Households say they’ll skip the heating this winter

Over 1.7 million households won't heat their homes this winter, nearly double last year's 972,000, according to Uswitch.com.

More than half (55%) say they can’t afford to because of rising living costs, while a quarter (25%) of pensioners blame recent cuts to winter fuel payments. An additional one million people said they’d wait until December to turn on their heating.

Turning down the heat

This year, the average household will switch their heating on nearly a week earlier than last year (6 October), although six million have already turned it on due to recent cold weather.

The research found households will set thermostats at an average temperature of 19.4°C, slightly higher than last year.

But more than one in six (17%) plan to set the temperature below recommended levels to save money, with some aiming as low as 16°C.

At the other end of the scale, nearly four million households will turn the temperatures above 22°C – hotter than it currently is in Rome.

What temperature should my home be?

High energy costs mean almost two in five (43%) of us will only heat our homes when it’s cold, while one in three (31%) will only heat certain rooms.

Energy Saving Trust estimates a 10% saving on heating bills for each degree reduced, though it’s recommended that people do not set them lower than 18°C. They recommend heating your home to between 18°C and 21°C during winter.

Be prepared for winter

Our average household energy bills are set to rise by 9.5% when the next energy price cap change comes in – about £12 a month. Because of this, the average bill will be £1,717 a year from October. Although our bills will be lower than last year’s, many will be feeling the squeeze.

We’ve got lots of energy-saving tips to help you cut costs and our guide about energy arrears can help you if you’ve fallen behind on your energy bills, or you’re worried about the cost of heating your home.