According to new research from Uswitch.com more than two million households say they won’t turn on their central heating this winter – an increase of a fifth (22%) compared with last year.
People who live alone are most likely to take drastic action, with one in ten solitary dwellers (10%) avoiding using the heating altogether. While households with younger children are half as likely to keep the heating off for winter, still one in 20 (5%) plan to take such extreme steps.
Over half of households (54%) who can’t afford to warm their home blame it on rising living costs.
Nearly half (45%) of those not turning on their heating are relying on other methods of keeping warm, including putting on extra layers, hot water bottles and heated blankets. A fifth (21%) are using alternative heating methods like portable heaters, log burners and open fires.
More than three-quarters of households (77%) are worried about being cold this winter due to high energy prices, with one in six (16%) being very worried.
Expert guidelines recommend heating your home to between 18°C and 21°C during winter[7]. But with higher winter usage and energy bills rising on 1 October for homes on standard tariffs, a quarter of households (24%) plan to set their thermostats colder than recommended levels. Households say they will set their thermostat at 18.9°C on average this winter, half a degree colder than 19.4°C a year ago.
The average household will turn on their heating on 1 October this year – five days earlier than last year’s big switch-on, which fell on 6 October. Even within the second week of September, four million people have already turned on their heating.
High energy prices mean many households are being cautious about their energy use. Two in five households (43%) will only turn the heating on if they are too cold, while three in ten (30%) will only heat some rooms in their home.
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