Help the Aged

Thursday 20th November

Green Homes attended a recent conference at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The event was an insightful look into how developers are responding to the need for carbon neutral buildings. But there was also a healthy debate about the fact that the majority of us don't live in new buildings and so we must look at what can be done to bring the existing housing stock up to speed.

An interesting thread was about the UK's aging population. The number of people aged 65 and over (9.8 million today) is expected to nearly double in the next 35 years, and the number of people over 85 will triple. One panellist suggested that at this rate every 18 year old in the country would have to become a nurse to meet the demand.

Pensioner households account for half the 6 million homes already considered to be living in fuel poverty (spending 10% or more of disposable income on energy bills). They also tend to move home the least frequently, and are therefore more dependent on maintaining and improving the quality of their current dwellings.

There is a lot of help already out there for elderly people to heat their homes on the cheap: grants, subsidies, free benefit checks etc. (see Help the Aged). However, what's available is not always helpful as helpful as it could be. 

For instance, my Nan was recently told she was eligible for a £2,000 grant towards her new boiler, but the energy supplier recommended quoted her £3,500 for the works. She lives in a one-bed flat with just two radiators, making this an over priced option that did not match her needs.

Maybe for Christmas this year we should be looking to buy our elderly parents and grandparents insulation, not more bath salts!