24,000 died due to cold homes last winter?

[SpikeMac]

Double glazing payback time is on the scale of decades.

 

Soon to be on the scale of milliseconds, given the current rate of increase in Gas and Electricity prices:)

[retep]

What a load of old tut. Typical DM hysterics again.

 

Older people get a winter fuel allowance

Older people have lived in homes where central heating did not exist, many other had outside toilets.

 

Even in the 70s and right through to the 80s central heating was a luxury that many many people did not have. Nobody died a frozen block.

 

My first property purchase which was a 90s new build didn't have central heating and instead chose to put in gas heaters in each room.

 

What is the REAL reason behind these alleged deaths? There is far more than the pitchfork brigage chanting about greedy energy companies.

 

Colds, Coughts, Influenza, slippery conditions, delayed/cancelled transport leading to long waits in the cold and rain..... there could be anything which affects our elders.

 

We all know the DM has just plucked out the scary headlines in the report and twisted it to suit their own whiny hysterical articles. Wait till the first flakes fall and it will be Killer snow wipes out britain and Grit crisis all over again.

 

Move along.... Nothing to see here.

 

Its winter. It happens every year. It gets cold. Get over it.

 

 

"In 2011/12 there were 22,800 more deaths in England between the months of December 2011 to March 2012 than were observed during the non winter months.

 

Excess deaths are not just deaths of those who would have

died anyway in the next few weeks or months due to illness or old age. There is strong evidence that some of these winter deaths are indeed extra and are related to cold temperatures and living in cold homes as well as infectious diseases such as influenza.

 

In the recent past, the rate of

winter deaths in England was twice the rate observed in some northern European

countries, such as Finland."

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252838/Cold_Weather_Plan_2013_final.pdf

[I1L2T3]

I don't really understand why people want to deny this is real. My other half works in the medical profession and they are inundated every winter with people whose illnesses are made worse by the weather, mostly older ladies and gents. It stands to reason that bad housing conditions will make this worse.

[geared]

Yes but how many people are eligible for help/benefits to improve their home but haven't inquired about it???

 

I'm guessing a good number, if you can't afford to heat your home then you should fall into the category of being eligible for help.

 

They do also get £200 winter heating allowance - how quickly does this disappear?

[altus]

I don't really understand why people want to deny this is real. My other half works in the medical profession and they are inundated every winter with people whose illnesses are made worse by the weather, mostly older ladies and gents. It stands to reason that bad housing conditions will make this worse.

 

Nobody is denying that excess winter deaths exist. What people are denying are the claims made by some on here that ALL the excess deaths are down to people not being able to afford to heat their homes. e.g. Viruses cause some of those excess winter deaths. In winter people tend to spend more of their time inside where it is warm but that means they are in closer proximity to others which make it easier for viruses to spread.

[poppet2]

Yes but how many people are eligible for help/benefits to improve their home but haven't inquired about it???

 

I'm guessing a good number, if you can't afford to heat your home then you should fall into the category of being eligible for help.

 

They do also get £200 winter heating allowance - how quickly does this disappear?

 

But the the winter fuel allowance was cut by £50 for pensioners & £100 for over 80's, when the Coalition came into power.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/7951203/Winter-fuel-payment-cuts-to-hit-millions-of-pensioners.html

 

What happens if you apply for theses grants and it's still not enough to keep your house warm because your house is just old with high ceilings?

 

---------- Post added 25-10-2013 at 13:42 ----------

 

It would be cruel to double glaze OAPs in their own home as it would reduce social contact.

 

Please explain?

[avidcameron]

But you can only insulate so far. Victorian houses for example have high ceilings and big windows. Not everyone can afford the heat to evenly distribute in a small room with a high ceiling and large windows.

There are grants for draugh proofing but not grants for double glazing the elderly in their own homes?

I simply felt this was a step too far.Double glazing people seems rather cruel.

[Allen]

Yes but how many people are eligible for help/benefits to improve their home but haven't inquired about it???

 

I'm guessing a good number, if you can't afford to heat your home then you should fall into the category of being eligible for help.

 

They do also get £200 winter heating allowance - how quickly does this disappear?

Not so.....

I've looked into the "Warm Home Scheme".....

Many homes in the village are having the walls insulated. These are solid sandstone walls with no cavity...the insulation being externally applied.

To qualify...the only form of heating has to be either coal or firewood.(both by the way are capable of fuelling a central heating system)

I use a wood burner to heat the living room, but because I have a gas fuelled central heating system that I can't afford to run ...I can't have the free insulation.

The only room I heat is the living room......and then only in the evenings.