Cold homes put older people’s health at risk

Illnesses connected to living in a cold home costs the NHS £1.36 billion every year, according to a report published today by Age UK.

Age UK is urging government and local authorities to improve household energy saving and efficiency measures as cold homes pose a particular danger to older people’s health. Each year in England and Wales there are about 27,000 extra deaths each winter, mostly among older people. 

The report point to poorly insulated homes and soaring energy prices over the last few years as exacerbating the UK’s growing fuel poverty problem, forcing many older people to cut back on their heating to control costs. 

The charity proposes that government implements home energy efficiency improvements funded by carbon tax revenues from next year. The charity estimates that over the next 15 years this could remove 87 per cent of households from fuel poverty. 

Michelle Mitchell, charity director general at Age UK, said: “It’s an absolute scandal that tens of thousands of older people will become ill or die this winter because they are unable to keep warm. Not only is this resulting in an incalculable human cost, but the NHS is spending more than a billion pounds on treating the casualties of cold every year. 

“At the root of the problem are badly insulated homes, which together with cripplingly high energy prices, are leaving millions of older people having to choose between staying warm and energy bills they can afford.”