More than half of households cite rising living costs as reason for not heating homes, while quarter of pensioners blame loss of winter fuel payments.
More than 1.7 million households say they will not turn on their heating this winter, according to research by comparison site Uswitch. This has risen sharply from the 972,000 who said they took this drastic step last year.
The research reported that 55 of households cited rising living costs as the reason they would hold out on heating their homes, while a quarter of pensioners put it down to the loss of winter fuel payments, despite it being a potential health risk.
Searches for hot-water bottles on the Argos website have increased by 257 year on year, while demand for heated blankets is up by 224 as people prepare for evenings at home.
Elise Melville, the energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Cold weather can be challenging for households struggling with their energy bills, but spending winter in a cold home can be a health risk and households should keep the temperature at safe levels.”
More than one in six 17 households are planning to set their thermostats below the recommended levels to save money, with nearly one in 12 8 planning to heat their home to 17C, and 11 at 16C or lower, it found.