Supporting elderly people who say that "the air-conditioner's electricity bill is a burden" Tokyo Komae August 19th 17:18

Due to the heat of every day, the number of people who are suspected of heat stroke and being transported to hospitals has rapidly increased, and many people, mainly elderly people, die. To prevent heat stroke, it is necessary to properly use air conditioning at night. Some local governments are moving towards support, such as subsidizing the cost of installing air conditioners.

Tokyo Komae City is subsidized up to 50,000 yen

Among these, in Komae City, Tokyo, we started supporting in June, saying that the number of people who refrain from going out due to the spread of new coronavirus is increasing, and that measures against heat stroke in the room are becoming more important.

The target is to subsidize up to 50,000 yen for the cost of purchasing and installing the air conditioner in households that only live in the elderly or households with welfare who do not have any air conditioners at home. I will.

According to Komae City, 70 households had applied for it by the 15th of this month, and the reason why they did not install air conditioners was that they felt that the burden of electricity bills was heavy and they disliked air conditioners. Is that.

In addition, many people were able to withstand the heat by using fans and going to public facilities near their homes that were air-conditioned.

Based on a survey by the Cabinet Office, Komae City estimates that approximately 4300 households, or 10%, will not have air-conditioning out of approximately 43,000 households in the entire city.

The city is calling for the use of the system because 440 households are covered by the support system.

Tatsuro Kato, Senior Manager, Komae City Elderly Disability Division, said, “It has been a summer I have never experienced because of the record high heat that continues with the spread of new coronavirus infection, and there is a high risk of heat stroke and a sense of crisis. There are many elderly people who are not good at air conditioning, and I would like to continue to make it clear that it is important to install air conditioning to prevent heat stroke."

Expert "Administration supports air conditioner installation"

``Heatstroke is an inability of the body to adapt to a sudden rise in temperature, so it prevents the temperature from rising sharply in the room,'' said Keiji Yokobori, Chief of Emergency and Lifesaving Department, Nippon Medical School Hospital, which is familiar with heatstroke. It is very important to install an air conditioner in order to lower it firmly. If there is no air conditioner, install a blind or curtain to prevent direct sunlight from entering the room and reduce the temperature as much as possible." Talking

In addition, he pointed out that there are many cases in which elderly people who do not have air-conditioning at home have become seriously ill, and "I think that many people are refraining from visiting each other's homes to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. , For older people who do not have air conditioners at home, I would like relatives and local residents to visit them and check their physical condition, etc. You can purchase air conditioners and do not refrain from using them because you are concerned about electricity bills etc. Thus, the government is required to provide active support."

Approximately 20% of single households aged 70 and over have not been installed

According to a consumption trend survey conducted by the Cabinet Office in March, 11.4% of the approximately 6,800 households nationwide do not have air conditioners.

Also, 16.2% of single-person households and 18.2% of single-person households aged 70 or over did not have air conditioning installed.