As the nights get longer and crisper, many of us reach out and tweak the thermostat and feel the abundant radiators in our houses take the chill off those autumn evenings. But if you live in sheltered housing and are dependent on night storage heaters, the prospects can be chillier, and sometimes more costly.
I have been contacted by the relatives of elderly people living in local council-run sheltered housing who wonder what can be done; concerned that their parents "don't like turning the heating up because it is so expensive." Council properties are often better insulated than private properties because of the monitoring that has taken place over the years. And I don't think all night storage heaters can or should be replaced, but they are an older technology that central heating, and they need more attention than they often get.
Earlier this month I attended a work-shop with council tenants exploring those improvements they regard as a priority. This was in the context of what might be affordable should the transfer of South Cambs housing stock take place. As well as issues such as increased warden services, and bathroom replacements, the issue of energy efficiency came through as well, showing that people are thinking ahead to the future.
I will be at the South Cambs Climate Change Working Group this week, and we will see whether these linked issues of housing, climate change and energy efficiency can come together, and keep the elderly warm in winter without costing, literally, the earth.
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