Figures released this month by National Records of Scotland (NRS) show that a total of 23,137 deaths were registered across Scotland from December 2017 to March 2018, (winter 2017/18) compared with 20,946 in the previous winter (2016/17).
It was the largest number since 23,379 deaths were registered in winter 1999/2000. The statistics also show that overall, taking the average of the ten winters’ percentages, around 31% of the additional deaths were of people who were aged 75 to 84, and 45% were of people aged 85 and over.
In response to this and with winter approaching off grid energy trade association, The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers, whose members supply up to 135,223 homes in Scotland with heating oil, is urging householders who are 75+ and who use heating oil to sign up to the Cold Weather Priority Initiative.
The CWP initiative will assist in identifying and help those most at risk so they are prioritised for delivery when it comes to heating oil supplies throughout the winter months, especially during periods of extreme cold weather or fuel shortages.
FPS Chief Executive Guy Pulham said: “Cold Weather Priority is an important industry initiative that was launched in 2017 and played a key role in the heavy snow ‘Beast From The East’ we experienced earlier this year.
Many of our members implemented the CWP scheme to help prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers during that bad weather period. Thankfully, situations where supplies of fuel are short and the cold is extreme are rare but before the winter sets in we are asking members of the public who are aged 75 and over to get in touch with their FPS member heating oil supplier if they believe they should be part of the CWP initiative.
“FPS members will also over the next few months be employing various methods to identify customers who they believe fall into the ‘CWP’ category, so that deliveries can be prioritised to these people during the winter months.”
The CWP initiative has also received support from The Rt Hon Claire Perry MP, Minister of State, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy who comments: “The last 12 months have shown the problems that severe conditions can cause and for those using heating oil and liquified petroleum gas to heat their homes this can be particularly challenging. The Cold Weather Priority Initiative is a welcome effort by industry to provide security and comfort to thousands of those most in need.”
If you would like to know more about the scheme visit Cold Weather Priority
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