Cold weather payments

tomm

You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below for 7 consecutive days.

https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment

What is meant by this vague term "average temp" in your area,IE how does the met office average the daily temps , is it dependent on how many hours  each day the temp is at or below 0 c? 

Geoark

Hi @tomm

In terms of the legislation, The Social Fund (Cold Weather Payments) (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988 this is defined as:

"mean daily temperature" means, in respect of a day, the average of the maximum temperature and minimum temperature recorded at a station for that day;"

tomm

But how do they calculate this average temp each day  or each 7 days , is it  done by measuring how long the temp remains at or below the 0c threashold,  as well as what the max temp reaches ?
So in other words, if today had had a min temp of 0c for 5hrs ,and a max temp of 2c  that would not qualify ,where as if the min temp was -2 continuosly for 10hrs then 0c for a furtther 3hrs  with a max temp reaching 3c  that would qualify as a day towards the 7 consecutive that is required ?

We all know that it can dip below 0c during the hrs of darkness  but that typically will not meet the criteria

Geoark

@tomm

It is calculated each day. Once you get a day where the average temperature is zero or below the count begins. If the average goes above zero in the next six days the count stops. The count restarts the next day the average temperature reaches zero or below.

The length of time does not matter. They add the lowest temperature to the highest temperature and divide by two.

In the example you gave 

(-2+3)/2
1/2
=average day temperature 0.5 so would not count.

Once the seven days is up the count starts again. However due to concerns in the past during severe weather conditions the rules were changed so if the weather forecast for the next 7 days was predicted to meet the criteria a second payment is automatically triggered.

tomm

And 0.5 c isn't likeleyto result in the same extra fuel useage  or the same feeling of being cold?  there imo seems to be far too many get outs ,and it's in the favour of the government far too much the mimimum should be raised too 1 or 2 c