Record Cold Weather Payment Payout Of Over £4 Million For Age Concern Gas Customers

Age Concern Enterprises announces the highest ever Cold Weather Payment payout of over £4 million this year, which helped keep almost 200,000 customers warm during the freezing 2008/09 winter*

[UKPRwire, Sat Jul 25 2009] Following the coldest winter for over a decade, almost 200,000 gas customers on the Age Concern Energy Services tariff, developed in conjunction with E.ON, are set to receive the highest ever Cold Weather Payment payout between May and July this year, the total sum of which will exceed £4 million – a record amount for Age Concern Energy Services and paid for by E.ON. This figure is more than double the payment issued last year and is sure to be welcomed by many older people across the UK.

Customers in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Essex, Lancashire and Birmingham will benefit most from the payment, with temperatures there falling below zero for 52 days.

Product Development Manager Mike Abrey-Bugg, from Age Concern Energy Services, said: “Customers on the Age Concern Energy Services tariff are guaranteed a Cold Weather Payment of £10 for all gas customers (which rises to £20 for customers aged 80 or above) which is paid out over and above the Government’s Winter Fuel Payment.

“Our additional Cold Weather Payment is equivalent to an extra three hours use of a gas fire, and is paid to our gas customers aged 60 and over for each day that the temperature drops below freezing between December and the end of February. We even take the temperature from one of the coldest places in the UK - the Weathernet weather station in Pickering, North Yorkshire.

“As this winter was a particularly harsh one with a record amount of snow falling and temperatures dropping below freezing on 52 days (out of a possible 90 days), we are delighted to be able to help out older people across the UK who might be struggling with bills in the current economic climate.”

The guaranteed payment, funded by E.ON, is part of the Age Concern Energy Services package. The package has been developed in conjunction with E.ON, one of the UK’s leading electricity and gas companies, and which combines a wide range of benefits, together with the advantages of competitive prices, to gas customers of all ages.

To find out more about Age Concern Energy Services package, including Cold Weather Payments, call free on 0800 404 5010, visit http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/energy or pop in to your local Age Concern**.

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For further information please contact Jess Baker, Nicola Richards or Imogen Davies at Trimedia on 0207 025 7500 or email jess.baker@trimediauk.com

Notes to editors:
*Over £4m is being given to c196,000 customers of which £3.6m is being paid to gas customers aged 60 and over.
** Not all Age Concerns offer all Age Concern products. Please check by telephoning your local office, before arranging a visit.