Three in four pensioners are living in a cold home

Wyllow3. Your two posts at 15:14 and 15:19 are still linking to the report dated 9 February 2024. The year is in the URL.

What help keeping quiet?, as you also discovered regardless of what the government or media states, there isn't help for borderline income families, itsca constant juggling of priorities.

I don’t mean to be flippant or smug, but I personally would sacrifice most other things and go into debt if necessary to keep warm and fed.
Not a happy prospect, but everything else would go by the wayside. Being cold and hungry would be no life, it is an absolute essential.

Granmarderby10

I don’t mean to be flippant or smug, but I personally would sacrifice most other things and go into debt if necessary to keep warm and fed.
Not a happy prospect, but everything else would go by the wayside. Being cold and hungry would be no life, it is an absolute essential.

Yes, this. I've never been a martyr and have no intention of being so.

Compared to some I feel quite well off.

It is about priorities yes, I haven't had a proper holiday for...well, since before Covid.

Bridie22

What help keeping quiet?, as you also discovered regardless of what the government or media states, there isn't help for borderline income families, itsca constant juggling of priorities.

I don't want to go into my personal circumstances but you probably wouldn't want to swap places with me...

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I agree. While I didn't agree with thr general withdrawal of WFP, this is Express exaggeration at its finest.

Whitewavemark2

So are most of GN members living in cold homes?

Do a straw poll of friends - how many do you know live in cold homes.

I know of no one.

None.

Keeping quiet , living in a large house doors not mean people have bags of money! I agree with Vice Versa. Old large houses are often very draughty, sometimes no double glazing !!

Email from Eon...my energy bill will go up by £99, it has risen by £136 since October, lets hope we get some warm weather!

I noticed the data on which that article was based included people who said their house was cold 'some of the time'. Well everyone's house is cold some of the time. I don't have the heating on in the day because I'm doing housework so it's cold then, or when I get home from being out. Then I light the fire and it's warm in the evenings.

If I sit down during the day I have a hot water bottle and a blanket rather than heat the house.

Bridie22

You must move in elite circles Monica, how fortunate you are, spare a thought for those less so.
I stated earlier I can easily count 10 people who are living in an inadequately heated condition, due to lack of sufficient income...not that they just choose to do so.

I said it included people with incomes below £20,000, but receiving benefits. I know their houses are warm because I visit regularly.

When I worked as a benefit advisor, I visited a lot of elderly people living in poor conditions, but often the problem was not excessively low incomes but a fear of spending, in case they ran into trouble later. The rainy day fund that isn't touched, not even on a rainy day. Quite often the unspent rainy day fund was too large for them to get benefits and when they died got distributed around the family.

There is a lot of help out there for pensioners on very low income, including insulation grants, heating grants and the like, but too often people do not know how to access them or do not want to, for a variety of reasons.

If I knew anyone who was in the situation you describe then I would direct them to Age UK to find out what help may be there for them and in many cases get them onto the means tested benefits that they are entitled to.

Silverbrooks You are right. Apologies. Sorry to get it muddled .

Your long post was very carefully thought out, as you say, it can't be the 3 out of 4 on the basis of the longer report,

And its also cant be 3 out of 4 in the second report as it refers only to pensioners living on under £20.000, but in reference to the £20.000 people it does use the line “3 out of 4”

which is presumably what the Express has taken up, a year late, since there are no subsequent AgeUK reports.

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I have just been onto Age UK website, and it’s saying exactly the same, 3 in 4 pensioners aged 66 and over were cold in January.

Much depends on how the question is put. Had the one in four who didn't say they were cold in January stayed indoors?

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'.

I am amazed that some places I go to are so hot eg doctors’ surgery, local junior school, some shops. How do they pay their bills?

Doodledog

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I have just been onto Age UK website, and it’s saying exactly the same, 3 in 4 pensioners aged 66 and over were cold in January.

Much depends on how the question is put. Had the one in four who didn't say they were cold in January stayed indoors?

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'.

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'
Could that be because all your friends are affluent and middleclass with excellent pensions?

Churchview

I noticed the data on which that article was based included people who said their house was cold 'some of the time'. Well everyone's house is cold some of the time. I don't have the heating on in the day because I'm doing housework so it's cold then, or when I get home from being out. Then I light the fire and it's warm in the evenings.

If I sit down during the day I have a hot water bottle and a blanket rather than heat the house.

It’s a bit sad to think that pensioners are sitting with blankets and hot waterbottles for when they sit down to relax!

Allira

Doodledog

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I have just been onto Age UK website, and it’s saying exactly the same, 3 in 4 pensioners aged 66 and over were cold in January.

Much depends on how the question is put. Had the one in four who didn't say they were cold in January stayed indoors?

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'.

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'
Could that be because all your friends are affluent and middleclass with excellent pensions?

Yes of course it does🤬

Doodledog

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I have just been onto Age UK website, and it’s saying exactly the same, 3 in 4 pensioners aged 66 and over were cold in January.

Much depends on how the question is put. Had the one in four who didn't say they were cold in January stayed indoors?

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'.

Three in four pensioners admitted they were cold in their own homes in January
Published on 18 February 2025 10:25 AM

New research for the Charity Age UK has revealed that 3 in 4 (75% - equivalent to 9.1 million) aged 66 and over said that their homes were colder than they would like them to be some, most of or all of the time.

For those pensioners on low to modest household incomes of £20,000 or less, a massive one in three (35%) said their home was too cold most or all of the time.

www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-press/articles/three-in-four-pensioners-admitted-they-were-cold-in-their-own-homes-in-january/

Our bill for January has been quite a shock.

Allira

Doodledog

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I have just been onto Age UK website, and it’s saying exactly the same, 3 in 4 pensioners aged 66 and over were cold in January.

Much depends on how the question is put. Had the one in four who didn't say they were cold in January stayed indoors?

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'.

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'
Could that be because all your friends are affluent and middleclass with excellent pensions?

It's debatable whether I'm middle class (depends how it's defined), but I'm certainly nowhere near affluent. I do I have a small occupational pension, but it's not excellent. According to the government's stats, I'm in the lowest 20% of pensioners according to income. Nevertheless, I haven't shivered at home once this winter. My bills over the last three months have obviously been higher than average, but I'll still be in credit at the end of this month.

Allira

Doodledog

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

I have just been onto Age UK website, and it’s saying exactly the same, 3 in 4 pensioners aged 66 and over were cold in January.

Much depends on how the question is put. Had the one in four who didn't say they were cold in January stayed indoors?

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'.

As WWM says, I don't know anyone who has 'been left shivering at home'
Could that be because all your friends are affluent and middleclass with excellent pensions?

It could, but it isn't. I have friends in all sorts of circumstances.

Who knows (which is the trouble with unsubstantiated claims like that), but it's equally likely to be because the question was 'Were you cold in January?' which could be interpreted in a number of ways. It was flipping freezing outside.

I think the question was far more likely to have been ‘ were you cold in your own home’.

I have to watch Mum like a hawk to make sure the heating is on at around 19 as like many old people with not much money she will be turning it down the whole time.

Oreo

Churchview

I noticed the data on which that article was based included people who said their house was cold 'some of the time'. Well everyone's house is cold some of the time. I don't have the heating on in the day because I'm doing housework so it's cold then, or when I get home from being out. Then I light the fire and it's warm in the evenings.

If I sit down during the day I have a hot water bottle and a blanket rather than heat the house.

It’s a bit sad to think that pensioners are sitting with blankets and hot waterbottles for when they sit down to relax!

Not for me it isn't Oreo, it just seems prudent and sensible. Why waste heating the whole house when I can be snug for the cost of a boiled kettle.

I go to the homes of friends and relations and there they are in t shirt and bare feet with the heating blazing. Years ago people would think they were mad to waste money and energy that way.

You used to be able to get somebody around from the council to advise on lagging on tanks, loft insulation etc and then they’d advise of grants available. I don’t know if they still offer that. Also I think British Gas did something similar. I remember my mum did this, she was in her own owned home.

I agree Churchview that excessive heat and tee shirt wearing and bare feet is ridiculous.

woodenspoon I think you can still get help with those things.