Thanks, PlanesPete, for bringing to our attention what people in the UK have been doing for years; i.e. dealing with ways to stop your house losing heat, though it does work the same way in summer but in reverse.

Most of here in Catalunya have enjoyed much higher temperatures than the UK and so perhaps the benefits that should be claimed by those people who are living in the UK and suffer from colder temperatures and who are on a low income or past a certain age should be claimed by those people.

Any ex-pats living in warmer climes could perhaps make a claim to the Spanish (or similar country) government for their benefit, or at least for some loft insulation .....