Elderly urged to sign up to Cold Weather Priority

As we start 2019, weather forecasters have said the UK could see another Beast From The East and, liquid fuels trade association The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) is urging elderly people age 75+, using heating oil, to sign up to the Cold Weather Priority initiative, as it responds to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics which show an estimated 50,100 excess winter deaths in England and Wales during winter 2017/18.

This is the highest number of excess winter deaths on record since winter 1975/76 and the FPS is keen to ensure the most vulnerable people are protected and helped before another bad winter hits.

Deaths last winter were highest in people aged 85 and over, and an estimated 15,000 of all recorded excess winter deaths were related to a cold home according to fuel poverty charity NEA (National Energy Action).

"The latest figures emphasise that it is the elderly who are most vulnerable in the winter months and that a warm home is vital in the fight against excess winter deaths," says Guy Pulham, FPS Chief Executive.

"The Cold Weather Priority is an industry initiative we launched last year, designed to identify those most at risk so we can ensure heating oil deliveries are prioritised for them and they can continue to heat their homes during the winter months.

"Whilst supply shortages and extreme weather are thankfully rare, they do happen - as the Beast from the East in late February 2018 demonstrated. The Cold Weather Priority helped enormously during this extreme cold snap and meant our members were able to deliver heating oil to those most in need despite the logistical challenges caused by the weather.

"Cold homes can be devastating for individuals, and can cause health problems such as increased blood pressure or lowered immune system making that person more vulnerable to respiratory infections. It is absolutely vital we do all we can to ensure no one suffers the awful consequences of a poorly heated home.

"Our FPS members supply up to 39,000 homes in Devon with heating oil. To date, near to 10,000 people across the UK have signed up to the Cold Weather Priority but we want more people to sign up before the forecasted Beast From The East 2019 hits.

"If you want to sign up to the Cold Weather Priority, simply get in touch with your local FPS member who supplies your heating oil and they'll help you. Similarly, if you know any neighbours, friends or loved ones who are aged 75 and over and who heat their homes using heating oil, encourage them to sign up to the initiative to ensure they stay warm this winter."

To find out more about the scheme, visit Cold Weather Priority.