103-year-old Ivor Gardner, a British veteran of World War II, spent the first part of the winter under a pile of blankets and oven gloves. The man kept warm in this way because the gas meter in his house did not work, and he was afraid of the amount that might appear on the bill. The story of the British is described by “The Independent”.
In April 2022 in Bromham in the south England house of Ivor Gardner, who during World War II took part in, among others, in the famous landing of the allied troops on the beach in Normandy, a new gas meter was installed. However, the device did not work, and the 103-year-old had no way to track his consumption. As the man pointed out in an interview with “The Independent”, his heat supplier kept sending him requests for payment, while ignoring requests to repair the meter five times.
The veteran was freezing without heating in his own home
In this situation, Gardner, despite the winter weather, turned on the heating for only four to six hours each day. As he explained, he was afraid that without being able to track consumption, heating costs would be very high. Instead of turning up the radiators, he covered himself with extra blankets and cloths, and put on gloves used to operate the stove. – I was careful how much (energy – ed.) I used, because I didn’t know how much it would cost, and the price was going up all the time. My family bought me all these things so I wouldn’t be stuck in the cold. However, at one point I thought: why should I freeze when I can afford to pay for my wear and tear, and I’ve never owed anyone anything in my life? said the 103-year-old.
Even though Gardner was reducing energy consumption, the power distributor was still charging according to projected consumption, which, according to the veteran, was much higher than the actual consumption. The bill for the last nine months initially showed £632. Gardner estimates that this is several hundred pounds more than what was actually used.
Electricity bill based on forecast
On January 11, a new meter was finally installed in the man’s home. This happened after the 103-year-old, with the help of a neighbor, wrote a letter to the local authorities and the board of an energy supply company. The problem is that due to the lack of consumption data for the last months, the supplier proposed that the bill for this period should be based on consumption in the next six weeks. This would mean that Gardner would have to pay the same for heating in the warmer months as in January and February. The former soldier rejected the offer and decided to continue negotiating with the heat supplier. In the end, he got his way, he got an apology from him, and the bill for the period from April to December – the time when the meter did not work – was reset to zero. In addition, the 103-year-old was awarded £200 in compensation.
Quoted by The Independent, Gardner said he hoped no other senior would have to go through such “anguish”. A company spokesman in an interview with the newspaper apologized to the man again and added that the service he was dealing with “is not in line with the company’s standards”.
Winter in Great Britain
In mid-December, an exceptionally strong wave of frost swept across the UK. Thermometers in some parts of the country showed a dozen degrees below zero, a sharp drop in temperature accompanied by heavy snowfall. However, this does not change the fact that the previous year as a whole was exceptionally warm. According to a preliminary report presented by the British meteorological agency, the Met Office, it appears that 2022 could be the hottest year on record in Britain.
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The Independent, Met Office
Main photo source: Daily Mail UK/TWITTER