Case Studies
Yvonne Devereux, Leicester
65 year old Yvonne Devereux has osteoporosis and severe arthritis which is often worsened by the cold.
Yvonne found that her boiler was regularly breaking down and was warned by her engineer that, unless it was replaced, it would stop working completely, leaving her without heating and hot water during one of the coldest winters on record.
As Yvonne did not have the means to fund a replacement boiler herself, she contacted the Leicestershire and Rutland branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, SSAFA Forces Help, because her late husband had served in the Navy. The charity quickly referred Yvonne to npower’s Health Through Warmth scheme and the local co-ordinator arranged for the installation of a brand new combi-boiler. The work cost £2,041.25, SSAFA contributed £1,020.62, an anonymous charity contributed £500 and the balance of £520.63 was paid from the unique npower Health Through Warmth crisis fund
“I’m thrilled Health Through Warmth could help me as I dread to think what would have happened if my boiler had broken down during the snow.”
Margaret, Leicester
Margaret, 79, lives in Leicester with her daughter and grandson. The central heating in the family home had a history of breaking down and it was eventually condemned.
Margaret suffers from angina and osteoporosis, which was adversely affected by the cold temperatures in her home.
Her daughter was worried about how living in a cold home was affecting her mother’s health so she decided to contact the local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC) to see if there was any help available. The EEAC referred her to the npower Health Through Warmth scheme.
As a result, Margaret had a new central heating system costing £3,454 installed thanks to funding of £1,954 from charity SSAFA Forces Help, and £1,500 from the Health Through Warmth crisis fund.
She said: "The Health Through Warmth scheme is fantastic, everything that could have been done was done. The house is constantly warm which helps me greatly, particularly in the cold winter months when my angina is at its worst."
