Study highlights scale of fuel poverty

More than half of older people have at one time or another been forced go without food or clothing to pay for heating, according to a study on fuel poverty and older people.

The Fuel Poverty, Older People and Cold Weather: An All-island Analysis, published today, surveyed 722 people's experiences of cold weather in Ireland.

It found that as many as 24 per cent of respondents described their homes as cold.

The study, which was conducted between January and April this year, comes on the back of the Government’s decision in last week's Budget to cut the fuel allowance to vulnerable elderly people by six weeks.

It suggested the so-called “heat or eat” phenomenon was widespread among elderly people in Ireland, with 62 per cent reporting that they were worried about the cost of heating their home.

It also indicated that 8 per cent of respondents regularly used the oven for additional heat during cold snaps.

The survey was carried out by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH), Northern Ireland's Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Brunel University London and funded by the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (Cardi).

Professor Pat Goodman, one of the report’s authors, said: "Winter mortality rates in both jurisdictions have decreased but there are still significant differences between winter and summer mortality rates in older people, and cold homes can contribute to this phenomenon".

Previous analysis on cold-related deaths in Dublin, led by Dublin Institute of Technology, showed that each 1 degree Celsius drop in temperature was associated with a 2.6 per cent increase in deaths over the subsequent 40 days, the majority of these deaths occurring in older people.

Institute of Public Health senior policy officer Dr Helen McAvoy said the research revealed a “dual burden” for older people who are more likely to experience fuel poverty and also vulnerable to considerable health and social harm as a result of this experience.

"Older people were the age group most at risk of fuel poverty. This was driven by poor housing condition, energy inefficient housing, rising fuel prices and low income. Older people living in a home they considered 'too cold' were more likely to report significant ill-health and disability. Older people who are over 75, older people living alone and those with a chronic illness or disability were particularly vulnerable."

While older people in the Republic of Ireland were more likely to lack central heating (12%) compared to Northern Ireland (7%), older people in Northern Ireland were particularly vulnerable from an income point of view.