This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re reflecting on the impact that cold homes have on people’s mental health, and how improving energy efficiency can be a first step towards better wellbeing.
Your home should be the place you feel safe. We spend most of our time at home and many of us work there too, whether by choice or necessity. But what happens when it’s cold, damp, or draughty? If it’s costing you more than you can afford to heat – or you’ve resorted to turning the heating off – feeling cold could be the least of your worries.
Many of the people who contact Severn Wye are experiencing debt problems and they tell us about the stress that causes. And people living in a cold, damp homes regularly experience depression. It’s not just a miserable place to be – it can mean seeing your kids go straight to bed after school to try to stay warm, with nowhere to do homework or play with friends. For older people it can mean staying in bed all day, not seeing anyone for days on end.
Cold home worries
The Institute of Health Equity has found that cold and damp housing puts residents at around twice the risk of developing a new mental health condition as well as causing chronic stress from physical discomfort, worries about the effects of mould, and financial strain. Children in cold homes are even more likely to experience multiple mental health symptoms.
Our award-winning ‘Warmth on Prescription’ scheme was designed specifically to help people with health conditions made worse by cold homes. Eligible patients can be referred to us by an NHS clinician and we can help with energy efficiency advice, low-cost measures like heated blankets, and a one-off payment towards that winter’s fuel bills.
The scheme was commended in the House of Commons as ‘a national exemplar of the NHS and energy efficiency working in tandem’.
‘I don’t think people understand just how low you can get without the warmth and this project has really helped my physical and mental health. I can’t thank you enough.’
Get help for yourself
But if your physical or mental health is being affected by being cold at home you don’t have to wait for a referral – you can contact us right now for help.
We know it can be hard to ask for help or sometimes even to talk to people when you’re experiencing mental health issues.
Our advisers will listen with care and everything you tell them is confidential. They have lots of experience helping people stay warmer and healthier at home and will take the time to understand your circumstances so they can offer you all the help you’re entitled to.
Contact us any time by email, communityadvice@severnwye.org.uk, or call our free adviceline Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm: 0800 500 3076.
Helping someone else
If someone you know is struggling in a cold home, what can you do to help?
- Check in with them. Give them a ring, video call, or knock on the door. Ask them how they are feeling and if anything is bothering them. Energy debt can cause massive stress, and while talking about finance is never easy, just being asked can be the first step on the road to resolving what seen insurmountable problems.
- Call Severn Wye’s free adviceline on 0800 500 3076 to see if your friend is eligible for a free home visit to assess the energy efficiency of their property. Our team can also check if they are eligible for funding to cover the cost of insulation or central heating systems.
- Give your friend our email or contact our community-based team directly on communityadvice@severnwye.org.uk
- Get hands-on if you can, with tasks like checking and bleeding radiators, setting thermostats and blocking drafts.
- Spend some time with them out of the house – time outside on a sunny day will likely be a helpful change of scene.
A small change can make a big difference.
‘The help was a lifesaver … my whole life this winter has been different as we have been able to stay warm and happy; my mind is in a different place.’
