The need for them wasn't that widespread until recently. Heating was relatively affordable. People on low incomes and the elderly had enough assistance to stay

The need for them wasn't that widespread until recently. Heating was relatively affordable. People on low incomes and the elderly had enough assistance to stay warm. The British government have taken very little action in comparison to other countries in protecting the population from rising energy costs. British homes are extremely poorly insulated compared to our European counterparts. Many older homes rely on electric storage heaters which are much more expensive than heating with gas.