The high cost of energy is forcing British households into a self-imposed “ice age” with people cutting down or rationing their heating due to cost, according to new research from
uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.
Despite being the coldest winter in 30 years, seven out of ten people (69 per cent) cut down or rationed their energy usage while half (50 per cent) even chose to go without heating in an attempt to keep costs down.
Of these, over a third (37 per cent) went without heating occasionally, while over one in ten (12 per cent) regularly went without. Just 29 per cent of people - less than three in ten - didn't feel the need to go without heating this winter to keep costs down.
While many felt forced to turn heating off, others compromised by keeping the heating on, but at a level lower than felt comfortable. According to uSwitch, in an attempt to cut costs, 22 per cent put up with being colder than they would have liked to be.
As a result, many turned to tried and tested methods of keeping warm including only using one or two rooms in their home (27 per cent), dressing in more layers (78 per cent), leaving the oven door open after cooking (32 per cent) and wrapping up in a blanket when sitting down (50 per cent).
For some, the cold actually forced them out of their homes with one in ten visiting friends, family and even the local library just to keep warm.
The downside of the self-rationing seen this winter is that quality of life and health has suffered. Twelve per cent) of people say that the cutbacks they made on heating in order to manage costs affected their quality of life or even their health. And despite making such cutbacks 18 per cent of people are still concerned about their next energy bill.
However, almost four in ten (38 per cent) felt they achieved the right balance between keeping their home warm and managing costs this winter, while a third (33 per cent) took up energy efficiency measures to keep costs down.
uSwitch says the bitter cold experienced this year has focused consumers' minds on energy - 89 per cent now say they are more aware of the cost and a third (34 per cent) say they are now more likely to introduce energy efficiency measures at home in the future.
"This is not about people becoming more energy efficient - this is about people going cold,” said Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at
uSwitch.com.
“And, sadly, it has taken a bitter winter to bring home the bitter truth about the impact high household energy costs can have on quality of life and health in Britain today.
"The reality this winter is that many households were forced into a self-imposed ‘ice age' with people cutting down or rationing their heating due to concerns about cost. This isn't just shameful - it raises a huge question mark over the ongoing affordability of energy in Britain and this is something that now needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency.
"While many households were forced to compromise on heating this winter because of worries about the cost, the good news is that it has woken 89 per cent of us up to the fact that energy bills are now substantially higher than just a few years ago.
“As a result of this winter, a third of people are now more likely to adopt energy efficiency measures to help them bring their heating and energy costs down."
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