Winter Fuel Allowance.......

[Globetrotter]

.  No insulation in the walls or ceiling, the cold strikes right through, and any heat goes straight out.

without wanting to change the subject completely, - i have a genuine question - would wall and loft insultion ( keep a house - in fuerteventura  - cool or would it get hot then stay hot?

How many houses over there have lofts ?

[woe10]

Hmmmm ....   Good question.  The construction of houses is totally different here than in the UK.  No cavity walls means you would have to clad the house totally on the outside with some sort of insulation boards of a certain thickness. No lofts as such, so you can't lay the requires thickness of insulation in the ceiling.

I`m sure if it were possible, and you could buy the materials here, the insulation would keep out the glaring heat of the sun in the summer. After a day of temperatures in the 40's, the walls inside the house are hot to the touch, and stay like that, making bedrooms unbearable at night.

Once heated up, a concrete wall can hold the heat for days. The only answer would be to have Air Conditioning going all day and night, but who could afford that ??   £200 allowance wouldn't cover it.  Also I don't think there's such a thing as getting a Grant for things like that, like they do in the UK.

[Spike On Q]

The walls here are alot thicker than back home and there are no lofts - you may also notice the lack of windows here as it is there that the heat gets in, hence shutters

Not a great opportunity for a loft insulation company!

[emmi]

And as such, makes a complete nonsense of the new Energy Certificate requirements.

[ashworth]

We have been here for nearly 4 years. The night temp is 15c at it worst. No need for heating at all.So winter fuel allowance give us a break. give it to the poor folk in Scotland at minus 20 most of the winter. Its a long time since we had to put a log on the fire...     

[Brightspark]

It amazes me, (Stedge covered this) even if lets say these people living abroad don't deserve it (in some people's opinions on here) why should they not just get it anyway, the vast majority have paid their way, and as Stedge said, a state pension is at best pathetic anyway.

Why are people slating their own countrymen here?

Where should the money go instead then? lets think..

The Polish? sure they could do with a bit extra to send home to their kids
The underpaid politicians? Now being considered for an extra 15% payrise? http://news.sky.com/story/1110023/mps-pay-cameron-warns-against-big-rise
Or more foreign aid maybe?

[Ivemovedon]

The bloke above your post gives an indication of where some people think it should end up BS. Although i'm inclinded to hope he's either joking or just a very poor scotsman himself. The whole idea of the ruling classes is to divide and conquer. If folk are at each others throats it doesn't give them any time to have a stab at the real culprits...the career politicians themselves. So they dangle these little carrots like winter fuel payment with one hand, and craftily drag it away with the other and while we are all bickering and pointing our fingers at the rich, all of a sudden, hey presto, nobodys got it.. even the poorest. They are a bunch of thieving shysters who have no qualms about enriching themselves (as your article on mp's wage increases shows), while having no shame in depriving the aged of a livable pension.

Farage here i come

[denboy]

in answer to fred the red,the reason i don,t get a free bus pass is:quote from yougov website."you have to be born on or before january 5th 1952".i was born on february 8th 1952.to qualify for winter payment2013/2014,the same criteria applies.i qualify for a free bus pass on 6th january 2014,one month before my 62 birthday.

[Ole Man River]

I spent my winter fuel allowance on a chainsaw, a bow saw & an axe. These enable me to get enough winter fuel for my stove.

[sognet]

give it to the bankers..  working people always upset  , someone might be getting tenpence more than them . but let the bankers have it , or mps . but not some pensioner living in the sun , who paid in all his life , typical .vindictive mail and sunreaders,,,,. turn on each over,,, like they did in Nazi Germany .