Wednesday 18 September 2024

‘Nearly 1.7m households to skip on heating this winter’

New research from Uswitch.com shows that over 1.7 million households plan to keep their heating off this winter, nearly doubling the 972,000 who made the same decision last year.

Nearly half of the surveyed blame the cost of living crisis for not being able to afford heating, while a quarter of pensioners say it’s down to the loss of winter fuel payments.

A further one million people are determined to put off switching on their heating until December to help keep costs down.

The average household will turn on their heating on 6th October this year – nearly a week earlier than last year’s big switch-on, which fell on 12th October. Due to last week’s cold snap, six million people have already turned on their heating.

Worryingly, more than one in six (17 per cent) are planning to set their thermostats below the recommended levels of 18°C and 21°C to save money.  Nearly one in ten (8 per cent) planning to heat their home to 17°C and 11 per cent at 16°C or lower.

High energy prices mean many households are being cautious about their energy use. Two in five households (43 per cent) will only turn the heating on if they are too cold, while three in ten (31 per cent) will only heat some rooms in their home.

Will Owen, Energy Expert at Uswitch.com said: 'It’s deeply concerning to see how many households plan to get through winter without heating due to financial struggles.

'Spending winter in a cold home can be a health risk and households should keep the temperature at safe levels.

'People are advised to set their thermostats to between 18°C and 21°C, so households should try to keep within this range even when trying to save money.

'You can set a schedule for when your heating goes on and off so you only warm your home up when you need to and turning down radiator valves in rooms you are not using means you are not heating them unnecessarily.

'There are a number of fixed tariffs worth considering right now. By opting for a fixed deal, you’re locking in those rates for the duration – usually 12 months – which means households could have price certainty and avoid the ups and downs of the price cap.'