Half of the population are wearing more layers or using blankets to avoid high energy costs while 13% are still not using heating at all
With temperatures dropping in many parts of the UK over the past week, YouGov has looked into ways people are attempting to reduce their energy costs by cutting back on heating usage.
Similarly to when we asked in October, three quarters (73%) of the public are cutting back on the amount of gas and electric they use at home, with six in ten (63%) reducing their heating usage specifically.
When looking specifically at those who are ‘struggling financially’ – Britons who describe themselves as struggling, or unable, to afford their everyday costs – the share of people cutting back on heating usage rises to eight in ten (79%).
The most common ways the public are trying to reduce heating usage include wearing more layers or using blankets (52%), reducing the temperature on the thermostat (42%) or reducing the time they have the heating on (42%). People are also being cautious about heating individual rooms, with a third (34%) making sure they are closing doors to keep heat in a certain room and one in five (20%) using fewer rooms in their home. The number of people taking these steps have all increased since October.
Despite temperatures dropping below zero in many areas of the country, 13% of Britons say they are not using their heating at all. This is down from 25% back in October when temperatures were a lot milder. Amongst those struggling financially, a quarter (26%) are currently still not using heating at all, down from 44% two months ago.
Photo: Getty
