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Original poster

To be concerned about people who can't afford heating in this weather as well as the homeless

76 replies

AbsentmindedWoman · 10/12/2017 20:36

Feeling slightly sad about anyone who can't afford to put their heating on, or who has no warm clothes or electricity to make a hot drink or meal. Especially older people or families with small children, or ill people.

I moved from a very damp, chilly, crumbling down house a couple of months ago - I was there from February this year and so thank my lucky stars I'm not there during this bitterly cold weather. Not everyone is lucky enough to be somewhere warm and dry.

I can't believe in 2017 this is a problem here in the UK, it's like something from Dickens Sad

That's leaving out the people who are actually outside in this snow and sleet. I've tried googling but can't find out - will their be an extra push from councils to try and get emergency shelter for people at the moment?

OP posts:
Bubblebubblepop · 11/12/2017 18:52

I'm not sure, they are very basic- no running water. They probably do have gas bottles

HeardItAll · 11/12/2017 19:09

This is me unfortunately. I have 3 dcs and left a very abusive relationship in just the clothes we were wearing. We've got a house but very little to put in it never mind heating oil.

SVP have got us clothes and some groceries so we'll not go hungry but we definitely are cold!! And no warm home discount cos we're in Ireland so I really have nothing for anything. But I know we're very fortunate in that we're all safe now but last nite when none of us slept cos we were so cold I did wonder if I made a mistake when I LTB!! 😢

Qwebec · 11/12/2017 19:11

Political action can make a difference. Where I live the winters are colder, but fall is similar to UK weather. Most people heat electric.

From november till April it is illegal to cut electricity even if bills go unpaid. Heating is considered an essential service. I never heard of someone dying because of the cold indoors. There are also a ton of grants that make adding insulation to a home really cheap. The electricity costs of a home are also public information so you have a good idea how well a home is insulated before you move in.

PersianCatLady · 11/12/2017 19:16

It costs you £200 A month to heat your home??

PersianCatLady · 11/12/2017 19:18

GiveMeOneReason
It sounds like you have storage heaters with added convection heaters.

The storage part should gather electricity at night at then heat your home during the day.

Are you sure that you are using them properly

Vitalogy · 11/12/2017 19:22

they are very basic- no running water. Where I work, they park up sometimes, I saw a woman the other day with a bowl and some water, maybe they get those massive water bottle like the ones on the drinks dispensers and use it sparingly. I do wonder how they do their clothes washing, I've seen it drying over the bushes before.
I watched a documentary once about tribes woman in the desert, they didn't have water to wash but would smoke themselves. The ingenuity of woman especially is incredible.

Givemeonereason · 11/12/2017 19:23

@PersianCatLady they don't work properly. They don't store the heat if you know what I mean. We've tried leaving them on with the output off and input on max but it doesn't store anything.

Bubblebubblepop · 11/12/2017 19:24

It can do. In winter, not all year

PersianCatLady · 11/12/2017 19:27

GiveMeOneReason
Are you renting?

If you are you need to tell the 'LL that they aren't working and you need a way of heating your home.

Storage heaters are shit though.

PersianCatLady · 11/12/2017 19:29

I would think that £200 is not an average monthly costs but it still annoys me that elderly people get WFA but they won't use it to heat their homes.

Perhaps it should be applied straight to heating bills rather than given as cash.

passemoilevin · 11/12/2017 19:31

Warm home discounts are applied straight to heating bills aren't they? Mine will be, apparently.

But not till march, so not ideal.

PersianCatLady · 11/12/2017 19:33

WHD are applied straight to the bill.

WFA are usually paid to bank accounts

BubblesBubblesBubbles · 11/12/2017 19:44

I’m cold and I’m inside with the heating set at 22. It’s -4 at the moment set to go down to -8. I cant even imagine how other people are feeling and I feel incredibly grateful to be able to have my heating on and my children will never go cold.

I remember living in my first flat, It had night storage heaters and they were broken. It was cold, so very very cold.

Akire · 11/12/2017 20:00

IVe Just checked with my engery supplier and I may qualify for this. Only pensioners getbit automatically. I’ve never had any information about this so have applied now. Not sure if those not in core group only have a certain amount they give out but shall wait and see.

dementedma · 11/12/2017 20:07

our boiler has been out of action for a week while we try and find a plumber who will work on a steeply angled ladder - British Gas won't for health and safety reasons!!
so no central heating and no hot water. We have a fire in the front room and portable heaters which we move from room to room as required. you can see your breath in the bedrooms and washing hair in ice cold water gives me a head ache. it's been a week and I'm sick of it....must be hell to be like this all the time.

Vitalogy · 11/12/2017 20:23

dementedma Hopefully you can get your boiler fixed sooner rather than later. When I had no hot water out of the taps, luckily I had a couple of kettles, with them on the go a few times I could manage a bath and hair wash in warm/hot water. I know what you mean about washing hair with cold water though, ooh the headache.

pling123 · 11/12/2017 21:05

I'm from Norway, but i lived in England for 5 years and i was shocked about the standard of buildings in uk. They are extremly poorly insulated and even new builds are freezing cold.

This is not a short term solution, but i think the building regulations need to be changed. New buildings and renovations needs to be made liveable in winter times, and there should be some government sponsoring to get existing buildings up to a liveable standard. I know with all the really old buildings you have in the UK i requires some extra measures compared to Norway, but long term, I think it would serve everyone well.

Obviously not on the expense of short term measures, but there should be some long term measures in plan.

Lokisglowstickofdestiny · 11/12/2017 21:24

It's bloody disgusting! I came out of Westminster tube station this morning at 7am - 3 individuals lying against one of the walls of the exit tunnel huddled under blankets. I was cold in three thick layers walking, God know how cold they must have been - within spitting distance of our lords and masters.

Janetsadick · 11/12/2017 21:32

We have a man in our town who has lived in the woods for years. He’s a lovely polite man, everyone knows him and helps him out. He doesn’t want to live indoors and refuses to go to the shelter.

I have no idea how he even stays alive on nights like tonight.

Janetsadick · 11/12/2017 21:34

When I say in the woods, he doesn’t have a tent, he has a copse of bushes he’s cleared out and sleeps in the middle of them.

Everyone knows them as his bit of the woods. Dog walkers etc check on him in the mornings and all the local cafes feed him. But still he must be utterly freezing.

PumpkinPie2016 · 11/12/2017 22:03

It is truly awful to think of people who cannot have heating on or who have to sleep outsideSad

People should not die from cold in this day and age. I try to do what I can to help charities which support homeless people - I suppose we just all have to do what we can.

meredintofpandiculation · 11/12/2017 22:08

it still annoys me that elderly people get WFA but they won't use it to heat their homes. What do they use it for then PersianCatLady?

Reminds me of what they used to say "No point giving them baths, they'll only use them to store coal in".

myusernameisnotmyusername · 11/12/2017 22:55

My first flat had storage heaters too. Hardly any of them worked so you could see the breath in front of your face.

mommytoboo86 · 11/12/2017 23:20

absentmindedwoman
Poor thing was frozen stiff, it was literally colder in his flat than outside. I hate to think what would have happened as I wasn't going 2 bother him but noticed his dog was whining by the front door which i knew was strange, he was very embarrassed but admitted to me that he had lost feeling in his feet & fingers so he knew he needed 2 say something. I took him 2 mine got him a roast dinner, topped up his electric & gave him my space heaters. I've phone his energy company today & they r going 2 fast track his winter fuel payment. It was a bit of a shock cos I know from experience that his meters must of cut off on Friday before 9pm so he was without anything for over 36 hours.
The worst thing was that he'd phoned his son on Saturday who said he'd pop over but never turned up until 1pm today. I don't think he would have lasted that long if I'm honest 😢

mommytoboo86 · 11/12/2017 23:36

persiancatlady because £200 doesn't go very far. The elderly are dying before they get the payment or after it's all gone.
My neighbour spends £20 a week on gas & electric but his wfa hasn't been paid yet but even if it had that's only 10 weeks energy. if we get a sudden cold snap either before the money's paid or after it runs out death is not far behind if they can't afford to put enough on out of their pension.
I've had £140 for whd this year it was put on my meter mid November... I have £35 of that left. weve been using about £6 per day here for the last 3 days but don't get paid until the 22nd if this cold snap continues I will be in my neighbours position myself

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