Fuel Poverty

Thousands of elderly people will fall victim to fuel poverty due to the soaring fuel costs and an anticipated colder-than-average winter.
I'm not here to join the chorus of groan and moan but to offer a few simple and practical tips that could end up saving a few lives this winter.
The following is what I've been doing to keep myself warm in the house without running up the energy bills.  
Hot-water bottle. This may sound old-fashioned and even a bit 'provincial', but it does work and costs very little. Fill up a hot-water bottle and keep it with you in sitting position. Hug it against your tummy or place it on your lower back against the chair. It does make you feel a lot warmer even if you haven't got the heating on. You can also warm up your hands on it at the same time. If your hands are warm, the rest of the body feels warm.
Always keep your feet warm by wearing warm thick socks. Never go bare-feet even if you've got thick carpets. There's a saying in Chinese, 'cold starts from the feet'. Hence the Chinese place a lot of attention in keeping their feet and lower limbs warm especially in winter. I send my younger son to school wearing long-johns in winter. He gets laughed by other kids but does that matter? I myself also depend on long-johns in late autumn and winter, especially considering that I do around 2 hours of daily training on the patio in my back garden every morning, I take special care to keep my legs and feet warm during training and also in house. The ankles, knees and hips are crucial joints of the human body; if any of them develop pain or problems, that can cause so much inconvenience in one's daily living, let alone in the practice of Tai Chi.

Before bed-time, prepare a bowl of hot water (bearably hot) and soak your feet in it for a minimum of 15 minutes (this can be easily done while you're watching TV). Our feet carry a lot of blood vessels on the sole and are connected to all the internal organs of the body (reflexive points used in reflexology). Warming up the feet may improve the blood and qi circulation of the entire body. Better blood and chi circulation means a warmer body. This is different from taking a hot bath before bed. A hot bath will open up all the pores of the body through which yang qi (possitive life force) will escape. At night time, it is crucial to keep this precious energy intact within the body. The body is seen as a house; all the windows and doors should be kept shut at night to stop draft coming in and the warm air leaking out. This is especially import in the winter months.
Simple exercises such as rubbing the palms and soles of the feet will improve blood circulation and thus keep the body warm. Regularly tapping on some vital joints such as shoulders, knees, hips and lower back can have the same benefit.
Always make hot drinks, even just hot water. Never drink cold drinks in winter as cold drinks rob the body of energy and heat. Westerns are in the habit of drinking milk cold which is not a healthy habit. I always drink hot drinks - tea, hot water - and never drinks soft drink. When I have cereal with milk, I always heat up the milk in the microwave first. I also have the habit of drinking a cup of hot water at bed-time.
Stay warm indoor in winter doesn't have to cost a fortune.