Friday 3 February 2012

Who do you know who may be in fuel poverty when they are older?


Welcome to my 2 new followers Naturens Apotek and a Tale from Toadstool House.

The overnight temperature for us last night was -3.2 Celsius. It is currently at 0.3! Despite this, I have done some washing and got it on the line and it is gently steaming in the sunshine. As we are forecast for snow sometime over night or Saturday, we have brought 3 days worth of logs into the house.

Now to the question above. When it comes to using heating, everyone is different. We know some people, who must have their own private oil fund! Regardless as to whether they are in or out at work (all day), their heating is on from 05.20am to 10.45pm. Recently however, it has been firing up at varying times throughout the night as well (about every 3 minutes on average so its hard to stay asleep), so heavens knows how much their bills are. 

Another person who works full time, have theirs on from 06.00 am to midnight, despite not being at home during 08.30 to 5.00pm. 

Another one is better with theirs but despite us letting them know their boiler often kicks on during the night, they don't believe us as “they know they switch it off when they go to bed”. Seeing steam rising from their boiler outlet is believing I'd say!

It makes me sound a right old grouch but don't get me wrong, we all get on really well. However, it does make me wonder, how they will cope with fuel bills in their old age when they only have their pensions to live on, if they are lucky. Hopefully for us, we won't have that problem as we are experimenting now. I just feel for them knowing how much their fuel use ignorance is going to cost them in the end.

Anyway, tomato and lentil soup is cooking in the kitchen, my bread is proving in the airing cupboard, hubby has hoovered throughout and all is well with us. Welcome back Crafty Blueberry, nice to see you again.

6 comments:

  1. Our next door neighbour is the same - we go in to feed his cat when he's on holiday for a fortnight and his house is constantly hotter than ours. We know he's wealthy so he probably doesn't flinch at his fuel bills but it seems like such a waste to us (although we do realise we probably benefit from a warm party wall!)

    I think rising fuel prices will cause many people to rethink their ways - not just how much they heat the house when they're out but also the size of houses/rooms and how they live in them in winter.

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  2. Our boiler is in the shed and it fires up regularly at night/when it's really cold even though the heating is off so that it doesn't freeze. Maybe that's what is happening to your neighbours' boiler. Mind you, I am astonished at having the heating on when they are out all day! Coo, some people have money to burn, apparently, but I wish they'd just burn that and leave the fuel for the rest of us!

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  3. Thanks for the welcome,I'm looking forward to following and catching some thrifty tips.I love tomato and lentil soup,I have some homemade leek and potato soup for lunch,yummy!hope you have a wonderful weekend,juliexxx

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  4. As it's generally colder during winter here than it is in England, we have to have the heating on permanently to avoid freezing. Fuel prizes are high here too. We heat with fuel during the coldest months, while in autumn and early spring we light the wood burner when we're at home.

    Tomato and lentil soup sounds delicious :)
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  5. I would nt worry about your neighbours - they are responsible for their own lives and when the price of fuel get too much for them they will have to cut back. I cant believe that every pensioner gets a fuel allowance and it does nt seem to be even means tested - what do you other tax payers think about subsidizing your wealthy neighbors.............joys of the welfare state, I guess.

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    1. I prefer to help pensioners to keep warm much more than I like to subsidise people that are coming into the country and claiming benefits without having paid into the system, at least pensioners will have paid their dues during their working lives.

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