Talk is cheap when it comes to fuel poverty

Imagine being forced to live in a single room as spiralling fuel costs make heating your home impossible. For many pensioners, such a frightening thought is a sad reality as they are left with no choice but to make drastic cutbacks just to stay alive over the winter.

In fact, a new report by the British Gas Help The Aged Partnership estimates that 4.5million elderly people will heat a single room – and 25 percent would climb into bed as a way of keeping warm.

But what is alarming is that we hear the same year after year and nothing has been done apart from a few token payments to alleviate the pressure of fuel poverty on the elderly. Winter fuel payments are set to increase – a much needed start for sure – and a sign that the government is at least looking at the problem.

But what are organisations like British Gas and E.ON doing to help their elderly customers?

Not a lot in the case of one lady I spoke to.

Widow Noreen Binz lives in South Shields and is on a tariff run by E.ON Age Concern, which she hoped would have her best interests at heart. Instead she’s faced gas and electric bills over the summer totalling more than £300. Confusing bills have compounded the problem – and forced her to consider cancelling her direct debit to the company until she knew how much she had to pay.

“I’m frightened of the costs,” she says. And who can blame her? Her suppliers have certainly done very little to help – and instead of cutting costs continue to pressure the government to increase winter fuel payments.

Reports like this raise awareness of the plight of many pensioners but lack credibility coming from an industry content to bleat about the Governments inactivity but doing little itself.
But at least the report has one use; On top of an open fire, as much needed winter fuel…