Average fuel costs for the elderly have been spiralling out of control. Energy bills for the over-65s rose to £1,355.90 in 2012 compared with just £668.98 seven years previously. The 12.9 million pensioners in the UK spent an estimated £17.4 billion on electricity and fuel bills in 2012, according to research by Saga. These statistics do not take into account the effects of a succession of recent price rises made by energy suppliers, which have caused more financial winter woe.