The National Pensioners Convention is backing fresh calls for urgent government action after Age UK revealed three out of four older people were too cold in their own homes this January.

With another rise in the price cap on energy prices likely next week, research by the older person’s charity estimates around 9.1million people aged over 66 endured cold homes “some, most of or all of the time.”

Age UK published their findings as they delivered a petition signed by 649,827 people into 10 Downing Street yesterday.

The Save the Winter Fuel Payment for struggling pensioners petition highlights the pressures felt by older people since the government cut the allowance to help with heating bills last year. It calls for a range of measures to alleviate the situation.

Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners Convention said: “Age UK’s timely research shows just how deeply the Winter Fuel Payment cuts are being felt by millions. We hope the government finally heeds the call of NPC, Age UK and other campaigners to take action.  This is particularly urgent as analysts Cornwall Insights predict Ofgem is due to announce that the energy price-cap rise will rise by 5% in April, adding another £85 onto the average household bill.”

The Age UK research shows that those older people on low to modest household incomes – £20,000 or less – were worst affected in January, with one in three saying their home was too cold most or allof the time.

A similar proportion of older private renters, 34%, also said their home was cold most or all of the time.  Two in five pensioners – equivalent to 5 million – said that they had recently had to cut back on heating or energy.

Nearly half of people aged 66 and over revealed they were worried about being unable to heat their homes when they wanted to, and 44% said they were worried about the impact of energy prices on their health – noticeably higher than last year when one in three said this was a worry.

As part of its campaign, Age UK launched a nationwide petition calling for the government to halt their proposed change to the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) and think again. The charity strongly opposed the cut to the WFP and repeatedly warned that at least 2.5 million older people would struggle without it and wouldn’t be able to afford to stay adequately warm in their homes.

Age UK’s petition also captured hundreds of thousands of people’s views and experiences and shows the depth of feeling among older people about the policy change. Here are just a few of the worrying comments the charity received since November:

Jay, 85, told Age UK: “I am constantly cold at home unless I am in bed. This way of living is restrictive and unhealthy too.”

Amanda, 69, commented: “It’ll be a case of sitting in my dressing gown with my duvet over me. My monthly gas payment covers my gas cooker, I can’t afford to run my cooker and my heating.”

Burton, 72, said: “So far this winter I have been freezing cold in my own home. I sit indoors wearing two coats, a hat, scarf, gloves and a rug over my legs. I have severe rheumatoid arthritis and living in cold conditions has made it much worse.”

Rosemary, 74, said: “My house was built in 1911 and it does not have cavity walls so it’s cold and slightly damp. The short notice did not give me any time to plan so I stay out during the day and go to warm places I can sit in. I only heat rooms for a limited period in the evening to between 18c and 19c. I also sit wrapped in a rug.”

Sally, 79,said: I’ve had to cut down on the food that I buy – usually just have one hot meal a week.”

New research for Age UK shows that there is broad public support for policy changes to help older people to stay warm, with 85% agreeing that pensioners with a disability should get the Winter Fuel Payment and 72% thinking that the government should provide additional funding to households on lower incomes so they can gain access to household energy efficiency improvements.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: “This is the first January since the government decided to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) and it is a national scandal that so many older people are saying they are cold in their own homes, some, most or all of the time. The position of those on lower incomes is worse still, with one in three saying they are cold at home most or all of the time. Rising energy prices are an important reason for this, but there’s no doubt that the changes to eligibility for Winter Fuel Payment are also contributing, both directly and also through sapping the confidence of many older people to run their heating when it’s bitterly cold, for fear of an unaffordable bill.

“We cannot and we must not go through this all over again next winter. Energy prices continue to rise and struggling older people must be better protected now and in the years to come. The government must ensure that older people are able to be sufficiently warm through the colder months – something that clearly isn’t the case for millions at the moment.

“Doing nothing would however be completely unacceptable in the face of the evidence. Government spokespeople continue to assert that poor pensioners are being protected but that is simply not credible when there are still 700,000 pensioner households who are eligible for Pension Credit but not receiving it. This winter has shown beyond any doubt that older people on low incomes and in vulnerable circumstances need more support with high energy prices that are expected to remain high for years to come, and the government must respond.”

Jan Shortt added: “We thank Age UK for this important research, and we thank our many NPC members who signed and supported the petition. Now we need the government to recognise the strength of feeling by people of all ages on this issue right across the country.”

The NPC supports Age UK’s call for a range of actions from the government, including:

• Extending eligibility for the WFP to other benefits, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Attendance Allowance (and other disability benefits) and Carer’s Allowance.

• Adopting a strategic approach to tackling the low take-up of Pension Credit and other pensioner benefits.

• Implementing an energy social tariff providing discounts to those with low-incomes, disabilities and for carers.

• Bringing forward the Warm Homes Plan as soon as possible, and ensuring those living in cold, damp and mouldy homes are prioritised for support.

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