More than 1.7m households do not plan to turn on heating this winter – poll

More than 1.7 million households do not plan to turn on their heating this winter – nearly double the 972,000 who said they did not heat their homes last year, according to a survey.

More than half of those polled for Uswitch (55%) blamed rising living costs while 25% of over-65s said their decision followed the loss of winter fuel payments.

Another one million households will not turn on the heating until December to keep costs down, according to the poll.

On average, households plan to turn on their heating on October 6 – almost a week earlier than last year’s October 12 – but almost six million people have already turned it on following last week’s cold snap.

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

The survey suggests households will set their thermostat at an average 19.4C this winter, up from 19.3C a year ago.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that people can save 10% on their heating bills for every degree they turn down their thermostats, although it is recommended that people do not set them lower than 18C.

More than one in six households (17%) are planning to set their thermostats below 18C to save money, while 8% plan to heat their home to 17°C, and 11% to 16C or lower.

Almost four million households are setting their thermostats at or above 22C.

Two in five households (43%) will only turn the heating on if they are too cold while 31% will only heat some rooms in their home, the poll suggests.

Uswitch energy spokesman Will Owen 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.

“Electric blankets are a good way to keep warm and cost a lot less to run than electric heaters.

“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.”

Opinium surveyed 2,000 UK adults between September 6-10.