When scientists calculate as early as July that the following winter is likely to be colder than the ones we have been used to, news of soaring gas and electricity costs merely heightens the sense of foreboding.
People on low incomes, the long-term sick and those on state pensions will be hardest hit. Unless action is taken now, headlines about fuel poverty will take their place alongside "Brrrrrr-itain freezes".
A household becomes fuel-poor when more than 10% of its income is spent on energy bills. With the latest gas and electricity prices rises running at up to 35%, Age Concern tells me that one in three pensioner households could fall into the fuel poverty trap this winter.
Overall, one in five UK households are estimated to be living in fuel poverty, a situation exacerbated by the use of pre-payment meters whose tariffs are higher than those of other paying methods. It almost goes without saying that it is people on low incomes who use these meters as they try to manage their tight budgets.
If the government needs some advice on how to pre-empt this crisis - which may result in an increase in NHS hospital admissions - it could do worse than listen to Age Concern.
For a start, the charity is proposing a system of fuel vouchers. Worth £50 each, they would be sent to all over-70s who are entitled to pension credit. This would be a sensible move as it would prevent the recipient diverting the sum into other parts of the household budget.
Age Concern points out that the vouchers could be funded by the energy firms' social assistance programmes.
In addition, the chancellor, Alistair Darling, could use his autumn statement to announce an increase in the winter fuel payment. Age Concern proposes that a £100 increase would take the payment to £300 for over-60s and £400 for over-80s. What a popular chancellor he could become.
With the energy companies continuing to make huge profits albeit slightly reduced, Darling could perhaps fund this programme through a windfall tax. The energy companies would not like it but Labour did impose one on the privatised utility companies after it came to power in 1997, despite their bleatings. Economic apocalypse did not follow.
But in this case a warmer winter might.
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