Yahoo News Pensioner left without heating for two months fears 'freezing' Christmas
A broken heating system means Yvonne Johnson, 75, is facing huge electricity bills in Blackley, Greater Manchester, as she has had to use a plug-in electric heater to keep warm.
A pensioner who "feels like I have been left abandoned" is fearful of facing a "freezing" Christmas after her council left her without heating for two months.
A broken heating system means Yvonne Johnson, 75, is facing huge electricity bills as she has had to use a plug-in electric heater to keep one room warm enough to live in.
Johnson's flat in Blackley, Greater Manchester, is part of a complex for over-60s. She says that her NIBE external ground source heating system has been broken for two months, and she now faces an anxious wait to see if she it will be fixed by Christmas.
Johnson, a retired telephonist who now leads a walking group, says she has spent "a small fortune" on electricity bills. Manchester City Council, which runs the block, has apologised for the issues and said that the heating problems stem from the fact that the NIBE heating system needs a new part, which has to come from Sweden.
Johnson has been without hot water or central heating since October - although she can still take showers as that is on a separate system. After reporting the issue weeks ago, she has had several contractors visit her home, but none have been able to fix the problem. Now she is hoping for a visit by an engineer on Friday (22 December) to remedy it.
“I borrowed a heater, so one room is warm, but I was not paying enough on my energy direct debit — so I had to make a one-off payment,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “There are four other people affected, but I’m the only one which needs a part. I feel horrible. I have to stay in bed until 10am to stay warm.”
"I have been abandoned"
Johnson said she will be at home for Christmas, but the run-up to the big day has been anything but festive.
She added: “I have been cried out and stressed. I feel like I have been left abandoned.”
A statement from Manchester City Council said: "We are acutely aware of the time Ms Johnson has been waiting for this repair to happen, but we can confirm that a contractor will visit her home this week (Friday 22 December).
"We are committed to reducing energy consumption in council-owned properties and in turn also reduce the cost of bills for our residents. Heat pumps can be a really effective way to achieve this, but with new technology comes a learning curve for our tenants to get used to the new systems, but also challenges around repair works when they do arise."
The council said it had commissioned a specialist subcontractor to manage repair works around heat pumps, as well as ordering spare parts in bulk, to make sure this sort of delay does not happen again.
The spokesperson added: "While Ms Johnson's heating hasn't been working, we have supplied an electric heater and we have also given her £300 towards her energy bills to cover the period her system has been offline. We would like to apologise to her again for her experience, which we have learnt from and we are doing what we can to avoid similar issues in the future."
What help is available for pensioners struggling with bills this winter?
As part of a support plan due to the cost of living crisis, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said this week that 11.9 million winter fuel payments and pensioner cost of living payments have been made across the UK, amounting to more than £4.8 billion over the past month.
Pensioners who are eligible for the payments have automatically received the cash in their bank account.
For the lowest household incomes, Pension Credit is available worth an average £3,900 a year, available as support to help with rent, council tax, heating and TV licences.
Winter Fuel Payments are paid to people born before September 25, 1957, who usually need to live in the UK, but there are exceptions. Some may be still eligible if they live abroad, but most will get the money automatically if they meet the criteria.
