There were nearly 5,000 excess deaths during last winter because of people living in cold homes, MPs have been told.
Figures compiled by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, using official data, were presented to the House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee as part of an inquiry into the government’s winter preparedness.
The warning has come as research has also found that a scheme to provide heating ‘on prescription’ to some vulnerable NHS patients significantly improved their health and wellbeing last winter.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition calculated that there were 4,706 excess winter deaths in 2022/23 caused by living in a cold home in England, Scotland and Wales.
Some eight million people were having to borrow money to pay their energy bills and more than one million have disconnected for periods this year, it added.
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The coalition told the MPs: “Thousands of people die every year in cold damp homes and countless more turn to the NHS as existing health conditions worsen due to living in such conditions. Fuel poverty is a public health crisis, but it can only be addressed by economic and engineering solutions.”
Separately, research by Sheffield Hallam University has evaluated the Warm Homes Prescription programme, which provided financial support to help participants heat their homes to a healthy temperature over winter.
This found “emerging evidence” that participants were less likely to visit their GP and may need fewer prescriptions or access to out-of-hours services.
The study was commissioned by Energy Systems Catapult, which runs the programme and is funded by BP.
The programme works with NHS teams to identify eligible vulnerable patients, who are then contacted by the NHS and offered a “warm home prescription” to be delivered by local energy advisors, who credit their energy account.
Patients can then immediately start heating their home to a healthy temperature, with further home energy upgrades arranged where possible.
The scheme was first piloted during the winter of 2021-2022 but expanded last winter to support 823 vulnerable and low-income individuals in Aberdeen, Middlesbrough, Gloucestershire and London.
The study evaluated the impact of the prescription for these recipients and found that, after receiving support, most heated their homes to the recommended 18-21 degrees Celsius consistently throughout winter.
In addition, the majority reported being less worried about finances, feeling more positive, and spending more time comfortably in their own homes.
Many also said their physical and mental health had improved since being able to keep comfortably warm.
Deputy director of the Centre of Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam Ian Wilson, who co-authored the study, said: “Our research shows the Warm Home Prescription can make a real difference to those at risk from living in a cold home.
“By helping people heat their homes, it improved quality of life and reduced health risks. There is early indication the programme may lead to healthcare savings by preventing cold-related illnesses,” he added.
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