Two million households will forgo central heating this winter

More than two million households say they won’t turn on their heating this winter – an increase of a fifth (22%) compared with last year, reveals new research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.

People who live alone are most likely to take the 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. 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.

Retired Raquel Griffiths, 56, of Llantrisant, South Wales, lives alone in a four-bedroom house, and turned off her heating to save energy in the spring.

She has bought five 1.2kW ceramic heaters that she uses to heat individual rooms when needed, and she says the change has brought her heating bill down dramatically.

Raquel said: “With these heaters, I’m only heating the room I’m actually using. I’m on my own in a four-bedroom house, and there’s absolutely no need to heat over 60% of the rooms. I can set the temperature I want, and switch it on just before I need it.

“I’ve noticed my energy bills dropping, especially from February and March last year when I started using these heaters.”

While this option may work for some households willing to contain themselves to a few rooms, such as Raquel, many cannot and should not live without central heating. It also could run the risk of allowing unheated rooms to become damp in winter conditions.

Uswitch.com is urging households to use its energy support eligibility checker to check what they might be entitled to this winter, as well as ensuring they’ve taken steps to draught-proof their homes before taking any drastic steps.

Households that haven’t fixed in a year or more should also see if they can lock in cheaper rates ahead of winter. With many good value fixed deals on the market right now, households should run a comparison at Uswitch to see what tariffs are available to them.

Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “It’s concerning to see that the number of households planning to get through winter without heating has increased by a fifth this year, with solo dwellers most likely to take this drastic course of action.

“Spending winter in a cold home can be bad for your health, and people are advised to set their thermostats to between 18°C and 21°C even when trying to save money.

“If you’re worried about paying your energy bill this winter, please don’t suffer alone. Reach out to your energy supplier, who may be able to offer advice and support.

“Turning off your heating shouldn’t have to be the answer, so see if you can keep your home warmer by cutting down draughts, opting for thicker curtains and adding insulation if possible.

“You can also consider cost-effective ways of staying warm at home. Electric blankets are a good way to keep warm, and cost a lot less to run than electric heaters.

“You should also make sure you’re not paying more for your energy than you should by seeing what fixed deals are available.

“Run a comparison at Uswitch.com to see available tariffs with personalised costs based on your household consumption.”

Check out the latest energy deals by running an energy comparison at Uswitch.com.