The UK’s leading personal alarm provider has issued an urgent warning to older people who may be considering turning off their personal alarm unit to save money in response to the rising cost of living. TakingCare Personal Alarms has raised concerns that people of State Pension age, who rely on a personal alarm, may be considering turning them off in a bid to save money on energy bills, especially during the current cold snap.
The Uk Government's Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) effectively caps standing charges at £2,500 until the end of March, 2023. However, this amount isn't the maximum a household could pay for their energy bills - use more and you will pay more, but equally, use less and you will pay less.
Without intervention, the average household energy bill would have jumped 80 per cent from October 1, from £1,971 to £3,549 a year under Ofgem's latest price cap.
The £2,500 EPG will increase to £3,000 from April as current predictions indicate a further increase to global energy prices from the start of next year, but expected to reduce towards summer. However, even with this newly announced support, elderly people, particularly those relying on State Pension, may be reluctant to turn on the heating in an effort to save money.
British Gas has recently shared that the new average energy bill for a 1-2 bed house or flat will be £142.69, meaning State Pension recipients will spend one quarter of their monthly incomes on their energy bills. This figure rises to just over one-third (36%) for those living in a medium-sized, three-bed house where average energy bills are set to be around £206.32 per month.
In light of these increasing costs, it’s likely many older people will be looking at ways to save on costs but unplugging personal alarm units could do more harm than good.
Calculations from TakingCare Personal Alarms show that the projected average annual cost of keeping an alarm unit plugged in for a year following the October price cap increase is just £4.54 - a monthly cost of only 38p. The cost at the current, pre-October 2022 rate is just £2.44.
When compared to the costs of other household electrical items, the running cost of a life-saving piece of technology like a personal fall alarm is minimal:
- Electric oven - 52p per hour
- Electric kettle - 2p per hour
- 42-inch TV - 6p per hour
Falls are the number one reason for older people being admitted to hospital, with unaddressed falls costing the NHS around £435m. Around one in three adults aged over 65 and half of people over 80 are set to have at least one fall a year.
Louise Yasities, Home Safety Expert at TakingCare Personal Alarms, said: “The elderly population will really feel the sting of the rising cost of living and energy bills, particularly those who only receive their state pension.
“While we understand many older people will be taking steps to reduce energy consumption in the home to keep costs down, it is vital they do not forfeit their personal alarm units in a bid to preserve cash. We’re already seeing older people unplugging their units or even returning them to save money.”
She continued: “Personal fall alarm pendants and other wearables can be a vital lifeline for vulnerable older adults, connecting them to help in case of emergency and ensuring their general wellbeing. Not having access to this support could place them even more at risk, especially during the colder, winter months when falls are increasingly likely.”
Louise added that the cost of keeping these units plugged in is less than 40p per month but are worth their weight in gold when an older person needs urgent access to help.
There has been support announced for the UK’s most vulnerable including a one-off payment of £300 for 8 million pensioner households who already receive the Winter Fuel Payment and a Cost of Living Payment of £650 for older people claiming Pension Credit.
People making a new claim for Pension Credit before December 19, which later turns out to be successful, will also qualify for the second part of the payment worth £324 - find out more here.
To keep up to date with the latest State Pension benefits, join in the conversation on our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out three times each week - sign up here.
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