‘At 70, I was numb with cold. Pensioners shouldn’t have to sit there shivering’

Steve Wilson remembers feeling so numb with cold during the winter months that he would resort to putting an electric blanket on and going to bed during the day to warm up.

The 70-year-old, who lives in Penrith, Cumbria, was struggling so much financially that he couldn’t afford to put his heating on at all. He survived on microwaved soup to avoid using the oven.

As the latest figures reveal more than one in 10 households struggled to pay their energy bills to heat their homes in 2024, Mr Wilson says it isn’t right for pensioners to be left shivering in the cold at their age.

“At times, I was so cold, I felt numb and did not feel anything and I had no energy,” he said. “I would have to put the electric blanket on and go to bed so I couldn’t feel the cold.”

Mr Wilson lives alone in a two-bedroom home with his cat Lola, a stray he found last year. He worked as a truck driver for 47 years and has no private pension, instead relying on his state pension of just over £800 a month.

“I was struggling a lot,” he said. “I’ve always been careful with my finances and never had to go into my overdraft. But I was getting to the point where I would have to as I just didn’t have enough to pay my bills.

“It is very cold up here and some years ago, Penrith had the record for the lowest temperatures in the country.

“With gas and electricity being so expensive, I wasn’t putting the heating on and not using my oven and basically living off tins of soup which I heated up in the microwave.

“I was on a very tight budget for food and could only afford the basics and would buy the cheapest items at the supermarket. My fridge was very bare.

“I couldn’t walk past a fish and chip shop and think: ‘Oh, I fancy fish and chips’ because I knew I couldn’t afford it.”

New data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero shows 2.73 million households, around 11 per cent of families, were in fuel poverty last year.

In England, official statistics consider a household to be in fuel poverty if the home has a poor energy efficiency rating of band D or below and their disposable income after housing and fuel costs is below the poverty line.

The proportion of households which had to spend more than 10 per cent of their income on energy, after housing costs, rose slightly on 2023’s figures to 36.3 per cent in 2024 – double what it was in 2020 before the energy crisis hit.

Pensioners have been particularly hard hit with the withdrawal of the winter fuel payment for all older people except those receiving pension credit or other means-tested benefits.

Mr Wilson said: “My dad said to me: ‘Don’t get a private pension son because the Government will look after you. What a joke that was.

“I saved a little bit of money when I was working but that went in the first two years of my retirement because the price of everything was just ridiculous.

“We are among the worst paid pensioners in Europe and we shouldn’t have to sit here shivering with cold at our age after working hard all our lives.”

Mr Wilson suffers from chronic back pain and has undergone surgery on both his eyes for glaucoma. He now has cataracts and is on the waiting list for an operation. He lost his driving licence last year due to his eye problems.

Finding information about benefits has been difficult for him, as he doesn’t use the internet.

It was only after a friend told him about the charity Independent Age that he called their helpline and with their support, found out he was entitled to pension credit and attendance allowance. Independent Age helped him fill in the necessary forms and he was successful in receiving them.

“Getting these benefits has made a huge difference to my life,” he said. “Now, I can eat fresh and healthy food instead of food out of a tin.

“I can even treat myself to something nice and warm at a cafe and then have a snack at night. Going to cafes is good for social interaction as otherwise I’d feel lonely and end up getting depressed as I live by myself.

“I have got the heating on now because I can afford it. But without the help of Independent Age, I would never have known I was entitled to these benefits.”

Joanna Elson, Independent Age chief executive, said: “We are coming to the end of what has been an extremely long and difficult winter for millions of older people on low incomes.

“New data shows that more than one in 10 households were in fuel poverty last year, and too many older people like Steve had to get through the cold winter months on a very limited budget.

“Now that Steve receives pension credit, hopefully he will have enough money to heat his home, but high prices will still be a cause for concern.

“The UK Government must intervene to make next winter more manageable for older people in financial hardship. There needs to be an immediate review of the winter fuel payment eligibility criteria, linking it to Pension Credit was misguided and far too many older people on low incomes now miss out.

“Steps also need to be taken towards introducing a social tariff for energy. This would protect customers with limited budgets from future spikes in energy costs.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners, with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,900 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock.

“Up to 300,000 households will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades through the Warm Homes Plan this year and we have extended the Household Support Fund to help with the cost of heating, food and bills.

“Our proposals to expand the £150 Warm Home Discount could also help almost three million more low-income households pay their energy bills next winter, delivering more support to those who need it most.”

If you are an older person worried about your financial situation, call the Independent Age free helpline on: 0800 319 6789.