Winter warmth is high on East Ren ’s agenda

The affordable warmth survey is part of a wider research into fuel poverty and energy efficiency.

And those taking part in the survey have the opportunity to win themselves shopping vouchers.

The intention of the survey is to help residents make savings on their gas and electricity bills and better heat their homes.

The results of this will be used to develop the support and services East Renfrewshire Council offers residents, to make sure everyone is getting the help they need to manage their energy.

And as a thanks for residents’ participation, up for grabs will be three vouchers for local and high street shops witha first prize of £100, a second prize of £50 and a third one of £30 for Aldi.

There will be other prizes, also, on offer. Those who leave their contact details when taking the survey — which is online — will be eligible for the prize draw.

To take part in the survey, log on to https://get involved.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/housing-services/practice.

The council’s environment and housing services are conducting the survey which will end on Monday, November 30.

In a paper on the implications of fuel poverty on health, the authors, Christine Morris and Chris Morris say: “Although physical health effects on adults appear to be modest, caregivers and children perceive significant impacts on children’s respiratory health.

“There also appear to be significant effects on the physical health of infants, particularly on weight gain and susceptibility to illness.

“Mental health effects on adults emerge as significant in most studies, as do mental health impacts on adolescents. Mental health effects on children have, as yet, never been systematically assessed.

“While several studies are methodologically rigorous, with some also based on very large samples, methodological problems remain.”

The study is published on the ScienceDirect website.