Households are racing to buy heat-saving equipment ahead of the Government’s move to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.
DIY stores said they have seen a boom in sales since the policy announcement, as households strive to reduce their energy bills before temperatures drop.
New figures from B&Q show that sales of loft insulation over the past four weeks are up by almost a fifth compared with the same period last year. Rival Wickes said it had also seen a surge in demand for heat-saving products that are quick and easy to install, such as insulation or energy-efficient lighting.
The increase in sales will be viewed as a sign that households are racing to retrofit homes amid fears of looming higher payments over the winter months. From Oct 1, a typical household will pay £1,717 a year for their energy bills, up by £149 over a year, following an increase in the price cap.
Meanwhile, the Government has announced it is scrapping winter fuel payments worth up to £300 for 10m pensioners, with the change coming into force in November.
Richard Lim, an analyst at Retail Economics, said it made “logical sense for people who were expecting this winter fuel allowance to try to seek alternatives to reduce their energy bills”.
Labour has said it would only offer the winter fuel payment to households receiving pension credit, which applies to those who have an income of up to £218 a week. The move is expected to save the Government £1.4bn a year.
However, it has sparked concerns over whether many elderly homeowners will be able to afford their heating bills.
Estimates from charity Age UK suggest that 2m retirees could struggle to heat their homes this winter as a result of the change.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK said: “We’re hearing very worrying comments about how older people are frightened for the months ahead and plan to ration their heating this winter because they’ve lost their winter fuel payment.”
Age UK has suggested pensioners look at options to “block out droughts” and “put rugs down on wood or laminate floors” to keep warm over the winter.
Labour’s own estimates on winter fuel payments from 2017 suggested that thousands of pensioners could die if the allowance was scrapped.
A sharp uptick in insulation sales follows years where people have faced higher energy bills.
There are also signs that more households are preparing for sudden swings in weather, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their full new state pension rise by £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock.
“Over 1m pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment and our drive to boost pension credit take-up has already seen a 152pc increase in claims. Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the household support fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”
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