
Simple measures like draught proofing windows and doors can prevent heat loss. Door brushes, and draught excluders are not too expensive and easy to install.
Only heat rooms in use
TRVs can be fitted to radiators so that you are only heating rooms that are in use, saving energy by only heating rooms in use and not heating the entire house.
LED Lighting
Switching from incandescent traditional bulbs to LED bulbs can save on lighting costs. LEDs last longer, so you won’t be replacing bulbs as often either.
Unplug unused devices
Devices left on standby still consume energy. Unplugging devices or using a power strip to turn off multiple devices at once, this is a small amount but it can easily add up once you take into account all of the devices and a long time period!
Washing clothes
Wash clothes at 30°C instead of higher temperatures. Modern detergents work just as well at lower temperatures, a lot of machines have an eco mode that takes longer but does use less energy compared to faster and hotter settings.
Cooking tips
Use a microwave or slow cooker instead of a conventional oven when possible, as these use less energy. When using the oven, cooking multiple dishes at once can also save energy. Check out this blog for even more energy efficient kitchen appliances advice.
Smart meters
Smart meters provide real time information on energy usage, helping you understand where and how you can cut back. They also eliminate the need for estimated bills, ensuring you only pay for exactly what you use.
What is Fuel Poverty?
A household is considered to be fuel poor if its total income is not adequate to keep the home reasonably warm and comfortable. With every increase in fuel bills, more households find themselves at risk of fuel poverty.
An estimated 7 million UK households will be living in fuel poverty this winter and this year, OFGEM has announced a 5% energy price increase*. That’s an average £94 increase in energy costs for households. This means the risk of fuel poverty is extremely close to all of us and it’s where Residential Energy Service can help, if you are in fuel poverty or think that you may be this winter, please get in touch with us!
*according to OFGEM Energy Price Cap – Between 1 January to 31 March 2024 the energy price cap is set at £1,928 a year for a typical household who use gas and electricity and pay by Direct Debit
