Fuel Poverty

I live in a ground floor one bed terraced flat heated by an economy 7 heater in the lounge and bedroom (there is a small curtain heater in the bathroom and I have an oil-filled electric radiator on a time clock in the kitchen). Keeping warm has always been an issue, I’ve been known to use an electric blanket, my feet and hands are always cold, how cold varies. I am sure my heating costs are low because I have so few external walls, small rooms and do not have doors/Windows causing drafts.

I believe it is better to keep the heating on a low constant setting, rather than trying to warm up somewhere that is totally cold.

I receive ESA (contribution based) benefit, and my monthly electric payment is more than 10% of that benefit, which technically means I am in fuel poverty. I believe if your fuel bill is more than 10% of income you are in fuel poverty. If I add my minuscule pension and DLA, then I’m not.

I don’t know whether to comment on this or not as I’m aware of my perennial moaning.

Anyway, didn’t know about that tariff with British Gas in the PDF but, having contacted them they assured me I was on a better tariff than that already. Not sure whether to accept that or not.

We find we’re whacking the thermostat up to compensate for a draught in the property & it’s that that means we use far more than is economical.

We complained to the housing association in October as I know the draught is eminating from the doors & windows as they act as a thoroughfare. They sent all manner of people round to test our heating system & insulation & they all left stating “there’s nothing wrong with your heating & insulation. We know what the problem is but, we’re not allowed to say officially as we haven’t come here to test the fittings responsible.”

So, on March 1st the housing association sent round some joker from a firm called Crystal Clear to drill holes in the windows. This process is nothing more than a placebo. The idea is that they drill holes in the outer pane & that relieves the condensation built up inside.

It’s a cosmetic procedure. The integrity of the double glazed sealed units has been compromised & they will no longer function efficiently as they’re over twenty years old & by Guinness’ own admission, at the end of their life cycle. Drilling damn holes in the windows won’t make them insulated or any more double glazed, quite the opposite.

Low & behold, he shattered a window. Apologised & left & never came back. Despite us jumping up & down the window is still shattered, it’s the bedroom we sleep in & it’s been like that for over a month. It’s still been -5 outside some nights & our heating is not going off anytime soon.

If they had no intention of replacing the windows & doors, then just leave us alone but, don’t try & pee in my pocket & tell me it’s raining by sending men round drilling into windows!

That’s the main reason we suffer from the cold & have huge gas bills because of a distinct draught in the property the landlord doesn’t wish to address because it will cost them money.

If the people at the MD campaign wish to have a go at Guinness Housing association on our behalf, be our guests cos they’re not listening to us.

Email me & I’ll give you all the details. The last time I messaged them an hour ago I told them I’m going to complain to the housing association ombudsman. I refuse to contact our local MP, which I was told to do, as he’s a tory, he’s voted for ESA cuts & he didn’t vote against HS2 which will run by our home less than 50 metres away.

Our heating is turned down to 20c at night, up to 20.5c during the day & we boost it for an hour at 22c when needed.

We both wear fleeces & slippers all day long indoors until around May time. I’ll even wear hat indoors when I’ve recently shaved me bonce.

I invested in one of those smart thermostats last year from Amazon on black Friday & also have smart meters. The hob is electric & so is the oven & the shower. The only thing that uses gas is the heating & that still eclipses the electric bill by some margin.

I don’t think there’s any more we can do to keep warm. We’re just fighting a losing battle with a draught that runs through the home from front to back.

We can’t or I can’t put on more layers than I do as it then affects my mobility even more, I imagine the same as all of you guys.

I’m also in a very old Georgian property that’s a bit rickety and damp. They did fit double glazed panes in the sash windows (it’s a grade 2 listed building) and it’s helped, but I do feel the cold in winter due to it’s facia having nothing in front apart from the Mersey. It can be draughty. My dual fuel bill is presently £99 PCM which I’m dreading paying if my PIP claim is unsuccessful but I digress. I have noticed that my lower legs are feeling cold a lot more now and I keep my radiators at 20 or 22 boosts.

Wonder Woman, you should look into the EU ruling that all people in rented accommodation (especially housing associations) had to adhere to new rulings over standards of living. We had a new kitchen, bathroom,doubled glazing and new central heating system with condensing boiler fitted. As far as I’m aware this is mandatory as they’ve done the whole of Riverside housing’s stock. Something to look into there for you.