Due to exploding costs, 60% of Britons have to restrict their heating, and one in five cannot even turn it on. So, “heat banks” are springing up across the country: public places open to everyone to come and warm up. Visit to one of them in Birmingham, the city most affected by energy poverty.
From our correspondent in London,
Every Friday, a dozen of them gather at the community center in Nechells, northeast of Birmingham. Around a table, we discuss, we drink a tea… Between her two odd jobs, Yunfang comes regularly, instead of staying alone at home during the day. ” Here it is warmer than at home. It’s too cold in my house. When my husband is working, the kids are at school, I won’t turn on the heating for myself… “, she says.
Next to the young woman, Bea nibbles on a cookie. This 40-year-old stopped working after a stroke. She comes to enjoy some company here and the heating. ” I have a timer on my boiler, it automatically turns off in the morning and only turns back on in the evening. For the same duration, my bills have doubled! It’s difficult “, she laments.
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400 places listed
In the Birmingham area, almost half of the inhabitants cannot afford proper heating. Beth Bailey, manager of the Nechells Pod, is well aware of the challenges facing the neighborhood. ” The people we welcome here are really very affected by this problem “says Beth Bailey. “ Those who work work for platforms, like Uber, or have precarious contracts, and do not have stable or high incomes. Here, our social worker is an energy advisor, she can help them in the process of obtaining aid. »
This winter, several platforms were launched to identify 4,000 warm spaces, churches, heated gymnasiums open to the public. This is not a first for the Nechells. ” It’s something we’ve always done, the only difference is that it has a name this year and we were able to have some money to cover the bills adds Beth Bailey. “ We are always open during the day, anyone can come, have a cup of tea, warm up, charge their phone… Anything that can be a problem at home. »
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Avoid the sustainability of the movement
The subsidies come from the associations, but the municipal council has not yet participated. Politicians welcome the outpouring of solidarity, but movements against energy poverty fear that the need for warm banks become permanent, says Alexandra Considine of Fuel Poverty Action.
Heat banks shouldn’t exist. We know that many people get involved, make sure to help their neighbors not to be cold. But we believe this is not tenable. We cannot go on like this. We should have invested in renewables a long time ago, we should introduce a progressive energy tariff, so that you and I don’t have to pay as much per unit as the owner of a villa or of a swimming pool.
A further rise in energy prices is expected in the spring.