Heating, plumbing and electrical services for homes and businesses
- 01772 734966
- info@gosheating.co.uk
- My Account
Energy-efficient heating is essential in every home. But, in care homes, it can be a matter of life and death.
Care home operators face a difficult task. They continually have to make decisions that affect the health, safety, and well-being of their residents. At the same time, they’re resisting financial pressures. Opportunities to improve the residents’ standards of living often go directly against desires to reduce spending. Heating is no exception. But, favouring one over the other will result in either a poor reputation for the care home and a lack of quality in the care they provide to residents or severe budgeting problems.
But, if you had the chance to save on costs while improving the well-being of residents, why wouldn’t you?
As we age, our ability to control our body temperature declines. So does our ability to feel the cold. This leaves older people at a higher risk of hypothermia during cold weather. The Guardian reported that during the UK’s winter, one older person dies every seven minutes from cold-related illnesses. This rate is significantly higher than other countries in Europe with much colder climates. So why is this happening in the UK?
The Office for National Statistics states that countries with milder winters, like the UK, are less prepared for the cold and tend to have lower thermal efficiency in their homes. When cold weather strikes, their homes are not equipped to keep the cold out. This is also true for care homes, which leaves many older people at risk.However, cold-related deaths may have more to do with the increasing cost of energy. It’s becoming more and more expensive, leaving many older adults in fuel poverty.
