Pensioner with poor central heating. Tips?

tiddler

A pensioner friend, living in Scotland, has poor central (electric) heating and poor insulation.
Any tips on improving matters? Are there grants or free installs for insulation or gas central heating installs?

Further background:
* The lady is over 65, living in Scotland
* Has a standard government pension
* Has a small private pension (possibly £20 a month extra).
* She has no savings.
* I think she is due Pension Credit. I'll help her get that.
* She has a pre-pay electric box. I'll help her get a meter.
* Half the electric wall heaters do not work.
* Due to the poor insulation, she spends a fortune (trying) to heat the place during winter.
* I think she has looked at insulation before, but been told it's not appropriate for her wall type.
* Through the winter months, I fear for her health.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

stator

Should be some help available:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/organisations/grants-and-support

missbiggles1

Does she have loft insulation or double glazing?

Does she own her property or rent?

tiddler

There will be some loft insulation. I'm not sure of the quality.
No double glazing.
She lives with her son. He has no cash.

HappyMJ

tiddler wrote: »

There will be some loft insulation. I'm not sure of the quality.
No double glazing.
She lives with her son. He has no cash.

That sounds like an awful property that needs a complete renovation and modernization.

Would she be interested in moving? She could approach a social housing landlord and get put on "the list"...might take a few years but she might be rehoused in something much better. Housing benefit will cover the majority of the rent.

Is she on the tenancy or property title? I'd get the son to give her notice to leave so she's then homeless then her priority to be rehoused would greatly increase.

tiddler

It is an awful house, but it's been the family home for 40+ years. She doesn't want to leave.

Any other tips to get free gas central heating installed greatly appreciated.

seven-day-weekend

Meanwhile, just heat the room she is in. Get a working portable heater for this.

Whose house is it? The son's? She may not be eligible for anything free if he does not fit criteria for this, if the house belongs to him.

stator

It's unlikely you'll find anyone willing to fit GCH from scratch for free. The most you'll get is a boiler swap to a new efficient one.
You could look at the Green Deal as a way of financing it.

macman

OP, you say 'electric central heating' and then refer to 'wall heaters'. Electric central heating means a wet system with conventional rads but an electrically -powered boiler, and is about the most expensive method of heating ever devised.
If the 'wall heaters' are independent electric heaters, then it's not electric central heating, but something else. Which is it?
Most unlikely that it would have an electric boiler if mains gas were available, as it's always been about 300% more expensive to run than gas CH.
So much more info need in order to give you meaningful advice. But if mains gas is not available, then NSH's running on E7 will be by far the cheapest way to heat. |In the meantime, get the 'wall heaters' operating properly.
Insulation: probably not got cavity walls by the sound of it, but that doesn't prevent proper double glazing and loft insulation being fitted.

thistledome

Does she own the house or rent it? There are different schemes available depending on that.

Go to this web site and play the little video with the knitted worm draft excluder. Phone the number at the end of the film (it's also somewhere on that page, sorry I don't have much time right now and couldn't take it down).

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/warmhomes

If she is eligible to claim pension credit, then make sure she claims it because it will make her eligible for other things too.

There is help out there.

tiddler

Thanks all for suggestions so far. It's useful. I'll make some calls. Any further advice welcome.