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The new force combining Age Concern Wales logo & Help the Aged in Wales logo

Heating benefits

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If you are not heating your home well enough because you’re worried about your next bill‚ you could be putting yourself at risk of cold-related illnesses like pneumonia.

Nest

Nest is the Welsh Government's fuel poverty scheme.

It aims to help reduce the number of households in fuel poverty and make Welsh homes warmer and more fuel-efficient places to live.

If you're worried about the cost of heating your home, you can call 0800 512 012 free from a landline or 0300 456 2655 from a mobile phone.

Nest advisors can offer advice on:

  • Saving money;
  • Money management;
  • Making sure you're on the best fuel tariff for you;
  • And whether you are entitled to any benefits to boost your income;

You may also be eligible to receive home improvements at no cost to you, to help make your home warmer and reduce the cost of your energy bills.

Nest support is available to everyone in Wales.

Vist the opens link in new window Nest website

Winter Fuel Payment

A Winter Fuel Payment is an annual payment made to households where someone over state pension age is living to help with heating costs.

Can I claim it?

You qualify simply by your age and it is normally paid automatically.
If you are aged 60 before 5 July 2010, you will receive £250 for winter 2010-2011. If you were aged 80 before 26 September 2010, you will receive £400. You sometimes get less if you live with other people who also qualify.

Cold Weather Payment

Extra payments are made when the weather is very cold in your area. You can get an additional £25.00 a week when the average temperature has been‚ or is expected to be‚ 0°C or below for 7 consecutive days.

Can I claim it?

You need to be over the minimum state pension age (which is rising from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020) and claiming Pension Credit. It will be paid to you automatically.

Winter Fuel Payments should be received automatically; however‚ if you’re a man aged 60-64 you will need to make a claim because you are not of pension age yet. To ask about your payment‚ or to make a claim‚ phone the Winter Fuel Helpline on 0845 915 1515.


opens link in new window Help with heating costs factsheet - September 2011 (PDF 226KB)

Your Age Cymru

Set your location to see what Age Cymru offers in your local area.

Age UK Advice:
0800 169 6565

Useful website

  • Nest is the Welsh Government's fuel poverty scheme. It aims to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty and make Welsh homes warmer and more fuel-efficient places to live.  

    Useful information to download

    • A factsheet with financial and practical information about reducing your fuel bills.

     opens link in new window Help with heating costs in Wales - September 2011 (PDF 226KB) 


    Help with downloads

    Downloads

    What is a download?

    A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

    What is a PDF?

    PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

    Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have got their computer set up).

    How do I download a PDF?

    Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

    How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

    The process is quite straightforward and is free.

    1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
    2. Click ‘Download’.
    3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
    4. Click ‘Next’.
    5. Click ‘Install’
    6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

    How do I change a download?

    PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

    How do I print or save a download?

    Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

    Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

    Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

    Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

    We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

    You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

    • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
    • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
    • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
    • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
    • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E


    You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

    • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
    • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
    • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.


    You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

      
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